Zack Wheeler ran into a rare nightmare Monday night, and the Phillies paid for it early.
Seattle came into the game tied with the Toronto Blue Jays for the fewest runs scored in MLB in 2026, but the Mariners looked nothing like the league’s most punchless offense against Philadelphia’s ace. Wheeler, who had been carrying a 2.92 ERA into the start, was tagged for eight earned runs on nine hits in just four innings. By the time the game reached seven innings, the Phillies were staring at a 9-2 deficit.
The rough night also sent Wheeler’s ERA jumping to 3.40. He walked five and struck out four, a line that summed up just how far off the rails things went for the 36-year-old.
The eight earned runs matched the most Wheeler has ever given up in a major league game. He had done it three previous times, most recently in 2024, when the Baltimore Orioles scored eight runs against him over 4.1 innings.
It was also a sharp departure from what Wheeler had done all season. Before Monday, his high-water mark for earned runs in a game this year was five, which came on July 27 in an 8-7 loss to the Miami Marlins. Across 22 starts, he had allowed more than three earned runs only seven times, which is why this performance stands out as a clear outlier for the Phillies veteran.
Even with the possibility of a loss on Monday, the Phillies were still expected to finish the night in an NL Wild Card spot.
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