Late-inning mistakes spoil Wheeler's seven-inning gem 

TORONTO -- For seven innings, Zack Wheeler played “the back-and-forth game” with the Blue Jays. A couple of plays on a night with no room for error put the Phillies on the wrong side of that equation.

Wheeler stepped up in a big way on Tuesday night at Rogers Centre, allowing one run on three hits with five strikeouts in Philadelphia’s 2-1 loss to Toronto.

Had he received support from his offense, Wheeler’s four walks would have been a blip on the scoresheet. But as the right-hander and Blue Jays starter Yusei Kikuchi pitched deep into a low-scoring game, even the smallest mistakes proved costly.

“We just came up a little bit short,” said manager Rob Thomson.

Case in point was Toronto’s game-winning run, which came on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch from reliever Seranthony Domínguez in the eighth.

Domínguez’s recent struggles with command continued on Tuesday, as he allowed two walks and a single -- with a strikeout sandwiched in -- to load the bases before hitting Cavan Biggio in the foot with a first-pitch slider to bring in a run.

That came after Alec Bohm and J.T. Realmuto teamed up to nab George Springer on a forceout at home plate for the second out of the inning, the type of “gutsy” play, as Thomson put it, that had the potential to put the momentum on their side.

But after Domínguez lost his command, the Phillies couldn’t come up with an answer on the other side of the ball. It marked the third consecutive game in which the club scored one run or fewer.

“We’re facing good pitching, that’s the bottom line,” said Thomson. “I don’t think our guys forgot how to hit. We’ve just got to dust off and come back tomorrow.”

It was a deflating way to lose the first of two games in Toronto, but the Phils’ current 2 1/2-game lead for the top NL Wild Card spot made it a bit easier to focus on the positives.

There were plenty of those for Wheeler.

“He’s an uncomfortable at-bat,” said Bohm. “He’s taking the ball deep into the game … he picks up the bullpen when we need it and he keeps us in the game. When he’s got the ball, we usually have a chance to win.”

Wheeler has delivered three consecutive quality starts in August, but the first two came with an uncomfortable trend, as he allowed a pair of homers in each of them. Tuesday was a different story, though.

The right-hander’s masterful command of his sinker, paired with a good slider and fastball, held a powerful Blue Jays lineup in check for most of his outing. All three of the hits Wheeler allowed were singles, and only a trio of the balls put in play against him came at an exit velocity of 95 mph or higher, according to Statcast.

“I was playing the back-and-forth game,” said Wheeler. “I was relying on the sinker because I was going to throw it until they hit it. But nobody was really squaring it up, so I kept throwing [it].”

It wasn’t a signature high-strikeout start, but as the offense struggled to find rhythm against Kikuchi -- who is experiencing a career resurgence in 2023 -- Wheeler’s ability to adjust his gameplan and make hitters uncomfortable was what kept his team in the game for most of this one.

The sole blemish was an RBI single from Springer in the sixth, a frame that also featured one of Wheeler’s four walks of the night.

“The four walks and the shutdown inning that I didn’t get, that was tough,” said Wheeler. “If I could have eliminated those four walks and [gotten] that shutdown inning, I think that would have helped us out.”

Spoken like a true ace.

Tough self-assessments aside, Wheeler’s efforts put Philadelphia’s staff in a good position.

After the club decided to skip the struggling Taijuan Walker’s next turn in the rotation, off-days and starting length have become even more important. The bullpen is in good shape, and another off-day on Thursday should help keep the arms fresh in this impromptu return to a five-man rotation.

But a consistent outing from a top starter gives Thomson more flexibility as he navigates through the remainder of August.

“Anytime a starter gives you seven innings, you’re fortunate,” said Thomson.