Zack Wheeler strikes out 9 and Rincones homers for first career hit to lift Phillies to 7-0 win

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Zack Wheeler struck out nine in six scoreless innings of two-hit ball, Gabriel Rincones Jr. homered for his first career hit and the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Miami Marlins 7-0 on Monday night.

J.T. Realmuto also went deep and Bryce Harper had an RBI for Philadelphia, which opened a six-game homestand.

Liam Hicks had two of Miami’s four hits. The Marlins lost for just the third time in 13 June games.

Wheeler (6-1) allowed a leadoff single to Hicks to start the contest and then walked Otto Lopez before fanning four straight batters to set the tone for his evening. The 36-year-old righty lowered his ERA to 2.01 through 10 starts.

Tim Mayza, Jonathan Bowlan and Chase Shugart each pitched a scoreless inning of relief to finish the shutout.

Rincones, playing in his second career game, sent an 84-mph slider from Ryan Gusto (0-2) into the seats in right field in the second inning to put the Phillies up 1-0. He is in Philadelphia’s lineup after right fielder Adolis Garcia was placed on the 60-day injured list with a right lat tear. He padded Philadelphia’s lead to 2-0 in the third with a bases-loaded groundout.

Realmuto’s two-run drive in the fifth to left field made it 5-0, as he lined a first-pitch slider off Gusto over the wall in left field.

Gusto allowed five runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Phillies' Brandon Marsh, who entered with the fourth-highest batting average among big-league qualifiers, went 2 for 5 with a double to up his average to .324.

Philadelphia improved to 30-14 under interim manager Don Mattingly. The Phillies entered in second place and eight games back of the Atlanta Braves in the NL East but holding the second wild-card spot.

Phillies shortstop Trea Turner did not play in the eighth inning due to a right wrist contusion after getting hit by a pitch in the sixth inning. Mattingly said after the game that X-rays were negative.

Up next

Marlins RHP Tyler Phillips (1-1, 1.86 ERA) opposes Phillies LHP Jesús Luzardo (5-4, 4.35) in the second contest of the three-game set on Tuesday night.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb