Phils’ Wheeler tough on Braves

PHILADELPHIA — Zack Wheeler collected more hits than he allowed Saturday.

That’s a good recipe for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Wheeler struck out 10 batters while pitching seven innings of one-hit ball, leading the Phillies to a 4-0 win over the Atlanta Braves.

Wheeler retired his final 17 batters after Travis d’Arnaud singled with one out in the second. He also singled in Jean Segura in the fifth and doubled home Alec Bohm in the sixth.

Wheeler mixed a fastball that reached the high 90s with a sinker that had the Braves off balance. The 10 strikeouts were the most by Wheeler since signing with the Phillies in December 2019.

“When you have everything working — fastball, change, curve, slider — and you are placing it where you want to, it makes things a lot easier,” Wheeler said.

Said Braves manager Brian Snitker: “That’s as good as I’ve seen him. That was a rough day trying to hit.”

Wheeler’s strong start — teamed with Aaron Nola’s solid outing in Philadelphia’s 3-2 extra-inning victory on opening day — highlights the potential for the top of the Phillies’ rotation.

Archie Bradley and Héctor Neris each worked a perfect inning after Wheeler (1-0) departed. It marked back-to-back scoreless outings for Philadelphia’s bullpen, which posted a historically inept 7.06 ERA in 2020.

Wheeler put the Phillies ahead to stay with his run-scoring single in the fifth against Charlie Morton (0-1). Andrew McCutchen then walked, and Rhys Hoskins made it 3-0 with a two-run double.