Phillies end 10-game skid in extras after Wheeler’s encouraging return
All good things come to an end, but so do most bad things, too. On Saturday, two ended for the Phillies: a 253-day absence by their ace, and a 10-game absence in the win column.
Zack Wheeler threw five mostly strong innings against the Braves in his 2026 debut, finishing about 90 minutes before the Phillies scored half of their eight runs in a 10th inning that lifted them to an 8-5 win and finally, finally ended their longest losing streak of the 21st century.
The Phillies rallied in the 10th in a way that for almost two weeks, they rarely did. Two walks (plus a zombie runner) loaded the bases, setting the stage for two-run singles by Bryce Harper and Brandon Marsh.
It happened almost four hours after Wheeler was supposed to toe the rubber, as a rain delay pushed back the start by about 55 minutes. (Wheeler had waited eight months — what’s another hour?)
Despite the delay, he started off strong, striking out two in the first. His first-inning four-seam fastballs averaged 95.6 mph — a good sign after lower velocities in his rehab stint — and there was a natural drop-off later in the outing, but not an extreme one. He averaged 93.5 mph on the four-seamer in his last inning.
What evaded Wheeler deeper into the outing, more than his velocity or pure stuff, was his control. That showed itself most in a 36-pitch fourth inning, when Wheeler walked the first two batters en route to a two-run frame that tied the game up. All things considered, it could’ve been worse: Wheeler loaded the bases with nobody out, and a game-tying double by Austin Riley a few batters later put two in scoring position with one out.
Wheeler worked out of it by striking out Mauricio Dubón and Mike Yastrzemski consecutively, both looking, both on sinkers. Wheeler’s ensuing perfect fifth inning brought his pitch count to 84 and his night to a strong finish. His final line: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K.
The Phillies backed him with three runs, on a two-out Adolis García triple (on a poor diving decision by Yastrzemski) in the first, another two-out RBI triple in the fourth by Bryson Stott and an RBI single in the fifth by Harper.
A slip in the eighth by center fielder Eli White gave Kyle Schwarber a triple of his own, leading off the inning before Harper hit a sacrifice fly.
That only tied the game, though, because Tanner Banks in the sixth continued what’s been a huge regression from last year. Banks faced three batters and didn’t retire any, allowing two runs, getting knocked out of the game with a Michael Harris II single that upped Banks’ ERA to 7.20.
The 4-4 score held until the aforementioned 10th-inning rally, and Kyle Backhus allowed one (inherited) run to put a bow on the historic skid.
The Phillies, with Wheeler back on board, are 9-18.