PHILADELPHIA — Zack Wheeler had what Justin Wrobleski wanted. Then Wheeler decided he didn’t want it. So Wrobleski got what he wanted.
Got it?
The spot on the National League All-Star team that both had pitched well enough to deserve but neither received during the original round of selections was offered to Wheeler when Cincinnati Reds right-hander Chase Burns had to back out with an injury. In an All-Star level fit of pique, Wheeler declined – and Wrobleski was picked, striking out five in two innings of the midsummer showcase.
As luck – or baseball’s incorporeal powers – would have it, Wheeler and Wrobleski were matched up Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park. Another All-Star, Max Muncy, settled the pitchers’ duel between the two with a two-run home run off Wheeler that gave the Dodgers a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.
The start of the game was delayed by 80 minutes because of heavy rains. The rain persisted for most of the night with less volume but still enough to leave everything as soggy as a cheesesteak with extra whiz.
The end of the game featured a two-pronged baserunning blunder by the Phillies who had the tying and winning runs at second and third base with one out in the ninth inning – and managed to run into a game-ending double play.
The Phillies started out well enough, doing two-out damage in the first inning against Wrobleski. Bryce Harper doubled and scored on Alec Bohm’s single to give the Phillies the early lead.
It looked like the Dodgers had tied the score in the third inning with their own two-out hits.
Eliezer Alfonzo Jr. got his first extra-base hit in the major leagues, dropping a double down the right field line. Alfonzo scored when Shohei Ohtani lined a hit into center field and stretched it into a double – at least on first look.
A replay review determined that Ohtani had not evaded the tag of shortstop Trea Turner and was actually out at second base, his decision to go for the extra base questionable even before that. More problematic, Alfonzo had slowed down running from third to home and did not touch home plate before Turner applied the tag on Ohtani at second base. The run was taken off the board.
An inning later, though, the Dodgers did that play one better. Andy Pages led off the fourth with a single off Wheeler. Two batters later, Muncy jumped on a first-pitch cutter and drove it 421 feet into the trees beyond the center field fence. The two-run home run flipped the score and gave the Dodgers their first lead in this series.
Wrobleski gave up just three hits after the first inning, struck out seven in the game and pitched into the seventh inning for the eighth time in his 16 starts this season (including each of his last four). It was also the ninth time Wrobleski gave up one run or none in a start.
Evan Phillips and Tanner Scott combined to shepherd the one-run lead over the final 2⅔ innings.
Scott ran into trouble in the ninth, though, when he gave up a leadoff single to Alec Bohm and a one-out double to JT Realmuto. But Brandon Marsh bounced a ball to Muncy at third base. He got the runner between third and home in a rundown, catcher Dalton Rushing throwing to Mookie Betts for the out.
Realmuto had run to third during the rundown – the correct play. But then he bolted back toward second – very much the wrong play. Betts’ throw to Tommy Edman got Realmuto for the final out.
More to come on this story.