Zack Wheeler allowed two runs and four hits over seven innings to help the visiting Philadelphia Phillies to an 8-4 win against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night in the opener of their three-game series.
Wheeler (3-1) struck out nine and didn’t walk a batter for the third time in eight starts this season.
Nick Castellanos singled, doubled, homered and drove in four runs; Kyle Schwarber homered, singled twice and drove in two runs; and Alec Bohm finished with a single, homer and two RBIs for the Phillies, who have won seven of nine.
Tampa Bay starter Drew Rasmussen (1-3) allowed three runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out two and walked two. Yandy Diaz homered for the Rays before leaving in the sixth inning with an apparent injury after an awkward swing and miss.
Schwarber led off the second inning with an opposite-field homer to left for a 1-0 lead.
After a double by Castellanos and a walk to Max Kepler, Rasmussen nearly escaped further damage by getting a double play. But Bohm also went the other way for a two-out, two-run homer to stretch the lead to 3-0.
It was the first home run of the season for Bohm, who averaged 16 the previous three seasons.
Brandon Lowe doubled to lead off the fourth for the Rays before Diaz took Wheeler deep over the fence in right-center field to cut the lead to 3-2.
Wheeler then retired nine in a row before Jonathan Aranda singled to lead off the seventh. Wheeler struck out Kameron Misner and then got Junior Caminero to hit into an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play for his final batter.
Trea Turner and Bryce Harper singled to start the eighth for Philadelphia. Schwarber dropped an RBI single just out of the reach of diving right fielder Travis Jankowski to make it 4-2. Castellanos followed by hammering a three-run shot into the seats in right for yet another opposite-field homer and a 7-2 lead.
Orion Kerkering relieved Wheeler to start the eighth and gave up a sacrifice fly to Chandler Simpson to cut it to 7-3.
Castellanos got the run back with an RBI single in the ninth to make it 8-3.
Caminero tacked on a sacrifice fly in the ninth to trim the lead to 8-4.
–Field Level Media
