Phillies’ Zack Wheeler struggles early; offense falls short in series finale loss to Yankees
Wheeler had an uncharacteristic start as he allowed four runs in the second inning, and despite hitting three homers, the Phillies produced just five hits in Sunday’s 4-3 loss.
NEW YORK — Kyle Schwarber thought it had a chance.
Why not? Almost everything else the Phillies hit in the air here this weekend landed in the seats at Yankee Stadium. So, Schwarber stood at home plate for a few seconds and watched the flight of the ball toward the short right-field porch.
Not this time.
Schwarber’s deep drive in the fifth inning Sunday touched down in Yankees right fielder Cody Bellinger’s glove on the warning track, a step from the fence. And instead of giving the Phillies a lead, it left them a run short in an eventual 4-3 loss in the series finale.
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“I was pretty happy with our at-bats, really,” manager Rob Thomson said. “We stung some balls pretty good today. It could’ve gone either way.”
So, there wouldn’t be a brooming in the South Bronx. Not after the Yankees touched Zack Wheeler for four runs in the second inning — only the second four-run frame against the Phillies ace this season — and held on to snap a three-game losing streak.
Despite hitting three homers, two from rookie Otto Kemp, the Phillies (60-45) got only five hits, none with a runner in scoring position. They’re one game off the Mets’ pace in the National League East. New York was scheduled to play Sunday night in San Francisco.
The Phillies headed to Chicago to open a three-game series against the woeful White Sox that will lead into Thursday’s trade deadline. While bullpen help is believed to be the top priority, the Phillies are also still looking for another bat.
An uncharacteristic bout of wildness over a span of four pitches hurt Wheeler in the second inning, when he hit back-to-back batters — Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jasson Domínguez — to load the bases with nobody out.
Ryan McMahon, acquired by the Yankees on Friday in a pre-deadline trade to help solve their third-base problem, lined a double inside the first-base bag and down the right-field line to forge a 2-2 tie.
Two batters later, Austin Wells lifted a sacrifice fly to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead. Trent Grisham followed by stroking a two-out RBI single through the right side to make it 4-2.
“It was a grind,” Wheeler said. “Just wasn’t sharp. Kind of brought it upon myself. Got to clean it up a little bit and just keep going.”
Indeed, Wheeler hasn’t been razor sharp since the All-Star break. In his previous start, his first out of the break, he gave up seven hits (but only two runs) in six innings against the Red Sox.
Wheeler, whose ERA ticked up to 2.56, hinted that he might need to tweak his mechanics.
“I just need to sit down with [pitching coach] Caleb [Cotham] and see what’s going on,” he said. “I don’t think it’s anything crazy. Just need to clean it up a little bit.”
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The Yankees tried to add to the lead in the third inning when right fielder Nick Castellanos couldn’t come up with Bellinger’s sinking line drive. The ball got by Castellanos and went for a leadoff triple.
But center fielder Johan Rojas, who backed up Castellanos to prevent an inside-the-park homer, saved a run with one out. He caught Chisholm’s fly ball, then made a strong throw to the plate, where J.T. Realmuto leaped for it and tagged Bellinger on the shoulder.
“J.T., I mean, he’s an athlete and he’s one of the best ones on the team,” Wheeler said. “I’m always going to be back there [backing up] just in case, but it was a really good play by both [Realmuto and Rojas].”
Rain showers delayed the start of the game by 37 minutes.
Then, the Phillies made it rain with more homers.
After going deep three times in the opener Friday night and twice Saturday, the Phillies hit three more homers against Yankees starter Carlos Rodón, two in the second inning from Castellanos and Kemp.
The Phillies hit eight homers in the three games against the Yankees. They have 15 homers in the last five games and 21 in nine games since the All-Star break, their biggest nine-game homer binge since August 2023.
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“It’s one of these parks that, it’s pretty iconic,” said Kemp, who crushed his second homer to the netting atop Monument Park in straightaway center field. “To get a start here and hit one out, it’s pretty sweet. It’s a dream, man. This is what you play for, to compete in places like this and on this stage.”
But all three of the Phillies’ Sunday homers were solos, limiting the damage they could do against Rodón. And after Realmuto’s two-out single in the sixth inning, they didn’t have a hit against four Yankees relievers.