PHILADELPHIA -- The first three weeks of the 2023 season didn't look anything like what the Phillies envisioned coming off their National League pennant-winning 2022 campaign.

The past three games, however, went much more to plan.

The Phils hit a season-high four home runs to back Zack Wheeler's season-high 11 strikeouts en route to a 9-3 victory over the Rockies on Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. It marked the club's first three-game winning streak of the season.

After being shut out in Thursday's opener, Philadelphia seemed to click on all cylinders over the final three games for its second straight series victory.

"At the beginning of the season, it felt like we'd get a one-hitter from our pitchers and we'd get shut out or we'd score eight and give up 10," said Bryson Stott, who stayed hot with a two-run homer in the seventh. "But that's just baseball, and putting it all together at once is what good teams do.

"And we think we're a good team."

Here’s a closer look at three positive developments from the Phillies' three-game run:

Wheeler keeps rotation rolling
It appeared for three innings that Philadelphia was getting vintage Wheeler on Sunday. He racked up seven strikeouts while cruising through three hitless frames -- but, much like Tuesday against the White Sox, Wheeler spiraled into a big inning.

The righty found himself in a bases-loaded no-out jam in the fourth following a pair of singles and a walk. The bullpen started stirring after Wheeler plunked Yonathan Daza to bring in the Rockies’ first run.

It took 34 pitches, but Wheeler ultimately battled his way through the frame, but not before allowing three runs on three hits -- all with an exit velocity of less than 85 mph -- to give Colorado a 3-2 lead.

Wheeler has allowed 12 hits on batted balls of 85 mph or less this season, the most in MLB.

"It is frustrating," Wheeler said of the tough-luck hits. "But that's part of the game at the same time. Those types of things can happen, but when you're walking guys or hitting guys at the same time, it doesn't add up to a good situation."

Wheeler settled back in on his way to throwing 111 pitches, his most since July 23, 2021. He retired seven of the final eight batters he faced and did not allow a hit outside of the three soft-contact knocks in the third.

Wheeler's six-inning outing marked the seventh time in the last 12 games that the Phillies got six innings out of their starter -- something they did just once in their first 11 contests.

Bullpen slamming door
Getting deeper outings from his starters has allowed manager Rob Thomson to deploy his relievers in optimal spots -- and it's paying off.

Gregory Soto continued his stellar run with a scoreless seventh inning on Sunday to preserve Philadelphia's 4-3 lead at the time. After his rocky debut on Opening Day in which he didn't retire a batter, Soto has allowed just one run over 10 1/3 innings while racking up 14 strikeouts.

Soto then handed the ball to José Alvarado, who continues to establish himself as one of the top relievers in baseball. He struck out two Rockies over a scoreless frame, lowering his season ERA to 0.87. Alvarado has struck out 20 batters in 10 1/3 innings while allowing just one run (a Jorge Soler home run on April 12).

“When Soler hit the home run off of him -- I mean, I was just shocked. He’s just been that good," Thomson said of Alvarado. "He's just been throwing strikes, and when he throws strikes, he’s going to get people out, because the stuff is that dominant.”

Bats waking up
When pressed about the Phillies' lack of power in the early going, Thomson has insisted that the home runs would "come in bunches."

After hitting three home runs in Saturday's 4-3 victory, Philadelphia went deep four times on Sunday. Trea Turner hit his first homer at Citizens Bank Park as a Phillie, Kody Clemens hit his first as a Phillie overall and both Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh continued their torrid starts with one apiece.

More importantly, three of the Phillies' seven home runs this weekend came with at least one runner on base -- something they did just five times in their first 21 games. Entering the weekend, only the Guardians (four), Royals (four) and Nationals (two) had fewer homers with men on base.

"You get Wheels throwing his tail off today and the bats coming alive, it's cool seeing everything mold together," said Marsh, who leads the Majors with a 1.213 OPS. "Pitching, defense and hitting -- that's just a good recipe for success."