Wheeler’s 11 Ks and Stott’s eighth-inning single lift Phillies to 6-4 win
Wheeler struck out 11, including a franchise-record seven in a row to open the game, and Bryson Stott’s tiebreaking hit produced a key two-run sequence in the eighth.
PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies beat the Brewers 6-4 as Zack Wheeler fanned 11 batters, including a franchise-record seven in a row to start the game, and Bryson Stott delivered a tiebreaking single with two outs in the eighth inning. The victory inched Philadelphia closer to clinching a playoff spot. Wheeler also reached 2,000 career strikeouts when he struck out Brice Turang to end the first, becoming the 96th pitcher in MLB history to reach the milestone.
Brandon Marsh homered, doubled and drove in three runs for Philadelphia, while William Contreras had three RBI for Milwaukee. The Brewers scored twice in the sixth off Wheeler to knot the game at 3. In the eighth, Stott singled to center off Colton Gordon (0-1); Garrett Mitchell’s throw went to third in an attempt to retire Alec Bohm running from first, but the ball ricocheted off Bohm’s foot and both he and Luis Arraez scored to make it 5-3.
Jhoan Duran earned his 33rd save after José Alvarado (5-3) got the final out of the eighth. Wheeler was unhittable early and had sights on Pablo López’s MLB record of nine K’s in a row to open the contest before Cooper Pratt grounded out to third for the second out of the third inning. Aaron Nola watched from the dugout; Nola shares the MLB record with 10 consecutive strikeouts of the Mets in 2021. The Brewers dropped to 13-6 this month and were not able to extend their franchise record of 98 wins, set in Sunday’s 3-0 victory at Baltimore. By virtue of Cincinnati’s 4-0 win over Atlanta, Milwaukee clinched a bye in the wild-card round and earned home-field advantage for the Division Series. The Phillies are tied with Chicago and San Diego at 87-70 for the three NL wild cards — four games ahead of Arizona with five to play; Philadelphia holds a tiebreaker over the Padres but not the Cubs.