Zack Wheeler gave up one bloop single in six scoreless innings and Kyle Schwarber opened the game with a homer as the visiting Philadelphia Phillies beat the San Diego Padres 5-1 on Wednesday in the rubber match of a three-game series.
Bryce Harper added a two-run double for Philadelphia (77-62), which currently leads the National League wild-card race.
Wheeler didn’t allow a baserunner until Juan Soto drew a two-out walk in the fourth. Manny Machado then hit a broken-bat fly ball to shallow center that landed just beyond the dive of second baseman Bryson Stott. But Wheeler got Xander Bogaerts to ground out to the inning.
Wheeler allowed only one more batter to reach base — a sixth-inning walk — and finished with seven strikeouts to improve to 11-6.
Seranthony Dominguez and Jeff Hoffman followed Wheeler with a hitless inning apiece to take the one-hit shutout into the ninth. The Padres (66-75) finally broke through when Garrett Cooper singled home Bogaerts, who had doubled off Matt Strahm.
Schwarber opened the game by driving the fourth pitch from Padres starter Michael Wacha 465 feet to center for his 41st homer of the season. It was Schwarber’s 10th leadoff home run of the season, a Phillies franchise record.
Philadelphia added two more runs in the fourth off Wacha. Edmundo Sosa opened the inning with a single and Schwarber drew a one-out walk. Harper then drove both runners home with a two-out double to right center.
J.T. Realmuto went deep against reliever Tim Hill with one out in the top fifth. It was his 18th homer of the season. Brandon Marsh followed with a single, moved to second on Sosa’s walk and scored on a base hit by Jake Cave.
Wacha fell to 11-3, giving up three runs on seven hits and three walks in four innings. He struck out six. After Schwarber’s homer in the first, Wacha worked his way out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam.
The Phillies outhit the Padres 12-3 and have now won 10 of their last 15 games as they head into a seven-game homestand against the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves.
–Field Level Media
