Battery of Realmuto, Wheeler sends Phillies into break with 'best game of the year'

DETROIT -- Maybe Phillies manager Don Mattingly had a premonition, but perhaps he was simply going on the clutch hitting track record of catcher J.T. Realmuto. However, hours before Realmuto’s two-out, three-run double in the sixth put his team in control of Sunday’s 5-0 win over the Tigers, Mattingly had high praise for Realmuto.

“He gets a lot of big hits," Mattingly said. "He’s hitting the big home run, and I’m not talking about ninth inning, two outs. I’m just talking about a part of the game that he gets a few guys out there and he gets them in.”

Realmuto also caught a pretty good game for Philadelphia right-hander Zack Wheeler, who allowed just two singles and two walks over six scoreless innings, while striking out 10 and throwing 96 pitches. Wheeler will take a 10-1 record and 2.13 ERA into the All-Star break.

“To me, he’s just a tremendous pitcher,” said NL All-Star Game starter Cristopher Sánchez on Saturday after beating the Tigers, 4-2, to improve to 11-4 with a 2.62 ERA, “and one of the best pitchers in the league since seven years back. He’s just one of the best to do it, and look how he’s been doing it after major surgery. Some thought he wouldn’t be able to do what he’s been doing for us."

Wheeler is on quite a roll after his last two starts. He’s allowed just one run on six hits over 13 innings, while striking out 24 with only two walks. Those are great numbers by any measuring stick.

“Wheels, obviously, was being Wheels,” said Mattingly. “Doing his thing and getting us out of the gate with zeros.”

The Phillies took a three-game series from Detroit by snapping its six-game winning streak with Saturday’s win and then blanking the hot Tigers on Sunday. They have been 46-25 since snapping a 10-game losing streak April 25 and done much to impress Mattingly, who replaced Rob Thomson as manager on April 28, to get the winning ways started.

But this one -- in which they beat two-time reigning Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal -- was special.

“This, for me, is probably our best game of the year,” said Mattingly. “I mean, so many things went the way we wanted them to go. … Our guys did a great job of battling Skubal.”

Consider that neither Kyle Schwarber (32 homers) nor Bryce Harper (20 homers) hit a homer in this series. But both constantly helped produce runs with hits and doing the little things.

Harper’s lead-off single in the four-run sixth came on a 10-pitch at-bat that ended Skubal’s outing at 93 pitches. Harper faced 35 pitches in five at-bats.

And at the hub of a great day was the dynamic pitching battery of Realmuto and Wheeler.

They’ve been together since Wheeler signed with Philadelphia in 2020.

“It’s been a ton of fun,” said Realmuto. “The guy’s a stud. He can do so many things and is hard to gameplan against for hitters. He uses a different mix every time out. It definitely helps, the amount of work we’ve had together.”

Wheeler said, “It’s one of the reasons I signed here in the beginning. J.T.’s the best catcher in baseball, and he knows me like the back of his hand. So, he knows when to zig and when to zag. He’s my favorite catcher I’ve ever thrown to. We just work well together.

“The splitter saved me today. J.T. mixed that in well -- especially that last inning. I was shaking for the splitter.”

Detroit only had as many as two on base in one inning.

Wheeler walked Tigers All-Star infielder Kevin McGonigle in the sixth after opening the inning by striking out James Outman. Then he struck out Detroit’s top run producer, All-Star catcher Dillon Dingler, who has 60 RBIs. Wheeler walked Colt Keith to put two on with two out before striking out All-Star outfielder Riley Greene to end the inning and his outing. All three strikeout victims that inning went down swinging.

Realmuto, who entered the game batting .200 with seven homers and 30 RBIs, put Wheeler in complete control with the three-run double against reliever Keider Montero. And when Bryson Stott was ruled safe for an infield single that scored Realmuto, Wheeler had a 5-0 lead entering his final inning on the mound.

“J.T. hits the double in the corner for three runs and it kind of just changes the whole game,” said Mattingly.

“First of all, the guys in front of me are getting on base and putting a lot of pressure on the pitcher,” said Realmuto. “You just try to not do too much, try not to chase. Get something over the heart of the plate and put a swing on it.”