Zack Wheeler took a no-hitter into the eighth inning, yet it took a game-ending single from Kody Clemens in the ninth to give the Philadelphia Phillies a 3-2 victory over the visiting Detroit Tigers on Thursday, extending their winning streak to five games.
Wheeler (5-4) had eight strikeouts while giving up one hit and just three base runners in 7 1/3 innings. After the Phillies coughed up the late lead to trail 2-1 in the ninth, they tied it on a sacrifice fly from Brandon Marsh before Clemens’ RBI hit to right off Alex Lange (3-2).
Zack Short and Nick Maton drove in runs for the Tigers, who were no-hit into the fifth inning in all three games of the series, with Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning on Monday.
The Tigers rallied to tie Thursday’s game at 1-1 in the eighth thanks to a throwing error by Phillies third baseman Josh Harrison and Short’s RBI on a bunt single one batter after Wheeler was replaced by Seranthony Dominguez.
Bryce Harper had a sacrifice fly for the Phillies’ first run in the sixth inning in a game that was originally scheduled for Wednesday before lingering smoke from wildfires in Canada forced the contest to be postponed one day.
Detroit scored just five runs in the series and went scoreless for 18 innings until the eighth on Thursday.
The Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber, who drove in the only run Wednesday with a first-inning home run, walked with one out in the sixth on Thursday. Nick Castellanos singles to left field to put runners on the corners, and Harper’s fly ball to left scored Schwarber for a 1-0 lead.
The Tigers tied the score in the eighth, while ending the no-hit bid and knocking Wheeler from the game. After Jonathan Schoop reached base on Harrison’s error, Tyler Nevin poked a single to right field for Detroit’s first hit, and Dominguez replaced Wheeler.
Phillies right-hander Craig Kimbrel (4-1) gave up a run in the ninth inning but still earned the win.
–Field Level Media
