Zack Wheeler has no-hit bid for 7 1/3 innings as Phillies beat slumping White Sox 9-5
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 20: Zack Wheeler #45 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch in the top of the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Citizens Bank Park on April 20, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell ((Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images))
PHILADELPHIA - Zack Wheeler pitched no-hit ball for 7 1/3 innings, Brandon Marsh homered and the Philadelphia Phillies extended their winning streak to five by beating the struggling Chicago White Sox 9-5 on Saturday night.
Wheeler (1-3) didn’t give up a hit until rookie Korey Lee’s one-out single on a hard grounder into right field that just eluded diving first baseman Bryce Harper. The 33-year-old right-hander struck out eight, walked two and allowed no runs while throwing 75 of 106 pitches for strikes.
A night earlier, Philadelphia’s Spence Turnbull didn’t allow a hit until Gavin Sheets’ one-out single in the seventh.
Chicago is batting a major league-low .190 and extended its franchise-worst start to 3-17. The White Sox have lost eight of their last nine games.
Philadelphia at 13-9 moved five games over .500 in April for first time since 2019.
Wheeler was dominant, allowing only two balls to leave the infield before Lee’s hit. His toughest batter probably was his first, when Nicky Lopez worked a 10-pitch walk leading off the game. That played big later when Wheeler’s pitch count was at 101 at the start of the eighth.
Manager Rob Thomson had Seranthony Dominguez relieved after Lee’s hit, and the sellout crowd of 44,546 gave Wheeler a standing ovation as he exited toward the dugout.
Marsh’s two-run homer in the second off Michael Soroka (0-3) gave Wheeler plenty of cushion. Trea Turner’s two-run double in the seventh made it 9-0. Chicago scored all of its runs in the ninth off Ricardo Pinto.
José Alvarado earned his fourth save, after with two outs and the bases loaded and retiring Andrew Benintendi on a first-pitch groundout.
Nick Castellanos tripled, had two singles and drove in a pair of runs for the Phillies.
In spite of his record, Wheeler has been dominant after agreeing last month to a $126 million, three-year contract covering 2025-27. He lowered his ERA to 2.22 and has struck out 38 batters, walked seven and given up 21 hits in 32 1/3 innings over five starts.
Before Lee’s single, only Braden Shewmake’s flyout to right leading off the sixth and Benintendi’s flyout to the center-field warning track with one out in the seventh left the infield.
TRAINER’S ROOM
White Sox: OF Paul DeJong did not come out to play the field in the fifth inning after getting plunked on the left elbow by Wheeler in the top half.
UP NEXT
Philadelphia goes for the three-game sweep Sunday afternoon when RHP Aaron Nola (2-1, 3.47) takes the mound against RHP Nick Nastrini (0-1, 3.60).