Phillies beat Braves behind Zack Wheeler and five homers, including 483-footer by Kyle Schwarber

The Phillies landed a crucial victory behind the pitching of Zack Wheeler. They also received big homers from Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper and more.

by Alex Coffey

Published Sept. 18, 2023, 10:23 p.m. ET

ATLANTA — The Phillies hit five home runs on Monday, but by the end of their 7-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves, it was their pitching that most impressed manager Rob Thomson. The Braves, who were the first team in baseball to clinch a playoff berth, are a juggernaut. They have gone 6-9 in their last 15 games but they’ve hit 31 home runs in that span. They lead MLB in home runs (289), RBIs (838), batting average (.274), on-base percentage (.342), slugging percentage (.500) and OPS (.842). They also rank fifth lowest in the majors in strikeouts (1186).

The fact that the Phillies were able to hold a lineup of that caliber to one run, four hits and two walks was noteworthy.

“We’ve been swinging the bats pretty well against everybody,” Thomson said. “The really encouraging thing is that we kept their runs down. [Zack] Wheeler did a great job. That’s what you have to do.

“That’s a tough lineup to navigate around. There’s not any soft outs in there. Their nine-hole hitter is a really good hitter. He’s got power. So when you can keep these guys to one run, your pitching staff is doing a great job.”

Wheeler was coming off one of his worst outings of the season, against the Braves, at home last week. He allowed six earned runs in five innings. So, he wanted to make a statement this time around, especially since the Phillies might see the Braves again in the National League Division Series.

“After that last outing, you kind of want to show them, ‘Hey, you’ve-still-got-to-deal-with-me-type thing,’” Wheeler said. “Mental aspect, for the game, for them and me. Just getting back on track, so they know I’m still me, I guess.”

If they didn’t know then, they certainly know now. Wheeler made just one consequential mistake, early — throwing a four-seam fastball down the middle to Ozzie Albies in the first inning.But that was it. He retired the next 10 batters. He didn’t allow another base runner until the fourth inning, when Matt Olson drew a walk with two outs. He then retired the next five batters after that.

He ran into a bit of trouble in the sixth, allowing a double, a walk and a single to load the bases. But even then, Wheeler was able to navigate his way out of it. He struck out Marcell Ozuna to end his outing at six innings, allowing one earned run on three hits, two walks, and the one homer, with five strikeouts — including his 200th of the season.

“He was good,” Thomson said of Wheeler. “Solo home runs, they’re going to happen. If you walk people and give them free passes, then that’s when you run into trouble. He just kept pounding the zone. Stuff was really good. Velocity was really good. Two-seamer was really good. He did a great job.”

Wheeler’s pitch count was at 99, so Gregory Soto came into the game and tossed a perfect seventh. Matt Strahm pitched a hitless eighth as the two lefty relievers combined to throw just 22 pitches.

Dylan Covey pitched the ninth. He allowed a two-out double to Ozuna, but got Kevin Pillar to ground out to second base to end the game.

Offensive bombardment

The Phillies hit five home runs for the first time ever in Atlanta, including a titanic blast from Kyle Schwarber that traveled 483 feet, registering as the second-longest home run ever hit at Truist Park, and tying the third-longest home run hit in MLB this season. It caused Ryan Howard, who was at the game, to react in astonishment. The ball cleared the Chop House in deep right field.

“He’s pretty consistent with it obviously,” Wheeler said of Schwarber’s power. “It’s not just cheap shots usually. It’s pretty long balls. Yeah, that one went on top of the Chop House, I think. I didn’t see it, but I heard about it. That was pretty cool.”

But it wasn’t just the top of the lineup that was contributing. Schwarber, Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Nick Castellanos, and Johan Rojas all hit home runs. Rojas’ shot, which just got over the right-field wall in the second, was his second career home run. It was his first home run off a pitcher (his first career home run came against a position player on Aug. 11). It gave the Phillies a 2-1 lead after Albies’ solo homer had given the Braves a short-lived 1-0 in the first.

The five homers tied the Phillies’ season-high mark for most homers in a game (they’ve done it three times). It was nothing short of an offensive shellacking.

“Moments like this, not only does it give us confidence but it builds chemistry in the clubhouse,” said Rojas. “Seranthony [Domínguez] was joking with me a little while ago saying, ‘Finally, you finally hit a homer off of an actual pitcher, not a position player.’ The little things like that, are really good for the group.”

Postseason outlook

Monday night’s win was an important one. The Phillies have just 12 games left to play, and 10 of those are against teams with a record below .500. They sit 3 ½ games ahead of the Diamondbacks in first place in the National League wild card race. It’s a good position to be in.

“Whenever we match up with these guys, it always feels like it’s going to be a dogfight,” Schwarber said. “So, we’ve just got to keep going and keep pushing. Nothing is guaranteed. We’ve got to make sure we push, and whenever we get to that spot, then we can be happy. But we’re striving to keep pushing, keep getting there.”