The Philadelphia Phillies still sit comfortably atop the National League East, but they’re beginning to get uneasy with their recent results.
The Phillies have lost four consecutive series heading into their three-game matchup against the visiting New York Yankees beginning Monday night.
Philadelphia most recently dropped the rubber game against the visiting Cleveland Guardians on Sunday, blowing an early three-run lead before losing 4-3.
“We’ve got to straighten some things out, for sure,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “We’ve got to get back to winning series. Get back to winning the first game of the series, which is critical.”
The schedule won’t get any easier after the Yankees come to town, as the Phillies will then hit the road to face the Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Phillies have been dominant when their starter pitches at least seven innings, so they’ll be counting on veteran right-hander Zack Wheeler to continue that trend when he takes the mound on Monday.
Wheeler (10-4, 2.55 ERA) is coming off seven shutout innings in a 3-0 win against the host Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, giving him the fourth-lowest ERA in the majors.
The Phillies have won a franchise-record 27 consecutive games this season when their starting pitcher goes at least seven innings. The run came after Wheeler took the loss on April 9 when he gave up three runs in seven innings.
Wheeler had a 14-day break heading into his most recent outing because he skipped his final start before the All-Star break due to a sore back.
“It’s not what you want to do, miss a start, but sometimes it’s best for me and the long run,” Wheeler said. “We’ve put ourselves in a really good position as a team to be able to take a blow if we need it. … Credit to the team for putting us in this situation where guys can get some days off, get off their feet a little bit or miss a start if you need to.”
Wheeler has made four starts against the Yankees in his career and is 1-1 with a 5.91 ERA in 21 1/3 innings.
The Yankees had won just one of their previous 11 series before beating the Boston Red Sox 8-2 on Sunday in the rubber game of their three-game set.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. made his debut for the Yankees on Sunday following his acquisition from the Miami Marlins the day before, and he went 1-for-5 with a run scored and his 23rd stolen base while batting in the No. 5 spot in the order.
The Yankees plan to start right-hander Luis Gil (10-5, 3.10), who has allowed one run and pitched at least five innings in each of his past three starts. He most recently gave up one run and four hits in five innings of a 3-2 loss to the New York Mets on Tuesday.
Gil has developed a new grip on his slider, making it a more effective weapon.
“Nothing changes mentally,” Gil said. “You’re trying to attack guys; you’re trying to get ahead quick and get them to two strikes. You want to put yourself in the best position possible to get those guys out.”
Gil has never pitched against the Phillies.
–Field Level Media