Phillies Veteran Bounces Back Against Padres After Tough Dodgers Outing

A much-needed bounce back performance was put together by a Philadelphia Phillies veteran against the San Diego Padres.

Apr 12, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; A view of the helmet of Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (10) displaying the City Connect logo before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citizens Bank Park. | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies came into their six-game homestand on a low note, getting beaten by the Los Angeles Dodgers to end their West Coast trip.

One of the losses in that series was when Zack Wheeler took the mound. He pitched Game 1 and threw six innings, but struggled to keep the ball in the park. The Dodgers recorded only five hits against the veteran, but four of them were solo home runs.

Freddie Freeman took him deep in the bottom of the first inning before Max Muncy got him in the bottom of the second. For a third straight inning, Wheeler allowed a solo shot, this time off the bat of Shohei Ohtani.

He got through the fourth inning unscathed before Will Smith hit his sixth home run of the year in the bottom of the fifth. It was far from Wheeler’s best performance, but he wasted no time getting back on track.

Zack Wheeler rolls against Padres

Jun 4, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) throws a pitch against the San Diego Padres during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The next time he took the mound was in the series finale against the San Diego Padres in the midst of a six-game homestand. The Phillies had won the first two games, putting them in a position to sweep the season series from the Padres.

Wheeler put them in a position to do just that, bouncing back from his poor outing against Los Angeles and shutting down San Diego in what would eventually be a 6-4 victory for Philadelphia.

That's 6 Ks for Wheels 🔥@Toyota x #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/40e7kXjdsY

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 4, 2026

Wheeler threw seven strong innings, getting back on track. He allowed only two hits and issued three walks, striking out eight in the process. The only runs scored against him came via a two-run home run from Manny Machado in the top of the seventh inning.

Giving up long balls with the frequency that Wheeler is could raise some eyebrows. However, it is more likely that this is a blip on the radar. In the 37.2 innings he worked before these starts against the Dodgers and Padres, he allowed only one home run.

Shutting down San Diego in the fashion that he did is going to help the team in the long run. Not only did he get the bad taste out of his mouth from a difficult outing in Los Angeles, but he also helped the Phillies secure the tiebreaker over the Padres.

Just another day at the office pic.twitter.com/4l20GFIBYy

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 4, 2026

They are one of the teams in the National League Wild Card race, and creating as many edges over peers is key to making the postseason.

Wheeler and the rest of the pitching staff should have a lot of confidence against San Diego if they meet up again down the road this year.