After a rain filled week in Philadelphia, the city received a beautiful night Saturday. Citizens Bank Park was host to a packed crowd and while the weather was gorgeous – the product on the field was a work of art. Philadelphia did exactly what you would expect when playing a team like Pittsburgh, especially with ace Zack Wheeler on the mound.
Phillies hitters continued to show patience, Zack Wheeler was an absolute machine, the bullpen had a strong night (until the ninth), and the offense had traffic on the base paths early and often. Two hitters extended streaks, while a star has seemingly found his stroke. Philly took the lead in the first and would never relinquish it, ultimately winning the game 5-2. Let’s break down the game that won the Phillies the series over the Pirates.
Wheel’s deals
Tell me if you’ve heard this one before: “Zack Wheeler dominates [insert opponent name here].” Yes, it is expected against the Pirates, one of the worst teams in baseball this season, but the Phillies ace did more than the bare minimum. It wasn’t just getting the job done, it was dominating a lineup in a way few pitchers can.
Wheeler went six innings for the Phillies, allowing just four base runners (3 hits, 1 walk) while striking out six. Those numbers may not jump off the page at you, but he was able to put Pittsburgh’s hitters away despite them battling in the box most of the night. Usually that wears on a pitcher, but not Zack – he kept his head in the game and grinded through those challenging ABs. Wheeler threw 20+ pitches in the first and fourth innings, respectively. Despite those longer frames, he still only faced seven hitters combined across both innings.
His best weapon wasn’t a secret – it was his ability to get ahead of hitters on Saturday night. Of the 21 hitters he faced, Wheeler threw a first pitch strike to 13. Only one of those 13 managed to reach base and it was Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s infield single in the final inning of Zack’s outing. Pure dominance – there’s no way around it. Phillies manager Rob Thomson jokingly talked about how this is nothing new for his right hander after the game:
“(Wheeler’s) velocity was up and he held it. All the stuff was good. Ball-to-strike ratio, I mean… it’s the same quotes – you take the quotes from the last 20 starts and just fill it in.” Thomson said with a smile on his face. He continued to rave about the growth of Wheeler: “The split’s getting better, the sliders gotten, you know, all those pitches are getting better, and he’s commanding them better as he gets more experienced and gets older, so it’s really good.“
Eight of Wheeler’s ten fastest pitches this season were on Saturday evening. He even touched 98.8 MPH on a fastball to Bryan Reynolds in the first. His outing extends his scoreless inning streak to 18. Rob Thomson called him “one of the best in baseball” – and he flashed everything that qualifies him as such. Great outing.
Stott stars for the Phillies
Much was made about the lineup in the off-season and who would be leading off – Treat Turner or Kyle Schwarber. Well, Bryson Stott would like a word. Stott has settled in to the top spot in the order nicely, but tonight felt like the Stott show. Despite everyone in the Phillies lineup getting on base and contributing, no one quite had the night that the second baseman delivered. In the third inning, Stott added on by leading off with a solo home run into the right field seats. It was his second AB – and both were six pitch appearances – something he was known for early in his career.
He would come up again in the fourth, this time facing a left-handed reliever – something he does not do very often. With two men on base, he recorded just his seventh hit of the season against a left-handed pitcher – a single to left field. He would come around to score on a double from Bryce Harper, and Philly would leave the frame with five runs on the night – four of which were either driven in or scored by Stott himself.
Thomson confirmed he felt Stott had a great night, but made sure to give credit to the entirety of his offense:
“(Stott) had a great night. I liked our offensive approach throughout our lineup. Everybody got on base, and on that (hit from Stott), Marsh got a great read, he was right behind Bohm to score.” Yeah, I really liked our approach, especially in the 4th inning, where we scored 3 runs – all opposite field hits.”
Great approach throughout the Phillies lineup
Thomson added that his team didn’t get out of the zone much and took what the pitchers gave to them – something that has been a heavy focus coming into the year. They were able to get the starting pitcher’s pitch count up quickly, and opened the door to a rough Pirates bullpen.
One thing I specifically noticed was also in the fourth – leading off the inning. J.T. Realmuto hit the first pitch of the frame very hard, right back at the pitcher, Carmen Mlodzinski, for a quick out. Alec Bohm stepped up next and the first pitch delivered to him was a fastball, middle-middle. He took it. If you’ve watched Alec Bohm his entire career, that is a shocker. Bohm has gotten by on being a free swinger and not missing something as juicy as a center cut fastball from a struggling starter. The third baseman churned out a base hit the opposite way, after a seven-pitch at-bat, and would eventually come around to score.
What could have been a very quick two outs and potentially a very quick inning, turned into the frame that ultimately won them the game – and kept Wheeler fresh and rested. I asked Thomson after the game – is that something you had to tell Bohm as he walked to the plate, or is it an evolution in his approach and awareness?
“We mention it all the time, just so that the position players are cognizant of what our pitcher has done the previous inning,” the Phillies skipper said. “We didn’t happen to mention it to Bohmer in that inning, but I think they’re getting the idea of, ‘Okay, what’s going on with our guy? How many pitches do he throw last inning? We need to slow this thing up so he can sit down and get some rest.’ So, I think they understand the situation.
Sometimes the measuring stick for a team isn’t playing one of the best in the league. Sometimes, playing a bad team and taking care of business instead of performing down to the competition is exactly what the doctor ordered. Thomson, the players, and the fans all seemed to thoroughly enjoy this one. However, the job’s not done. On Sunday, they face second-year phenom, Paul Skenes. Opposing him will be the Phillies No. 8 ranked prospect, Mick Abel, who will be making his major league debut. If the Phillies can grind on Skenes they way did the rest of the Pirates staff tonight, and Abel looks remotely like he has at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, a sweep is most definitely in the cards.
Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
