Orioles crush Zack Wheeler in series finale
ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 09: Zack Wheeler #45 of the Philadelphia Phillies stares down the batter during the Atlanta Braves 2021 season home opener against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 09, 2021 at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire)
In what was supposed to be one of the best pitching matchups of the season, Zack Wheeler did not have his stuff.
Wheeler was hit the hardest he has in a Phillies uniform Sunday afternoon, allowing a career-high four home runs as they dropped the series finale in Baltimore 8-3.
Wheeler allowed multiple home runs for the first time this season on Father’s Day, while giving up his most homers and earned runs in a start as a Phillie in only 4.1 innings. He had allowed four home runs in his last 10 starts combined, according to Paul Casella of MLB.com. Wheeler is the first Phillies pitcher to allow at least four homers in a game since Kyle Gibson on July 2, 2022. He is also the first Phillies pitcher to allow at least four home runs and eight runs in a game since Vicente Padilla on April 19, 2005. The last one to do that on the road was Stan Baumgartner in 1921, also per Casella.
It all started against the first batter of the game, as Gunnar Henderson took him deep for a lead-off homer. While Henderson should have struck out, what would have been the third strike was called a ball. The next pitch was hit 419 feet to left-center field. Colton Cowser, Adley Rutschman, and Jordan Westburg followed with homers of their own later.
Ultimately, Wheeler’s final line was 4.1 innings pitched, nine hits, eight runs, eight earned runs, two walks, four strikeouts, and four homers. Wheeler did record his 1,500th career strikeout in the fourth, so that was pretty cool.
On the other side of the Ace duel, Corbin Burnes was pretty solid in his six innings of work.
A big killer for the Phils early in this game was that they stranded four runners in scoring position in the first three innings. It could have been a 4-3 Phillies lead after three innings. It could have been a much different game.
So they dropped the series, two to three, and the umpiring did not help their cause at all in Games 2 and 3. On Sunday, however, Rob Thomson got involved.
Home-plate umpire Mike Estabrook’s strike zone was very inconsistent throughout the game, mostly affecting the Phillies. In the top of the sixth when the umpires overturned a hit-by-pitch call, Thomson went berserk on Estabrook, leading to him getting ejected from the ballgame.
It was the most heated I think we have ever seen Thomson. Good for him.
The Phillies’ long road trip is finally over. They ended up going 3-5 on the trip. They split the two-gamer in London and lost two-of-three in Boston and Baltimore, respectively. The Phils have lost nine of their last 14 on the road.
They return home Monday to face the Padres — who were just swept by the hot Mets — and will have Trea Turner back off the IL.
With the Braves’ loss Sunday, the Phils still lead the NL East by eight games.
Use code PHILLYSPORTSREPORT for $20 off your first SeatGeek order
Click here to save 10% on any order at FOCO
