Zack Wheeler was unbothered by a nearly two-hour rain delay on Saturday night as the Philadelphia Phillies shut out the Cleveland Guardians, 3-0, at Citizens Bank Park.
Bryson Stott led the offensive charge with a pair of RBIs, but the story of the game was dominance from a Phillies pitching staff that conceded just three hits on a cold, rainy night in South Philly.
With the win, Wheeler improved his record to 4-0 and lowered his earned run average (ERA) to 1.99 this season. The 35-year-old starter worked six innings, allowed two hits, and struck out six Guardian hitters.
“Zack has been amazing,” interim manager Don Mattingly said postgame.
“Getting to see this firsthand is fun to watch. It’s just been everything we need, really, to solidify a couple of guys in the rotation. He and Sanchy (Cristopher Sanchez) are back-to-back; there is a good feeling when you come around there.”
Orion Kerkering, whose father (Todd Kerkering) was honored as part of a pregame ceremony celebrating members of the Armed Forces, pitched a clean seventh inning, while Brad Keller cleaned up the eighth and Jhoan Duran closed out the ninth inning to secure his ninth save of the 2026 campaign.
Offensively, the Phillies scattered seven hits throughout the ballgame, including Bryce Harper’s 3-for-4 night at the plate with two runs scored.
Stott singled to center to score Harper and Alec Bohm in the fourth inning, while Adolis Garcia drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the final crooked number on the scoreboard in the sixth inning.
Philadelphia (26-26) and Cleveland (31-23) are scheduled to play the series finale at 1:35 pm tomorrow afternoon.
With a questionable forecast still in the area surrounding South Philadelphia, keep an eye on the weather for any potential cancellations or delays.
