Red Sox Wrap: Zack Wheeler’s Performance Helps Phillies Avoid Sweep

The Boston Red Sox won their weekend series against the Philadelphia Phillies, but couldn’t pull off the sweep after a 6-2 loss Sunday.

Zack Wheeler didn’t give the Red Sox much to work with as he was dominant through 7 1/3 innings. The Phillies starter gave up just three hits and one run — a homer by Franchy Cordero — and struck out 12.

Eduardo Rodriguez, on the other hand, was handed his third straight loss after starting the season 5-0. And aside Cordero’s homer, only Kiké Hernández managed a hit until a ninth-inning solo shot from Rafael Devers.

The Red Sox now are 29-19 on the year and are without sole possession of first place as the Tampa Bay Rays creep up in the American League East standings with 10 straight wins.

Here’s how it all went down:

GAME IN A WORD (OR THREE)
Tip your cap.

Credit where credit is due to Wheeler.

ON THE MOUND
— Rodriguez dropped his third straight start after starting the season 5-0 on the mound.

The ace went four full innings before Alex Cora pulled him with no outs in the fifth. He struck out six batters to that point, but gave up four earned runs off five hits and three walks, throwing 103 pitches and just 61 for strikes.

— Hirokazu Sawamura inherited two runners when he entered the fifth after Rodriguez gave up a double and walk to start the inning. The reliever threw eight strikes on nine pitches to get them out of the jam, striking out two.

— Matt Andriese got the sixth and seventh innings, giving up two hits with a strikeout to hold Philadelphia scoreless.

He tossed 21 strikes in 27 pitches.

— Phillips Valdez had a tough go in the eighth, giving up two runs off two hits and a walk to extend the Phillies’ lead to 6-2.

IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— Boston got their best opportunity to close the gap in the sixth after Kiké Hernández reached on a two-out single. He advanced to second after Danny Santana walked, but Devers struck out to strand the two runners.

— Hernández also had a leadoff single in the first to finish the day 2-for-3.

— Cordero finally put Boston on the board with his first home run of the year, a solo shot 474 feet to right center.

It was his first home run in a Red Sox uniform.

— Devers hit a solo home run in the top of the ninth to make it a 6-2 game, and Hunter Renfroe was walked two batters later before being stranded with the final out.

— No other member of the Red Sox recorded a hit Sunday, and the offense was retired in order on four occasions.

TWEET OF THE GAME
Per @RedSoxStats on Twitter, that Cordero homer was the hardest hit ball ever to be tracked from a Red Sox player.

Love to see it.

UP NEXT
Back to Boston we go. After a day off, the Red Sox on Tuesday return to Fenway Park to host the Atlanta Braves for a two-game series.

First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. ET.