Zack Wheeler fights through diminished velocity as Phillies sweep Rangers

On the heels of a successful 4-2 homestand, the Phillies began a 10-game road swing this weekend with a three-game series against a surging Texas Rangers team. As they build separation from the New York Mets in the National League East race, the Phillies were able to continue playing very good, well-rounded baseball, halting Texas’ momentum.

After Kyle Schwarber smoked his 41st home run of the season off the foul pole in the top of the first inning of Friday night’s series opener, Cristopher Sánchez continued his own stellar campaign. The star southpaw allowed a run in the opening frame, then followed it up by posting five consecutive zeros. Brandon Marsh homered and hit two doubles to continue his recent hot streak, powering a pair of rallies — one to put the Phillies ahead with three runs in the fourth inning and another to put the game away with a five-run ninth inning. Superstar closer Jhoan Duran was getting set to close out the game in the bottom of the ninth, but any chance of him stepping onto the mound was extinguished with the additional rally. Max Lazar finished off a 9-1 victory, and Duran being held out of Friday’s game paid off the following night. Duran shut the door on Saturday night, securing a 3-2 Phillies win after a gutsy Jesús Luzardo outing and timely string of quality at-bats from the bottom of the order.

All eyes were on the pitcher’s mound on Sunday, as a sputtering Zack Wheeler took the mound after his start was moved back by two days because of shoulder discomfort. Phillies manager Rob Thomson insisted Wheeler is fine and there should not be much worrying, but any pitcher of his stature having a start pushed back will generate concern. The results were initially ominous, but after a rough first inning, Wheeler overcame diminished velocity thanks in large part to improved command and a lively splitter. Wheeler allowed two runs in five innings and the bullpen behind him did a fantastic job from there, locking down a 4-2 victory to finally complete a sweep.

Everything that stood out from the Phillies’ three-game series in Texas:

Zack Wheeler settles in despite diminished velocity

Wheeler’s first inning of work on Sunday did not exactly inspire the sort of confidence that overrides the trepidation many had about his shoulder coming into the start. Wheeler’s velocity was a tick or two down on all six of his pitch types, his command was spotty and it took him 26 pitches to get three outs. He allowed two hits, but one of them was caused by a miscommunication between Bryson Stott and Harrison Bader. Wheeler nearly executed a perfect backdoor breaking ball to Corey Seager with a full count, but the pitch did not quite come back far enough and it was ball four. With two outs and a runner on base, Wheeler threw a cutter that was 2.5 miles per hour slower than his average this season. Joc Pederson deposited into the right-field seats for a two-run shot.

From there, Wheeler found his footing. He struck out the side in the second inning and got rolling from there, giving his offense time to tie the game at 2-2 and eventually take the lead on a run-scoring base hit from Weston Wilson. Bader redeemed himself after the earlier mistake by robbing what might have been a Seager home run. This is why Bader’s glove is held in such high regard:

Wheeler gave the Phillies four excellent innings after his shaky opening frame, and Thomson decided that a five-inning outing was enough. Wheeler threw 83 pitches in all (51 strikes), and only allowed three hits. His splitter was down multiple ticks in terms of velocity, but had excellent movement, easily his best pitch on the day. His velocity remained below its norms across the board. A breakdown:

Tanner Banks, Matt Strahm, Orion Kerkering and Jhoan Duran all pitched in with scoreless innings in relief, protecting a lead that had been created when Bryce Harper doubled in Trea Turner, Edmundo Sosa homered to left and Wilson poked a hit to left field. Marsh added a sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth to provide some insurance.

The Phillies have struggled to complete sweeps all year long, but they got the job done on Sunday. How were they in a position to break out the brooms?

Jesús Luzardo and a maligned outfield come through

In the top of the first inning on Saturday night, the Phillies’ three best hitters were flummoxed by Rangers starter Jacob deGrom. In the bottom of the first inning, the Rangers’ three best hitters hit back-to-back-to-back singles against Luzardo. It was 1-0 just like that, and given Luzardo’s season, it was not difficult to imagine things unraveling for the left-hander there.

Instead, Luzardo settled down and executed his pitches. He only struck out four hitters, but after a tricky opening frame Luzardo threw five straight scoreless innings. Meanwhile, deGrom continued to dominate, and when Luzardo’s outing ended he was still on the wrong side of a 1-0 game.

Luzardo sticking with it was rewarded with a rally built by other players who have had no choice but to stick with it. Marsh singled, and in his first start against right-handed pitching since being traded to Philadelphia, Bader drew a key walk. Then Max Kepler, the least-popular member of the 2025 Phillies, came to the plate. Kepler had been robbed of extra bases in his previous at-bat. He was batting .203 in 320 at-bats for the season. Then he stayed on a deGrom slider and ripped it into the corner for a go-ahead, two-run double:

It was a huge hit for Kepler, capping off a run of crucial plate appearances from outfielders. That unit has been a glaring weakness all year, and with Nick Castellanos getting a rare night off his cohorts on the grass got the job done on Saturday. Kepler, Marsh, Bader and Castellanos each started in two of the three games in this series as Thomson continues to figure out how he wants his outfield to look on a daily basis.

Stott added a run-scoring single against a tough left-handed reliever, giving the Phillies insurance that proved to be enormously valuable when Strahm allowed a solo homer to Seager in the bottom of the eighth inning. Once Duran entered with a 3-2 lead, any chance the Rangers had of mounting a comeback died. Thanks to a struggling unit showing signs of life, Luzardo’s resilient outing netted him a win.

Odds and ends

Some more notes from this three-game set:

• Stott has had a miserable season at the plate, but his last few weeks have been encouraging. He will end this season with a disappointing set of offensive numbers no matter what. But his move down to the very bottom of Thomson’s order after the All-Star break should help recalibrate what the expectations should be for the light-hitting second baseman who shines as a defender.

Stott does not need to be a star with a bat in his hands. If he gets on base a respectable amount, continues swiping bags and remains a stellar defender, the Phillies will not have much to complain about. Sosa has starred on the weak side of the Phillies’ platoon at second base; if Stott can truly come around it is one fewer spot in the lineup for Thomson to worry about. His improvements have been so noteworthy that Thomson gave him a start against a lefty on Sunday, with Sosa sticking at third base, Wilson playing left and Kemp sitting.

• Speaking of Sosa, it is hard to overstate just how important his versatility has been to this Phillies team. His defense behind Luzardo was outstanding on Saturday, and in addition to thriving as Stott’s platoon partner he has been more than serviceable filling in for Alec Bohm at third base recently. Speaking of Kemp, the rookie seemed primed for most of the opportunities at the hot corner, but his defense there has been enormously suspect. Kemp started at third base on Friday and Sosa replaced him for defense in the seventh inning. He is beginning to look like the possible odd man out when Alec Bohm, whose rehab assignment at Triple-A kicked off on Sunday, returns to the majors.

Up next: The Phillies’ 10-game road trip will continue on Monday night when they begin a three-game series against a Cincinnati Reds team that is fighting for a postseason spot.

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