Zack Wheeler grinds out five-inning outing in Phillies’ 2-1 win over Angels

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Zack Wheeler loathes extra rest. It tends to mess with his rhythm. So, as he pitched here Wednesday, with one more day than usual between starts, he lacked his command, fell into deep counts, and felt out of sync.

Oh, and in the second inning, the earth shook beneath his feet.

But it’s days like this, when the stuff isn’t sharp, that test an ace’s mettle. And for a second start in a row, Wheeler overcame his imprecise control. He ground through five innings in the Phillies’ 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels to secure another winning series and complete a 7-3 road trip.

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“If this is a time that he’s struggling,” said Kyle Schwarber, whose two-run single in the second inning held up. “I can’t wait to see the good times.”

Never mind that every player in the lineup whiffed at least once (Nick Castellanos did so four times) en route to 18 strikeouts, the Phillies’ highest total in a nine-inning game since May 6, 2018 at Washington. Or that Gregory Soto walked a ninth-inning tightrope, with the tying run on third base and and winning run on first as Tyler Ward drove a ball that Schwarber caught at the left-field wall to end the game.

The Phillies have won 13 of 16 games — and 19 of 26 since opening the season 2-4. They are 21-11. A year ago, they didn’t climb to 10 games over .500 until July 18.

It was an earthquake — 4.1 magnitude, according to the U.S. Geological Survey — that caused minor tremors at Angel Stadium. (None of the players nor manager Rob Thomson felt it, by the way.) But the Phillies’ train continues to steam ahead in what’s shaping up to be a summerlong race with the Atlanta Braves for the division crown.

“Great road trip for us,” said Wheeler, whose ERA stands at 1.91 through seven starts. “Seven-and-three is pretty good. Hopefully we can keep riding that wave.”

Said Thomson: “I’m really happy with how they’re playing. They’re grinding. Today wasn’t our best day offensively. It wasn’t Wheels’ best day. But we grinded through it, and that’s what you’ve got to do.”

Results aside, Wheeler seemed salty about his performance — and maybe the circumstances surrounding it. Amid a stretch of 26 games in 27 days, including 13 in a row without a day off, the Phillies used a sixth starter for one turn through the rotation to give Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Ranger Suárez a breather.

Wheeler would’ve just as soon said, “No thanks.”

Playing without injured Mike Trout, the Angels fouled off 25 of Wheeler’s 106 pitches. Wheeler threw at least six pitches to 10 of 22 batters. His pitch count by inning: 27, 22, 25, 14, and 18.

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After giving up a leadoff double to Nolan Schanuel in the fifth inning, Wheeler kicked at the mound. After retiring the next three batters to strand Schanuel at third base with no outs, he begrudgingly accepted handshakes in the dugout.

Was it as much of a grind as it appeared?

“Sure,” Wheeler said.

Which pitches felt off?

“Everything.”

Is it satisfying to hold a team to one run without premium stuff?

“No, I get nothing out of that. Got a win for the team, but just forget about that one, I guess.”

You get the idea.

In his previous start, last week in Cincinnati, Wheeler held the Reds to one hit in six scoreless innings. But he wasn’t pleased with his command after walking four batters and pledged to “get it cleaned up.”

“I think it was more just routine this time, having more days’ rest, just not being as sharp,” Wheeler said. “At some points in the season, you probably need it. But it’s another day of trying to keep that rhythm that I’ve had going. It’s just another day to try to keep it in sync.”

Wheeler walked only one batter against the Angels, but the deep counts forced the bullpen into action in the sixth inning. Matt Strahm, Orion Kerkering, and José Alvarado passed the baton before the cuticle-chomping ninth.

Soto gave up back-to-back one-out singles before striking out Jo Adell. Ward skied a deep drive that sent Schwarber back to the wall before he hauled it in.

“I definitely had the heart going a little bit there,” said Schwarber, who got his first start in left field after 31 games as the designated hitter. “I was just hoping I was going to be able to stop before I felt the wall, and luckily I was able to stop before I felt the wall and catch the ball.”

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With two outs in the second inning, Schwarber worked the count full against lefty Patrick Sandoval before scorching a 108-mph grounder up the middle. Angels shortstop Zach Neto ranged to his left but either overran the ball or was fooled by a tricky hop. As he dove back, the ball hit off his glove and went into center field for a two-run single.

It proved to be enough, even with Wheeler out of sorts.

And here’s the good news for Wheeler: The Phillies aren’t planning on continuing to use six starters.

“You’re going to have rough patches,” Wheeler said. “Can’t be good all the time. You just have to battle through it. That’s part of pitching in the big leagues. It’s hard. Just got to fix it.”