Central Plains FFA Chapter

06/15 20:46 CDT Zack Wheeler strikes out 9 and Rincones homers for first career hit to lift Phillies to 7-0 win Zack Wheeler strikes out 9 and Rincones homers for first career hit to lift Phillies to 7-0 win By AARON BRACY Associated Press 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 Garca 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 come out to play the field in the eighth inning due to a right wrist contusion.

Up next Marlins RHP Tyler Phillips (1-1, 1.86 ERA) opposes Phillies LHP Jess Luzardo (5-4, 4.35) in the second contest of the three-game set on Tuesday night. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb