Phillies answer every Braves punch behind Zack Wheeler's resilient start originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Saturday at Citizens Bank Park did not look promising early, especially after an underwhelming showing against the rival Atlanta Braves in Friday’s series opener.
Zack Wheeler had backed himself into about as difficult a spot as possible in the first inning: a leadoff single, another single and a walk.
That loaded the bases with nobody out for one of baseball’s hottest hitters, Atlanta center fielder Michael Harris II.
Wheeler, coming off a bounce-back start in Anaheim, remained aggressive. He started Harris off 0-2, then induced a soft foul out.
A massive first out.
Mauricio Dubón followed and worked the count to 2-2. Wheeler fired a fastball at the top of the zone and away from Dubón. It was ruled a ball, but J.T. Realmuto, who has the best challenge rate in baseball, disagreed.
The ABS challenge system ruled it strike three.
Citizens Bank Park was roaring.
The Phillies’ right-handed ace then went right after Ozzie Albies with two outs. Albies flew out to center on the first pitch.
You could sense the sigh of relief around the ballpark. It felt like the escape relaxed the home club.
A momentum shift, per se?
It was in the Phillies’ 4-2 win over Atlanta.
In the bottom of the first, Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner drew consecutive walks against left-hander Martín Pérez, putting two on with nobody out.
Bryce Harper skied a ball to left field. Schwarber tagged and, in typical Schwarber fashion, used his wheels and baserunning savvy to slide around Austin Riley’s tag at third. Turner tagged up and advanced to second.
There’s that momentum again.
Luis Arraez, who continuously finds himself in situations to drive in runs, lined a single to right that scored Schwarber. Later in the inning, with the bases loaded and two outs, Realmuto worked a four-pitch walk.
The Phillies had their first lead, 2-0.
Bryson Stott, back in the lineup after he was a late scratch Friday for the birth of his third child, then roped a ball toward the sunny area of deep right-center field. But Ronald Acuña Jr. made a lunging catch to rob Stott of a bases-clearing extra-base hit.
The Braves’ right fielder has made his share of run-saving catches at the Phillies’ home park.
Even if Acuña’s play sucked some energy out of the stadium, it did not last long.
Derek Hill led off the second with a triple, his first of two hits, racing to third after Acuña appeared to hold onto the ball a beat too long. Schwarber then hit a hard grounder to Matt Olson at first. Olson bobbled it, and Hill aggressively broke for the plate to score the Phillies’ third run.
But the Braves’ right fielder wasn’t done.
Acuña came up in the next half-inning and greeted Wheeler with his second hit of the night, a 450-foot homer into the second deck in left field.
To the home faithful’s dismay, Acuña slowly trotted around the bases, looked toward the Phillies’ dugout as he flipped his bat and did his signature step-back on his way to third.
It may have been one of the loudest rounds of boos at Citizens Bank Park this season, but Acuña had kept Atlanta within striking distance.
The Phillies punched right back in the fourth.
Schwarber launched a rocket that left his bat at more than 108 mph and traveled 435 feet. His 41st homer of the season restored the Phillies’ three-run lead, 4-1.
That was enough for Wheeler, who was nearly spotless outside of the first three hitters he faced and the pitch to Acuña.
He again leaned heavily on his four-seamer, throwing it for a strike 73 percent of the time. He got ahead early and often with the pitch, too.
It marked the second consecutive start in which Wheeler used his four-seamer at least 10 percentage points more than his season average. Both have come after he made a mechanical adjustment following a rough stretch.
Wheeler gave the Phillies six innings of one-run baseball and racked up nine strikeouts, his most in a start since July 21.
Arguably his biggest punchout of the night, and certainly his loudest, was his eighth. Wheeler got Acuña swinging in the fifth, sending the crowd into another eruption.
Jonathan Bowlan relieved Wheeler and, for the third time in his last four outings, allowed a homer. Austin Riley launched a towering solo shot that brought Atlanta within two.
The Phillies’ bats went quiet after the fourth. When the eighth inning arrived and José Alvarado allowed the leadoff runner to reach with Acuña coming to the plate, the ballpark was filled with boos and nerves.
Once again, Acuña was involved in a major play. This time, he grounded into a double play.
Alvarado, who has rarely worked in leverage situations during a difficult season, pounded his mitt. He did it again after striking out Olson to end the inning.
That got the ball to Jhoan Duran for his seventh save opportunity since the All-Star break.
Duran closed it out for his 30th save, becoming the first Phillie to reach that mark in a decade and the first since Jeanmar Gómez in 2016.
