Zack Wheeler allowed one run on four hits over six innings to snap a seven-start winless drought as the Philadelphia Phillies completed a three-game series sweep of the Los Angeles Angels with a 5-2 victory on Sunday afternoon in Anaheim, Calif.
Edmundo Sosa hit a go-ahead home run in the seventh inning, Bryce Harper doubled and had two hits and an RBI and J.T. Realmuto also homered and had two hits and two runs scored for Philadelphia, which won for the 13th time in the last 15 games.
It was the first win since July 12 for Wheeler (11-5), who walked three and struck out six. He departed after throwing 108 pitches, 67 for strikes. Orion Kerkering picked up his second save.
Wade Meckler went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored, Mike Trout had an RBI double and Oswald Peraza also had two hits for Los Angeles, which lost its seventh straight game, the team’s third seven-game losing streak of the season.
Yusei Kikuchi (0-5), making his second start after spending four months on the injured list with left shoulder inflammation, picked up the loss, allowing two runs on six hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out six.
Los Angeles loaded the bases with no outs in the first inning but managed just one run while taking a 1-0 lead. Meckler led off with a walk, advanced to second when Trout was hit by a pitch and went to third on a single to left by Vaughn Grissom. Moises Ballesteros then hit into a double play to drive in Meckler, and Wheeler struck out Christian Moore to end the threat.
Philadelphia tied it, 1-1, in the third when Realmuto led off with his 10th home run, a 403-foot drive to left-center.
The Phillies then took a 2-1 lead in the seventh when Sosa, who hit a two-out, pinch-hit go-ahead grand slam in the ninth inning to help win Friday night’s opener, 5-3, drilled his seventh homer down the left field line.
Philadelphia extended the lead to 4-1 in the eighth inning on a pinch-hit, bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Luis Arraez followed by a pinch-hit RBI single by Brandon Marsh. Harper made it 5-1 in ninth with an RBI double, driving in Realmuto, who had walked and advanced to second on a bunt single by Derek Hill.
Trout ended the scoring with a two-out RBI double in the bottom of the ninth, driving in Meckler.
–Field Level Media
