Zack Wheeler sparkles; Phillies hold on to beat Pirates in rain delay-interrupted series opener

PITTSBURGH — Zack Wheeler stood atop the mound in a driving rainstorm and fired a 95 mph sinker at the knees that clipped the inside corner for a called strike.

And it wouldn’t have stood out from the Phillies ace’s other nasty pitches Friday night if it hadn’t been his last.

The Pirates could barely touch Wheeler for nearly seven innings. It was a cloudburst over downtown Pittsburgh — and a tarpaulin malfunction — that knocked him out after only 90 pitches and a 42-minute rain delay.

But all’s well for the Phillies that ended well. And with the offense shooting mostly blanks again, the bullpen recorded the final seven outs of a series-opening 2-1 victory.

”Another laugher,” manager Rob Thomson said wryly after the Phillies‘ fourth one-run win in 12 days and 22nd of the season.

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Said Wheeler: “As long as we’re winning games, [the margin] doesn’t matter. Win series, win games. Doesn’t matter how it is. Got to win close games throughout the season to be good. I think we’ve been doing that well.”

Kyle Schwarber’s two-run home run in the third inning stood up mostly because of Wheeler, who didn’t allow a baserunner until the fourth inning, racked up 11 strikeouts, and was unhittable for long stretches by commanding his sinker and sweeper and leaning on his four-seam fastball.

Wheeler also might have gotten an assist from Pirates third-base coach Mike Rabelo. He held up a stop sign, even though it appeared Andrew McCutchen would be able to score as the trail runner on Ji Man Choi’s RBI double to right field in the fourth inning. Instead of the score being tied, the Phillies maintained a one-run lead.

But it was the only rally the Pirates had against Wheeler, who would’ve completed the seventh inning and maybe come out for the eighth if not for the rain. Once the delay started, Thomson said Wheeler was likely finished, even if it hadn’t been lengthened when the tarp took on too much water and got stuck before it could be pulled over the first-base line.

By the time the field was playable, the Phillies decided to replace Wheeler with Jeff Hoffman, who threw one pitch to finish a strikeout of Jared Triolo.

It was just as well. Given how much the Phillies have relied on their pitching to win close, low-scoring games, it’s imperative that they keep their starters healthy. Wheeler is getting on a roll, too, with a 2.70 ERA, 33 strikeouts and two walks in his last four starts.

“That was classic Wheeler,” Schwarber said, “where he’s attacking the zone, he’s getting outs on the ground, and he’s getting strikeouts and swings and misses. When you get an outing like that from a guy, you’ve got a pretty good chance to win a baseball game.

”Good teams have to win those games, right?Obviously, you don’t want it to be one run. In a perfect world, we wish that we could have a six-run lead and not have it be as stressful. This is good experience to have in these tight games to know that even when there is some congestion out there, we can get through it.”

Trea Turner returned to the lineup — and his familiar No. 2 spot in the order. But it wasn’t a reflexive move by Thomson, who thought about moving down the struggling shortstop and still might.

“Hopefully the two days off is going to help, and if it doesn’t, then we’re going to have to make another decision,” Thomson said before the game. “That’s how I look at it — for today, anyway.”

Turner went 0-for-5 with a strikeout and grounded into a double play. He has four hits in his last 32 at-bats, dropping his average to .242 and OPS to .673. His career-worst totals are .271 and .760 in 2018.

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So, once again, Thomson will consider a change. One issue: Nick Castellanos, next up among righty-hitting options to bat second, is 7-for-55 (.127) with 18 strikeouts since the All-Star break.

“Ideally, the best lineup we can put out there is with Trea in the two [spot] if he’s hitting,” Thomson said. “In my mind, at least. So, we’ll do everything we can to get him there.”

Turner did make a stellar defensive play to end the fifth inning. He slid to his left on a grounder up the middle, got to his feet, and made a strong throw to first to steal a hit from Alika Williams.

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With Bryce Harper making his third consecutive start at first base and the Phillies being off Thursday, Schwarber went a fourth day without having to roam left field.

He felt so refreshed that he legged out a bloop double to open the game and got caught trying to steal third base.

”To start the game with a guy in scoring position and then try to put a cape on and steal third base like an idiot,” Schwarber said, laughing. “Dummy. Sure. Go ahead and try to steal third base with Bryce Harper up.”

Seriously, though, Schwarber broke a 1-for-22 skid and reached base five times, including an 11-pitch marathon walk against Pirates starter Mitch Keller in the fifth inning.

“I do think he’s moving around a lot better,” Thomson said. “Just getting off his feet [as the designated hitter], I think he’s running better, he’s running smoother.”