Wheeler Powers Philadelphia Phillies to Dominate Series Win Over Astros
The Philadelphia Phillies took down the reigning World Series champions the Houston Astros on Saturday night 6-1 and earned the series win. Zack Wheeler turned in his best start of the season while the offense came alive.
The Phillies (15-13) improved to two games over .500 and improved their winning streak to four games. Taking a series from the Astros is also a huge boost of confidence to a club that struggled to get out the gate to start the season.
Wheeler put up his best start of the year as he went 6.0 scoreless innings while striking out seven and lowering his ERA to 3.86. The bullpen of Seranthony Dominguez, Andrew Vasquez and Yunior Marte turned in a one-run performance.
A massive Nick Castellanos home run in the fourth and Kody Clemens two-run shot in the sixth inning propelled the offense.
Doubles from Jake Cave, Alec Bohm and J.T. Realmuto were also encouraging to see on the evening as they were facing a tough Astros pitching staff led by Cristian Javier.
It cannot be understated how much a series win against Houston will go towards giving the team confidence in their upcoming schedule. It also has put them in a better position as Bryce Harper and Ranger Suarez will soon make their returns.
Philadelphia will go for the sweep on Sunday as Bailey Falter (0-4, 4.50) takes the mound and faces Jose Urquidy (1-2, 5.64) of the Astros for a 6:10 p.m. CT start on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball.
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