Battery of Realmuto, Wheeler sends Phillies into break on high note

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, Saturday 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.

Detroit only had as many as two baserunners 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.

Realmuto scored the game’s first run in the third, when he was hit by Tigers starter Tarik Skubal and scored on a two-out single by Kyle Schwarber on one of three full-count pitches he saw in the game.