TORONTO — If there was ever a game to illustrate just how thin the margins are for this Phillies team, it was their 8-2 loss on Wednesday night. They had their ace on the mound in Zack Wheeler, who stepped into Rogers Centre with a 2.46 ERA. By the time he exited in the fifth inning, that ERA had risen to 2.89.
After using a bullpen game Tuesday, the Phillies were banking on Wheeler to go deep. And they had good reason to expect that he would. Wheeler has pitched six innings or more in 11 of his 17 outings this year. Not only has he been a workhorse, but he’s been dominant; Wheeler allowed only eight earned runs in 29 2/3 innings in the month of June, for a 2.43 ERA. He was even better in the month of May, pitching to the tune of a 1.65 ERA.
It’s hard to keep track of all of the setbacks the Phillies have encountered of late. Starting pitchers Ranger Suárez and Zach Eflin are on the injured list, and there isn’t much depth behind them to draw upon. The Phillies are missing four infielders due to injuries: Jean Segura, Nick Maton, Johan Camargo and, most recently, Alec Bohm, who dislocated a finger in St. Louis. Bohm and Camargo could rejoin the team on Friday, but the loss of Segura still stings quite a bit, especially at a time when the bats are quiet.
And then, of course, there’s Bryce Harper, the reigning MVP, who is out indefinitely with a fracture of his left thumb. That is a lot to worry about. One of the few things the Phillies weren’t worried about was the top of their rotation. And that rotation is led by Wheeler, who has been so dominant lately that many believed he’d been snubbed when he wasn’t voted into this year’s All-Star Game.
So, seeing him struggle on Wednesday night was quite a blow. It wasn’t like Wheeler wasn’t throwing hard. He was hitting 97 and 96 mph, as he usually does. But he had trouble locating his pitches and the Blue Jays were working their at-bats against him. By the time he exited the game, he was at 91 pitches through just 4 2/3 innings. He allowed seven hits, six earned runs, one walk, and two home runs with four strikeouts.
It was the Phillies’ fourth straight loss, their longest losing streak under interim manager Rob Thomson. A loss like Wednesday’s only adds urgency for the Phillies to acquire a starting pitcher at the trade deadline, even if Suárez returns sooner rather than later. But more than that, a loss like Wednesday’s shows what this team is lacking — depth — and how that could be a major issue as the Phillies try to attempt a playoff run.
Anytime you absolutely need a player to do something, you know you’re in trouble. The Phillies needed Wheeler to go seven or eight innings on Wednesday night, because the bullpen was taxed. They needed him to be the Zack Wheeler they were used to, because the bats have been cold lately, and every run matters. But he wasn’t that Zack Wheeler, and everything fell apart.
There are other examples. José Alvarado has been lights-out since his return from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, but he will allow an earned run at some point. Aaron Nola is having one of the best seasons of his career, but he will falter at times, too. Teams like the Dodgers win because of their depth. When one player doesn’t perform, it’s doesn’t have to be a catastrophe. Lately, at least, it feels like the Phillies are counting on a lot to go right. And if it doesn’t, you have games like Wednesday night’s.
