Zack Wheeler pitched seven strong innings Thursday afternoon and the streaking Philadelphia Phillies beat the visiting Texas Rangers 5-2 to sweep a three-game series.
Philadelphia has won 11 of its past 13 and recorded its seventh series sweep of the season. The Phillies were 7-1 on the just-completed homestand and are 17-3 since May 1.
The victory was historic as Philadelphia equaled the club’s best 35-game stretch since 1892. They are 29-6 since April 14.
The defending World Series champion Rangers have lost 11 of their past 14.
The teams traded solo home runs for a 1-1 score after three innings.
Texas slugger Adolis Garcia connected for his 12th homer of the year in the second off Wheeler, a 406-foot shot to left-center field.
JT Realmuto tied it in the bottom of the third with his seventh homer, belting an opposite-field drive from Texas left-hander Andrew Heaney 372 feet into the seats in the right-field corner.
The Phillies knocked Heaney out of the game with a three-run fourth.
Edmundo Sosa doubled and Whit Merrifield reached on an error by Rangers shortstop Josh Smith. Cristian Pache brought home both runners with a triple off the left-center-field wall. Pache scored on Kyle Schwarber’s single for a 4-1 Philadelphia lead.
Texas put together three straight two-out singles to make it 4-2 in the seventh. Ezequiel Duran drove in a run on a line drive in and out of second baseman Bryson Stott’s glove.
The Phillies’ Nick Castellanos ripped his fifth homer, a 377-foot liner into the left-field stands, in the bottom of the seventh for a 5-2 lead.
Wheeler (6-3) gave up two runs on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts. Jeff Hoffman pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his fourth save.
Heaney (0-6) lasted just 3 1/3 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on nine hits, with two walks and a strikeout.
The Phillies won the first two games of the series 5-2 on Tuesday and 11-4 on Wednesday.
– Field Level Media
