Blue Jays rough up Phillies ace Zack Wheeler to complete two-game sweep

TORONTO — If there was ever a game to illustrate just how thin the margins are for this Phillies team, it was their 8-2 loss on Wednesday night. They had their ace on the mound in Zack Wheeler, who stepped into Rogers Centre with a 2.46 ERA. By the time he exited in the fifth inning, that ERA had risen to 2.89.

After using a bullpen game Tuesday, the Phillies were banking on Wheeler to go deep. And they had good reason to expect that he would. Wheeler has pitched six innings or more in 11 of his 17 outings this year. Not only has he been a workhorse, but he’s been dominant; Wheeler allowed only eight earned runs in 29⅔ innings in the month of June, for a 2.43 ERA. He was even better in the month of May, pitching to the tune of a 1.65 ERA.

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It’s hard to keep track of all of the setbacks the Phillies have encountered of late. Starting pitchers Ranger Suárez and Zach Eflin are on the injured list, and there isn’t much depth behind them to draw upon. The Phillies are missing four infielders due to injuries: Jean Segura, Nick Maton, Johan Camargo and, most recently, Alec Bohm, who dislocated a finger in St. Louis. Bohm and Camargo could rejoin the team Friday in Miami, but the loss of Segura still stings quite a bit, especially at a time when the bats are quiet.

And then, of course, there’s Bryce Harper, the reigning MVP, who is out indefinitely with a fracture of his left thumb. That is a lot to worry about. One of the few things the Phillies weren’t worried about was the top of their rotation. And that rotation is led by Wheeler, who has been so dominant lately that many believed he’d been snubbed when he wasn’t voted into this year’s All-Star Game.

So, seeing him struggle on Wednesday night was quite a blow. It wasn’t like Wheeler wasn’t throwing hard. He was hitting 97 and 96 mph, as he usually does. But he had trouble locating his pitches and the Blue Jays were working their at-bats against him. By the time he exited the game, he was at 91 pitches through just 4⅔ innings. He allowed 7 hits, 6 earned runs, 1 walk, and 2 home runs with 4 strikeouts.

It was the Phillies’ fourth straight loss, their longest losing streak under interim manager Rob Thomson. A loss like Wednesday’s only adds urgency for the Phillies to acquire a starting pitcher at the trade deadline, even if Suárez returns sooner rather than later. But more than that, a loss like Wednesday’s shows what this team is lacking — depth — and how that could be a major issue as the Phillies try to make a run at a playoff spot.

Anytime you absolutely need a player to do something, you know you’re in trouble. The Phillies needed Wheeler to go seven or eight innings, because the bullpen was taxed. They needed him to be the Zack Wheeler they were used to, because the bats have been cold lately, and every run matters. But he wasn’t that Zack Wheeler, and everything fell apart.

“I didn’t miss a lot of bats, I don’t think,” Wheeler said. “I just wasn’t as crisp as I needed to be. Felt kind of predictable today, but it happens sometimes, you’re going to have those games throughout the year. Just turn the page.

“[I was predictable in] certain counts, certain pitches. Lot of first-pitch fastballs and that kind of stuff. I should have changed that up as I went, but I didn’t. But like I said, turn the page, hopefully go down to Miami and win some games down there.”

There are other examples. José Alvarado has been lights-out since his return from triple-A Lehigh Valley, but he will allow an earned run at some point. Aaron Nola is having one of the best seasons of his career, but he will falter at times, too. Teams like the Dodgers win because of their depth. When one player doesn’t perform, it’s doesn’t have to be a catastrophe. Lately, at least, it feels like the Phillies are counting on a lot to go right. And if it doesn’t, you have games like Wednesday night’s.

With the exception of a hard-hit double by Nick Castellanos (at 108.3 mph) and a two-run home run from Bryson Stott, the Phillies’ offense was lifeless. Castellanos’ double and Stott’s home run were the Phillies’ only hits of the night.

“There wasn’t much going on,” Thomson said. “Casty hit that ball to right-center field, which was good to see, and [Matt] Vierling continues to have pretty good at-bats. Off days a lot of times come at the right time. And we get an off day tomorrow to reset, come back on Friday, and look to win a series against Miami.”

Castellanos’ double was his hardest hit since April 13, according to Baseball Savant. Stott’s blast gave him homers in back-to-back games. He now has six for the season.

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