The Philadelphia Phillies came into Sunday with a clear mission, and with the team needing a win, they were able to accomplish that goal.
For most of the month of September, the Phillies have not played well. The offense has really struggled, and their bullpen has also let them down at points. However, with their ace Zack Wheeler on the mound, the team was able to get a strong performance from him and came out with a win.
To kick things off, it was good to see the offense do something early on. For an offense that has only scored three runs in the last four games, it was Bryson Stott who got the party started with an RBI in the first inning. After being moved up to fourth in the lineup, that was a decision that proved to be the right one for Philadelphia.
Following the team getting going in the first inning, they scored three runs for an offensive outburst by their standards of late in the second inning. Doubles by J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber helped the team extend their lead to 4-0 after two innings.
After a solo home run in the fifth inning by the Rays, the Phillies got right back to work. For the first time in a long time, the team was able to hit a home run, courtesy of Bryce Harper.
Furthermore, after a sac-fly from Brandon Marsh to score the sixth run of the game for Philadelphia, they then got their second home run of the game with Edmundo Sosa hitting one over the fence.
While it was great to see the offense come alive, a lot of credit has to go to Wheeler in this one. When the Phillies needed their ace to deliver a great performance, he was able to do so.
The right-hander capped off a great month of September and helped secure this win. After Wheeler came out, the Phillies didn’t mess around with the big lead, and they went with Alex McFarlane, Jesus Luzardo, and Jhoan Duran to secure the 7-3 win.
Now, Philadelphia will quickly have to shift gears. The Phillies will be getting set for a Wild Card Round matchup with the Atlanta Braves, and since they had to use Wheeler on Sunday, he likely won’t be able to pitch until a potential Game 3.
Even though things have not gone well for Philadelphia, perhaps Game 162 will be the one that they are able to build some momentum for the playoffs.
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