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PHILADELPHIA – A gathering of 41,766 at Citizens Bank Park on the steamy night of July 1 didn’t get the pitcher’s duel it may have anticipated.
Precocious Pirate Paul Skenes lasted just four innings, equaling his second shortest stint of the year.
Phillies counterpart Zack Wheeler went 4⅔ and was gone after three straight two-out singles loaded the bases in the fifth inning. His pitching line was then slightly scarred when reliever Kyle Backus promptly hit the first two batters with pitches to bring in a run charged to Wheeler.
With the temperature at 96 degrees for the first pitch at 6:41 p.m., it certainly was weather that benefitted hitters more than pitchers. And the Phillies teed off in what became a 10-6 win that kept them within 2½ games of first-place Atlanta in the NL East. Pittsburgh had 12 hits to the Phillies’ 11.
“It was that kind of game,” Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said. “You never felt really comfortable.”
Nonetheless, Wheeler, even in a game that wasn’t among his most polished, showed how truly valuable he is, especially in the wake of last summer’s terrifying news.
Ten months ago, there was uncertainty whether or not Wheeler would ever pitch again. Those concerns, in fact, extended well beyond being able to throw a baseball.
That was after he had surgery to remove a life-threatening blood clot near his throwing shoulder. Subsequent thoracic outlet decompression surgery removed a rib to provide vascular relief.
It ended his 2025 season and certainly raised concerns about 2026. Would he be his old self?
He has been. In fact, at times, he’s been even better than his old self, which is saying something.
The 2.03 ERA and 0.863 WHIP that Wheeler carried into Wednesday’s game were career bests. Only Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander has finished a Phillies season with a better WHIP – 0.84 in 1915.
This start won’t stand out statistically in every category. The 4⅔ innings made it Wheeler’s shortest of his 13 this year. The nine hits were the most he has allowed.
But Wheeler also had a season-high 10 strikeouts and walked just one, with No. 9 hitter Henry Davis’ third-inning solo homer highlighting the Pirates’ night.
Wheeler, often his own worst critic, brusquely gave one-word answers to media questions after the game, perhaps wanting to make a quick getaway on a fireworks night and likely not thrilled with his night or being yanked when he was.
But the Phillies peppered Skenes worse, with Trea Turner’s three-run second-inning homer that made it 5-0 and Brandon Marsh’s third-inning solo blast.
“Obviously, his stuff is good pretty much every time,” Mattingly said of Skenes. “But we just kind of kept going. Our club's not really afraid of anybody, so it doesn't matter who the guy is. We got guys that have had success in their career, and you're not just shying away from guys like [Skenes].”
Marsh, a career .269 hitter now batting .319 after his two-hit night, continued his remarkable 2026 breakthrough that should land him in the All-Star Game’s starting National League lineup here July 14.
Turner, the 2025 National League batting champ who was hitting .216 on June 15, also singled and is now batting .239.
“I think we got a good team,” Turner said. “Sometimes there’s no explanation [for slow starts or slumps] but I feel like we got a good lineup and we really battle.”
The evening also featured third baseman Alec Bohm’s diving, inning-ending catch with two runs in and a runner on base in the seventh inning. Bohm then pelted a two-run eighth-inning homer into the center-field foliage.
Those were the Phillies’ highlights. But Wheeler’s outing, despite the Pirates baserunners who frequently surrounded him in his 104-pitch night and his postgame angst, still showed his value.
Contact Kevin Tresolini at [email protected] and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Zack Wheeler grinds through tough outing in Phillies win vs. Pirates
Continue reading...
Precocious Pirate Paul Skenes lasted just four innings, equaling his second shortest stint of the year.
Phillies counterpart Zack Wheeler went 4⅔ and was gone after three straight two-out singles loaded the bases in the fifth inning. His pitching line was then slightly scarred when reliever Kyle Backus promptly hit the first two batters with pitches to bring in a run charged to Wheeler.
You must be registered for see images attach
With the temperature at 96 degrees for the first pitch at 6:41 p.m., it certainly was weather that benefitted hitters more than pitchers. And the Phillies teed off in what became a 10-6 win that kept them within 2½ games of first-place Atlanta in the NL East. Pittsburgh had 12 hits to the Phillies’ 11.
“It was that kind of game,” Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said. “You never felt really comfortable.”
Nonetheless, Wheeler, even in a game that wasn’t among his most polished, showed how truly valuable he is, especially in the wake of last summer’s terrifying news.
Ten months ago, there was uncertainty whether or not Wheeler would ever pitch again. Those concerns, in fact, extended well beyond being able to throw a baseball.
You must be registered for see images attach
That was after he had surgery to remove a life-threatening blood clot near his throwing shoulder. Subsequent thoracic outlet decompression surgery removed a rib to provide vascular relief.
It ended his 2025 season and certainly raised concerns about 2026. Would he be his old self?
He has been. In fact, at times, he’s been even better than his old self, which is saying something.
The 2.03 ERA and 0.863 WHIP that Wheeler carried into Wednesday’s game were career bests. Only Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander has finished a Phillies season with a better WHIP – 0.84 in 1915.
This start won’t stand out statistically in every category. The 4⅔ innings made it Wheeler’s shortest of his 13 this year. The nine hits were the most he has allowed.
You must be registered for see images attach
But Wheeler also had a season-high 10 strikeouts and walked just one, with No. 9 hitter Henry Davis’ third-inning solo homer highlighting the Pirates’ night.
Wheeler, often his own worst critic, brusquely gave one-word answers to media questions after the game, perhaps wanting to make a quick getaway on a fireworks night and likely not thrilled with his night or being yanked when he was.
But the Phillies peppered Skenes worse, with Trea Turner’s three-run second-inning homer that made it 5-0 and Brandon Marsh’s third-inning solo blast.
“Obviously, his stuff is good pretty much every time,” Mattingly said of Skenes. “But we just kind of kept going. Our club's not really afraid of anybody, so it doesn't matter who the guy is. We got guys that have had success in their career, and you're not just shying away from guys like [Skenes].”
You must be registered for see images attach
Marsh, a career .269 hitter now batting .319 after his two-hit night, continued his remarkable 2026 breakthrough that should land him in the All-Star Game’s starting National League lineup here July 14.
Turner, the 2025 National League batting champ who was hitting .216 on June 15, also singled and is now batting .239.
“I think we got a good team,” Turner said. “Sometimes there’s no explanation [for slow starts or slumps] but I feel like we got a good lineup and we really battle.”
The evening also featured third baseman Alec Bohm’s diving, inning-ending catch with two runs in and a runner on base in the seventh inning. Bohm then pelted a two-run eighth-inning homer into the center-field foliage.
Those were the Phillies’ highlights. But Wheeler’s outing, despite the Pirates baserunners who frequently surrounded him in his 104-pitch night and his postgame angst, still showed his value.
Contact Kevin Tresolini at [email protected] and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Zack Wheeler grinds through tough outing in Phillies win vs. Pirates
Continue reading...
