Phillies lose 9-2 as Wheeler labors in Seattle
A five-walk night from Zack Wheeler sank the Phillies 9-2 in Seattle, snapping a four-game run and trimming a wild-card cushion that still sits at two games over the field.
Wheeler's control problems open the door
Mariners2-9The Phillies lost 9-2 to the Mariners in Seattle on August 24, a night that ended a run in which the club had won four of its last five games. Zack Wheeler lasted only 4.0 innings, allowing 9 hits and 8 earned runs while walking 5 and striking out 4 — a line that put the game out of reach before the bullpen could settle it.
Chase Shugart kept the damage from spreading further, working 2.0 scoreless-adjacent innings with just 1 hit and 1 earned run allowed against 4 strikeouts. J.T. Realmuto supplied the only offense that mattered, going 1-for-3 with a home run and an RBI, but one swing wasn't enough to answer a night the Mariners controlled from the first inning.
Recent News
The roster around Philadelphia has shifted in the last week. The club signed Nestor Cortes to an MLB deal, per Jon Heyman, with MLB Trade Rumors confirming the addition the same day. Philadelphia also claimed right-hander Andrew Hoffmann, per MLB Trade Rumors, while designating Brian Keller for assignment to clear the space, also per MLB Trade Rumors — the kind of margin moves a club makes when it's chasing October innings rather than auditioning arms.
Center fielder Derek Hill remains day-to-day after being removed from Saturday's game against the Cardinals with neck stiffness, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reported. There's no new word on his availability, but a day-to-day tag with a division race tightening is one to watch.
Upcoming
Aaron Nola (5-9, 5.12 ERA) starts for Philadelphia in Seattle Wednesday afternoon, working off his best outing in weeks — 7.0 innings, 1 earned run, 8 strikeouts and no walks against the Marlins on August 19. George Kirby (8-10, 4.18 ERA) goes for the Mariners still trying to shake off his last start, a 3.1-inning, 6-earned-run outing against the Brewers on August 20 that leaves him searching for the form that once made him one of the league's better strike-throwers.
The market favors the Phillies and reads the total as low-scoring, a line that lines up with a Nola bounce-back against a Kirby who's been hittable. For that number to hold, Nola needs to find the same command he had against Miami, and Philadelphia's lineup — a night removed from managing just two runs — needs to do more against Kirby than it did against Seattle's staff the night before.