PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 18: Corey Knebel #23 (L) and J.T. Realmuto #10 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrate after defeating the San Diego Padres at Citizens Bank Park on May 18, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/G PHILADELPHIA - Zack Wheeler watched Eric Hosmer give a 96 mph fastball a ride to about the warning track at Citizens Bank Park and thought for sure the ball was gone.Not with the way Wheeler has been throwing.
Right fielder Nick Castellanos chased the ball down for an out in the seventh inning.Hosmer smiled at Wheeler as he jogged back to the dugout.
The Phillies' ace got away with one in perhaps his finest outing this season.Wheeler struck out a season-high nine over seven shutout innings, Rhys Hoskins homered and Philadelphia beat the San Diego Padres 3-0 on Wednesday night.Wheeler (2-3), who lost his first three starts of the season, had yet another outing more in line with the ones that helped him finish second in NL Cy Young Award voting last season.
He allowed four hits and walked none over 94 pitches."Still got a little bit to work on," Wheeler said.He sure doesn't pitch like there's much more to improve.Wheeler tossed six shutout innings against Colorado on April 28 for his first win this year and followed that with 7 2/3 scoreless innings against Texas on May 4.