SAN DIEGO -- Bryce Harper needed something to change.

He had not gotten a hit since he slugged the 300th homer of his career Aug. 30 at Citizens Bank Park. So on Tuesday, he shaved his beard. He could not bring himself to say it, but the slump drove him to do it.

“I mean, you guys know," he said when asked why he changed his look. "Everybody knows."

Harper snapped a career-high 20 at-bat hitless streak in the fourth inning in the Phillies' 5-1 victory over the Padres on Wednesday afternoon at Petco Park. He smacked a two-out double to right-center field to score two runs to give the Phils a three-run lead. It helped them keep their edge over the Cubs for the No. 1 National League Wild Card spot with 23 games to play.

• Games remaining: vs. MIA (3), vs. ATL (4), at STL (3), at ATL (3), vs. NYM (4), vs. PIT (3), at NYM (3)

• Standings update: The Phillies (77-62) hold a 1 1/2-game lead over the Cubs (76-64) for the top NL Wild Card spot.

Harper hopes the hit leads to something, because now is not the time to slump.

“Swinging at pitches out of the zone again,” Harper said about his recent struggles. “I do that, I’ll hit .150 the last month, and it won’t be good. Just got to keep going.”

Phillies manager Rob Thomson actually asked Harper after Tuesday’s loss to San Diego if he wanted to take Wednesday off. It could have cleared his mind with a big homestand coming up against the Marlins, who are fighting for their NL Wild Card lives, and the Braves, who are looking to clinch home-field advantage through the World Series.

“Absolutely not,” Harper told Thomson. “We’re in the middle of this thing. Trea’s not here. We’ve got to go.”

Phillies shortstop Trea Turner has been on the paternity list since Tuesday, but he is expected to rejoin the team on Friday. He has been one of baseball’s hottest hitters since early August, so the Phils needed others to step up Wednesday to win the series in San Diego and return home with a 3-3 record on the road trip.

Ace Zack Wheeler pitched six scoreless innings, striking out seven and walking two. He forced a season-high 19 swings and misses.

Wheeler is 4-2 with a 2.45 ERA in his past nine starts as he makes a late-season push for NL Cy Young consideration. The Phillies needed his latest gem, considering their starters had an 8.69 ERA over the previous four games.

“That’s who Zack’s been for us for a few years now,” Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto said. “When we’ve needed him the most, he steps up in a big moment against a really good offense. He seems to have his best games in those situations. What he did for us today can’t be understated, how important that was.”

Kyle Schwarber smashed a leadoff home run two-thirds of the way up the batter’s eye in center field to get things started. It was his 10th leadoff homer this season, setting a franchise record previously held by Jimmy Rollins, who hit nine in his 2007 NL MVP-winning season.

“He’s done it so much,” Wheeler said. “Definitely gets our team off to a good start. It sets the tone.”

Realmuto also homered for the third time in his past four games.

“Swing is feeling good,” he said. “[I] worked on a couple things mechanically with [hitting coach Kevin Long] just to help me see the ball a little bit better the last couple of weeks. It's paying off.”

A year ago, the Phillies were trying to snap a 10-year postseason drought. This year, they are trying to get back to the World Series. It’s a different feeling in the clubhouse. Instead of wondering if they can do it, they already know they can do it. But it doesn’t mean there isn’t pressure. They badly want to win the No. 1 Wild Card because it would allow them to host a best-of-three NL Wild Card Series at Citizens Bank Park.

“It still feels like we’re chasing something,” Wheeler said. “I feel like we’re doing well, but at the same time, we’ve got people nipping at our heels.”

“They can smell it,” Thomson said. “And they're going for it.”

It was why Harper wanted to play Wednesday, even though he has been unhappy with how he has been swinging the bat.

“You’re going to go through spurts when you’re playing good baseball and spurts when you’re playing bad,” Harper said. “I’ve got to stay in the lineup for the boys.”