Phillies survive Jordan Romano’s off night, outlast Athletics in 4-3 win

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jordan Romano hadn’t allowed an earned run in nine appearances before taking the ball in the ninth inning on Friday.

The Phillies had just scored three runs on the Athletics’ All-Star closer Mason Miller in the top half of the inning, giving Romano a comfortable lead to work with. But all three insurance runs ultimately proved crucial in the Phillies’ 4-3 win over the A’s.

Romano allowed a single, a walk, and a three-run homer to spoil the shutout. He was lifted from the game for Tanner Banks after allowing the tying run to reach first on another single, but Banks earned his first save of the season with a strikeout. The Phillies extended their win streak to eight.

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“Got messy there at the end, but I’ll take the win anytime,” said manager Rob Thomson.

Romano, pitching on back-to-back days, struggled to land his slider for strikes, and saw his fastball velocity fluctuate between 92 and 95 mph.

“I didn’t think the velocity in Colorado [on Thursday] was the 97-98 [mph] that we’re used to, but he was landing his slider, and it was good, and it was sharp,” Thomson said. “So that’s really the bigger thing for me.”

Trea Turner started the game with a leadoff homer, but that accounted for the Phillies’ only run until the ninth. Phillies starter Zack Wheeler tossed 6⅔ scoreless innings to help keep the A’s at bay until the Phillies’ bats started to heat up.

Wheeler expressed frustration with the mound at Sutter Health Park, the Athletics’ temporary home after leaving Oakland at the end of last season. The A’s share the minor league stadium — which has a capacity of 14,014 — with the triple-A Sacramento River Cats.

“It was like cement right in front of the rubber,” Wheeler said. “So I just tried to break it up. And once you did break it up, it was just like little bumps in it. It probably doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you’re used to pitching on similar mounds throughout the league, just that little difference kind of messes with you.”

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Despite feeling like he couldn’t push off properly from the rubber, Wheeler was able to adjust. He pounded the zone with his fastball, using his four-seam and sinker a combined 71% of the time. Four of Wheeler’s eight strikeouts came on his sweeper, and he only allowed three hits.

“I thought he pitched behind the count a little bit more than he normally does, but stuff was good, and he battled and gave us a really good outing,” Thomson said.

Wheeler hasn’t allowed an earned run in 22⅔ consecutive innings, the second-longest such streak of his career. He dueled Athletics rookie Jacob Lopez, who also allowed three hits over seven innings.

In the seventh inning, Wheeler retired the first two batters, but then issued consecutive walks to end his night. Orion Kerkering took over and ended the inning with a strikeout.

With Miller in for the ninth, J.T. Realmuto stretched an infield single to three bases when the ball went by Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz. He came home on a double from Alec Bohm, who was in turn driven home by a bloop single from Johan Rojas.

Although Miller has faltered over the last few weeks with the Athletics, he throws one of the hardest fastballs in baseball and touched 102 mph against the Phillies.

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After Rojas stole second, Turner kept the line moving with an RBI single to center field that chased Miller from the game.

“Just taking what he gives you, I think kind of simplified it,” Turner said. “Just hitting the ball the other way. Not trying to do too much, not trying to pull homers. That showed. Bohmer’s at-bat was great; J.T.’s at-bat. A lot of guys took some good pitches and just made it tough on him, got the pitch count up.”

In the eighth inning, Rojas made a highlight-reel catch in center field to preserve what was then a shutout. With two outs and a runner on third, Tyler Soderstrom launched a sinker from Matt Strahm 395 feet. Rojas covered a lot of ground to make the catch, hanging on even after his momentum brought him tumbling to the warning track dirt.

According to StatCast data, it had an .890 expected batting average off Soderstrom’s bat.

“I just keep running, keep running, keep running,” Rojas said. “I know the field is bigger. The warning track is a little bit more bigger than normal. So I just keep going.”

Bryce Harper was hit by two pitches — on the elbow by Lopez and on the foot by reliever Justin Sterner — but remained in the game. Thomson said postgame that Harper was fine.

Edmundo Sosa, who started at second base, was removed in the bottom of the ninth for Bryson Stott after getting a “zinger” off his wrist from hitting the ball off the end of the bat.

“We’ll see how he is [Saturday],” Thomson said.