Wheeler shuts down Braves

PHILADELPHIA » Zack Wheeler allowed only one hit and struck out 10 over seven innings and had two hits and two RBIs at the plate, leading the Phillies over the Atlanta Braves 4-0 on Saturday.

Wheeler retired his final 17 hitters after a one-out single by Travis d’Arnaud in the second inning. He mixed a fastball that reached the high 90s mph with a sinker that had the Braves off balance for the afternoon. The 10 strikeouts were the most by Wheeler since signing with the Phillies in the 2019-20 offseason, and the 10th time in he’s reached that number.

“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.

“That’s as good as I’ve seen him,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “That was a rough day trying to hit (Wheeler.)”

Wheeler’s strong start — teamed with Aaron Nola’s solid outing on opening day — highlights the potential the top of the Phillies rotation has.

“I don’t know if you can say enough great things about what (Wheeler) did today,” Phillies manager Joe Girardi said. “He threw some good changeups late in the game. It’s as good as his stuff has been.”

Archie Bradley and Hector Neris retired all six hitters in the final two innings. Overall, the Braves struck out 14 times in 28 at-bats. It marked back to back scoreless outings for Philadelphia’s bullpen, which posted a historically inept 7.06 ERA in 2020.

Wheeler also made a difference at the plate, breaking a scoreless tie in the fifth inning with an RBI single to center off starter Charlie Morton, who had matched Wheeler through the first four innings. In the sixth, Wheeler added an RBI double into the left-field corner off reliever Sean Newcomb.

“I take pride in it,” Wheeler said. “I just wanted to move runners and keep it going.”

Wheeler is the first Phillies pitcher with a multiple hit and RBI game since Ben Lively on Sept. 5, 2017.

Rhys Hoskins knocked in the Phillies’ other runs with a fifth-inning broken bat double just inside the leftfield line that scored Roman Quinn and Wheeler.

Morton allowed six hits in five innings, striking out five and walking two. The fifth inning was his only blemish, starting with a two-out single to Segura and hitting Quinn.

UP NEXT

The series concludes Sunday with the Phillies sending Zach Eflin to the mound against Braves right-hander Ian Anderson.

Eflin went 4-2 with a 3.97 ERA for Philadelphia in 2020. Anderson went 3-2 with a 1.95 ERA in six starts in 2020.

It will be Anderson’s first start against the Phillies, who bypassed him with the top pick in the 2016 draft to pick outfielder Mickey Moniak.