Phillies extend winning streak while Wheeler's recent struggles spark postseason worries

Zack Wheeler pitched five innings and gave up two runs as the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Miami Marlins 6-4 on Tuesday, extending their winning streak to five games and matching a season-high. The victory moved the team to 11 games above .500 and kept them in control of the National League’s second wild-card spot with 35 games left in the regular season.

Wheeler, who has been the franchise’s top starter since joining in 2020, struggled with control, issuing four walks and allowing two outs in the fifth inning before being pulled. He said his recent outings have been “hit or miss” and that he is working to put “everything together.”

“That’s the frustrating part. That’s not characteristic of me. I’ve been walking too many the past handful of games. We’ve got to figure it all out together,” Wheeler said.

The Phillies’ offense, led by Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott and Justin Crawford, produced a four-run rally that turned a 3-1 deficit into a 5-3 lead in the sixth inning. Stott also made two notable defensive plays at third base in the ninth inning.

“For sure. We kind of stumbled out of the break a little bit, but of late we’ve kind of corrected that,” Bohm said.

Wheeler’s recent statistics show a decline: five two-out runs allowed in the fifth inning over his last two starts, ten walks in three outings and an ERA of 6.64 across his last five appearances. He has not recorded a win in his last six starts, the longest drought since 2018.

Despite the struggles, manager Don Mattingly said Wheeler’s stuff remains effective and expressed confidence in his ability to give the team quality starts.

“His stuff seems fine. I don’t worry about Zack. He’s been Zack Wheeler for a long time. His stuff is still good,” Mattingly said.

Wheeler is scheduled to pitch again on Monday night in Seattle, a key start as the Phillies aim to solidify their postseason positioning.