In the fourth, the Phillies had the type of offensive inning that they’ve had so often lately. Sosa doubled (one of three hits on the day), and Whit Merrifield reached on an error. (The Rangers played some atrocious defense this series.) Cristian Pache brought both of them home with a triple, and Kyle Schwarber scored Pache with an RBI single.
With Wheeler on the mound, that was all the offense the Phillies would need. After Garcia’s home run, Wheeler gave up just one hit over the next five innings.
The Rangers finally mounted a threat in the seventh. Three consecutive two-out singles scored a run, then Wheeler loaded the bases with a walk. Rob Thomson likely considered a pitching change at that point but chose to allow his ace to work out of the jam. Wheeler justified the faith by retiring Marcus Semien on a pop up.
Nick Castellanos got that run back in the bottom of the inning with a solo home run, and that three-run cushion was plenty for Jose Alvarado and Jeff Hoffman. They recorded the final six outs without much difficulty and added yet another win to the ledger for the 2024 Phillies.
The sweep of the defending champions concluded a 7-1 homestand. The Phillies will now head West to face a couple of opponents - The Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants - who they already handled this season.
While both of those teams have records under .500 (keeping in mind that the Giants have a winning record against non-Phillies opponents), Coors Field and Oracle Park have not been especially hospitable locations for the Phillies in recent years. But the way the Phillies are going, it feels like there isn’t a stadium or opponent that could slow them down.
You may have heard that the Phillies haven’t played a very difficult schedule. Any time a pundit mentions the Phillies’ hot start to 2024, they have to add a disclaimer that not many of their wins have come at the expense of teams with a winning record.
Sure enough, the Texas Rangers did not enter the series with a winning record (they were .500), but they are the defending World Series champions, which implies the presence of some solid talent on their roster. But the way the Phillies are playing, even the defending champions didn’t stand a chance. On Thursday afternoon, Zack Wheeler, Edmundo Sosa, and the rest of the Phillies completed the three-game sweep of the Rangers with a 5-2 victory.
For the second straight game, the Rangers actually got out to an early lead when Adolis Garcia crushed a second inning offering from Zack Wheeler over the fence.
We’re at the point where a one-run deficit feels inconsequential, and J.T. Realmuto’s game-tying home run in the third felt inevitable more than anything.
Lots of high fives for Edmundo Sosa and the Phillies these days. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
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