The Philadelphia Phillies needed Zack Wheeler to put the team on his back against the Washington Nationals. The right-hander delivered with seven scoreless innings in a 3-0 win. That allowed the Phillies to keep pace in the race for the National League’s top Wild Card.
“This is where you want to be,” said Wheeler after the game on NBC Sports Philadelphia’s postgame coverage. “These games really, really matter. It’s fun competing in these type of games, these atmospheres, and getting that close to the finish line.”
The win pushes the Phillies to 84-68 on the season. They enter play on September 17 tied with the Chicago Cubs for the top Wild Card spot. With 10 games left to play, they have to outplay Chicago by one game to host the series at Citizens Bank Park.
“You got to really bear down, and I think everybody knows that.”
Zack Wheeler agreed there was a must-win quality against the Nats. | @WapnerNewman
Zack Wheeler Gets Honest About “Must-Win” Game vs. Nationals
With the Cubs and Padres both winning, the Phillies needed to put together a win over their division rival. They suffered a brutal loss the night before, as the Wild Card race has tightened.
They needed Zack Wheeler to do what he’s done best since 2020, and the ace delivered as expected.
“After losing last night, we had to come out here with a win today,” said Wheeler. So I was trying to do the best I could, and at least split.”
Wheeler offered some compliments to the Nationals hitters, who are one of the top lineups in the game. That lineup is anchored by 2026 National League All-Stars James Wood and CJ Abrams.
“That team really, really battles, and they’re a tough lineup.”
Despite battling a tough lineup, Wheeler got the better of them for seven innings. Philadelphia ended up cruising to a 3-0 win, in which they led from wire to wire.
As the Phillies try to figure out their postseason rotation, it seems obvious that Zack Wheeler should be their Game 1 starter. Especially with the injury to Jesus Luzardo and how the rotation lines up toward the end of the season.
Phillies Right Now
The Phillies need to stack wins and put themselves in the best position to host postseason games. They hold a tiebreaker over the Padres but not the Cubs, so the Wild Card situation will take its time to be settled.
Philadelphia travels to Citi Field for their final series against the New York Mets. Even though it’s been a rough season for the Mets, who are no longer in postseason contention, they can still play spoiler over their National League East foes.
Then the schedule gets harder, with a homestand against the top team in both the National League and American League. They’ll have to earn their postseason spot against the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays.
That final homestand should have the feel for a postseason series and should give the Phillies the litmus test they need heading into October baseball. The road ahead isn’t easy, but nothing has been easy for this club all season.
The Phillies enter the Mets series with a 98.0% chance of qualifying for the postseason, per FanGraphs Playoff Odds.
Phillies Ace Zack Wheeler Gets Honest After Nationals Win