The magic number to clinch the division is down to FOUR after Zack Wheeler continued to build his Cy Young case, allowing just four hits over seven strong innings and the offense, led by homers from Nick Castellanos and Bryce Harper, helped the Phillies seal a 5-1 win over the Brewers.
MILWAUKEE — There are few better feelings for a manager in need of a win than writing his ace's name down on the lineup card, and there isn't an ace in baseball the last five seasons who has delivered as consistently or as dominantly as Zack Wheeler.
Start after start, month after month, year after year, Wheeler has shown up when the Phillies have needed him. Sometimes it's been to stop a skid. Sometimes it's to extend a winning streak. Sometimes it's to set a tone for a series. Sometimes it's to win a series.
"He's the Cy Young, man," Bryce Harper said Tuesday night. "I don't think anybody in baseball is better than him at this point. People down in Atlanta probably think the same thing about the guy throwing down there. I think he got robbed of it three years ago and I believe he earned it this year."
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Wheeler led the Phillies to a 5-1 win Tuesday, a massive result because it was effectively two wins for the price of one, increasing their lead over the Brewers to five games — four plus the tiebreaker.
The victory clinched the Phillies the season series over Milwaukee. They're 91-60 and lead the Brewers by five games with 11 to play, positioning the Phils tremendously well to earn at least a top-two seed and first-round playoff bye.
The Phils also picked up a game on the Dodgers, who surprisingly lost a slugfest in Miami. They lead the Dodgers by three games for the top overall playoff seed — two plus the tiebreaker.
Harper made Wheeler a winner with an opposite-field, two-run homer off Frankie Montas in the sixth inning of a tie game. It was Harper's third in four games and 29th of the season.
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"He's been swinging well," Wheeler said. "The home runs hadn't been there but he doesn't always need to hit home runs. As long as he's getting hits and putting good at-bats together, home runs will come. I told him probably a week ago, just keep swinging and keep doing your thing, home runs will come."
Nick Castellanos put the Phils on the board early with a first-pitch, leadoff homer to center in the top of the second, his 21st of the year. It was a welcome sign for a player who'd hit .178 over his last 13 games and .114 in September against starting pitchers.
The Brewers were held in check most of the night by Wheeler. He pitched seven innings of one-run ball, worked ahead, missed bats, threw his four-seamer just above the zone for called strikes and whiffs, froze hitters with two-seamers, induced weak contact ... did all the things he usually does.
It's mid-September and Wheeler reached back to hit 97 mph late in the win.
"He used his fastball more than probably any other start this year," manager Rob Thomson said. "They just saw the life to it, it had ride up and sink down. They stayed with it and it was really effective. Just a great performance."
The only inning Milwaukee posed a threat was the bottom of the fourth when William Contreras singled and Garrett Mitchell tripled him in with one out. Wheeler struck out the next hitter, Willy Adames, on three pitches and ended the inning with a flyout to right.
Wheeler is 16-6 with a 2.56 ERA and 0.95 WHIP through 30 starts. He's allowed the lowest rate of hits and baserunners in the National League. He's struck out 205 and walked 49 through 186⅔ innings. This has been his best regular season as a Phillie.
He's still probably the Cy Young runner-up as of today to Chris Sale, who is 17-3 with a 2.35 ERA and 219 strikeouts, leading the NL in each category. But if Sale gets lit up once or twice in his final two starts and Wheeler gives the Phillies two more like this, the numbers and race will even out.
"He's really something, man," Thomson said. "He's been so consistent ever since he's gotten here. He's earned every penny he's made. He's so huge to this club. He just takes the ball and can manhandle people when he wants to."
Beyond having Wheeler on the hill, Thomson also knew he was working with a rested bullpen. Matt Strahm hadn't pitched since last Wednesday, Carlos Estevez and Jeff Hoffman since Saturday or Orion Kerkering since Sunday. They're the Phillies' core four relievers, all boasting ERAs between 1.76 and 2.03.
Wheeler handed the ball off to the bullpen with a three-run lead after Kyle Schwarber added seventh-inning insurance by singling in the returning Edmundo Sosa. Trea Turner drove in another in the top of the ninth with a two-out single after Johan Rojas walked and stole second.
The Phillies are 9-2 this season against the Dodgers and the Brewers, the teams with the second- and third-best records. They're 23-10 against the other five teams currently in NL playoff position, with the next-best record belonging to the Padres at 20-20.
"I think when you get done with the season, it's over. You've got to keep going. The postseason's a different animal," Harper said. "It's different. It excites me. I think every guy in this clubhouse has the same demeanor. I know as a team we just want to be healthy going in and try to do the job we can."
Wednesday night offers a chance at a series win and for Aaron Nola to find a rhythm ahead of the playoffs after giving up 11 runs in his last nine innings.
"We needed a win here, for sure," Thomson said. "Try and win the series tomorrow. Just getting the tiebreaker over these guys is gonna be huge coming down the stretch."
