The Phillies’ first sweep in nearly two months came gift-wrapped in the form of a game-saving leap.
With Philadelphia clinging to a one-run lead in the fifth inning Sunday, Corey Seager sent a drive toward the Rangers’ bullpen. Harrison Bader raced to the wall in right-center, jumped, and stole the home run with his glove reaching into Texas’ airspace. The Rangers were left staring. Zack Wheeler was left grinning.
That catch preserved a 4-2 win at Globe Life Field, sealed a three-game sweep of the Rangers, and ended a grueling, major-league-record run of 21 straight interleague games. The Phillies went 13-8 in that span, widened their NL East lead over the Mets to 5 1/2 games, and finally return to playing teams from their own league.
Wheeler (10-5) gave Philadelphia five innings of two-run ball, striking out seven and allowing just three hits in his first start since being pushed back two days with shoulder soreness. The only blemish came in the first inning, when Joc Pederson launched a two-run homer.
Despite the win, Wheeler's command and velocity were down and that's a massive concern for a team aiming for the World Series.
Manager Rob Thomson had a similar opinion.
"I'm not concerned,” Thomson said when asked about the velocity. “He just looks like he's a little bit out of sync, that's all."
The Phillies answered in the fourth with Bryce Harper’s RBI double. In the fifth, Edmundo Sosa tied it with a solo homer, Bryson Stott singled and stole second, and Weston Wilson’s base hit to center put Philadelphia ahead for good.
Brandon Marsh added insurance with a ninth-inning sacrifice fly to score Bader. The bullpen — spotless since Wheeler’s exit — closed it out, with Jhoan Duran earning his 20th save and fourth in as many appearances since joining the Phillies.
The Phillies answered in the fourth with Bryce Harper’s RBI double. In the fifth, Edmundo Sosa tied it with a solo homer, Bryson Stott singled and stole second, and Weston Wilson’s base hit to center put Philadelphia ahead for good.
Brandon Marsh added insurance with a ninth-inning sacrifice fly to score Bader. The bullpen — spotless since Wheeler’s exit — closed it out, with Jhoan Duran earning his 20th save and fourth in as many appearances since joining the Phillies.
The Phillies will now head to Cincinnati to open a three-game set on Monday with the Reds.
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