PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Mired in a horrible offensive malaise, the Chicago White Sox managed to avoid getting no-hit Saturday night in Philadelphia, and they even put some runs on the board.
But it was still far too little, too late.
Zack Wheeler pitched no-hit ball for 7 1/3 innings, Brandon Marsh homered and the Phillies extended their winning streak to five by beating the struggling White Sox, 9-5, to give themselves a chance at a sweep in the series finale Sunday afternoon.
First pitch is scheduled for 12:35 p.m., as the White Sox, now a franchise-worst 3-17 through 20 games, try to avoid being swept for the fourth time already in just seven series this season.
On Saturday, Wheeler (1-3) didn’t give up a hit until rookie Korey Lee’s one-out single on a hard grounder into right field that just eluded diving first baseman Bryce Harper. The 33-year-old right-hander struck out eight, walked two and allowed no runs while throwing 75 of 106 pitches for strikes.
Manager Rob Thomson said Wheeler’s cutoff was 120 pitches, which would have matched his career high, and the right-hander aimed to be more efficient in the later innings.
“I told J.T. I was going to try to get some quicker outs those next couple of innings and try to go for it,” Wheeler said of catcher J.T. Realmuto. “Didn’t happen. At the end of the day, it’s a good start. It was a good day.”
A night earlier, Philadelphia’s Spence Turnbull didn’t allow a hit until Gavin Sheets’ one-out single in the seventh.
Chicago is batting a major league-low .190 and has lost eight of its last nine games.
Philadelphia, at 13-8, moved five games over .500 in April for first time since 2019.
Wheeler was dominant, allowing only two balls to leave the infield before Lee’s hit. His toughest batter probably was his first, when Nicky Lopez worked a 10-pitch walk leading off the game. That played big later when Wheeler’s pitch count was at 101 at the start of the eighth.
“Honestly, I was a little tired after that first at-bat,” Wheeler said. “I figured it was going to be a long day. But I was able to get some good outs after that.”
Thomson had Seranthony Dominguez relieve after Lee’s hit.
“I was just trying to get on,” Lee said. “Everyone knew the no-hitter was going on, so obviously trying to break it up.”
The pitch to Lee purposely was more hittable than it normally might have been.
“It was a sinker,” Wheeler said. “I think it was in, maybe not in enough, but I was trying to get some quick outs right there, so I was trying to get a little more plate with those balls.”
The sellout crowd of 44,546 gave Wheeler a standing ovation as he exited toward the dugout.
“He was great,” Thomson said.
Marsh’s two-run homer in the second off Michael Soroka (0-3) gave Wheeler plenty of cushion. Trea Turner’s two-run double in the seventh made it 9-0, extending his streak of games with extra-base hits to seven.
Chicago scored all of its runs in the ninth off Ricardo Pinto.
José Alvarado earned his fourth save, entering with two outs and the bases loaded and retiring Andrew Benintendi on a first-pitch groundout.
Nick Castellanos tripled, had two singles and drove in a pair of runs for the Phillies.
In spite of his record, Wheeler has been dominant after agreeing last month to a $126 million, three-year contract covering 2025-27. He lowered his ERA to 2.22 and has struck out 38 batters, walked seven and given up 21 hits in 32 1/3 innings over five starts.
Before Lee’s single, only Braden Shewmake’s flyout to right leading off the sixth and Benintendi’s flyout to the center-field warning track with one out in the seventh left the infield.
Trainer’s room
White Sox: OF Paul DeJong did not come out to play the field in the fifth inning after getting plunked on the left elbow by Wheeler in the top half.
Up next
Philadelphia goes for the three-game sweep Sunday afternoon when RHP Aaron Nola (2-1, 3.47) takes the mound against RHP Nick Nastrini (0-1, 3.60), who’s coming off his major-league debut.
