July 11, 2026
Lon Horwedel/Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
After snubbing the All-Star game for snubbing him first, Zack Wheeler mowed down the Tigers lineup and helped the Phils take the rubber match.
Thanks to the first masterful road outing from Cris Sánchez in a while, the Phillies overcame a series-opening meltdown against the Tigers to even the three-game series going into Sunday.
Sánchez's gem set up a showdown for the ages – an angry, determined Zack Wheeler who publicly went scorched earth on the MLB All-Star selection process before snubbing their desperation mea culpa invitation to him pitted against reigning two-time American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, one of the long bright spots on a Tigers squad that has fell way short of expectations.
Wheeler on Sunday delivered another masterpiece, showing the All-Star selection crew why they shouldn't have left him off the team by tossing 6 innings of two-hit ball, shutting out the Tigers while striking out 10 and lowering his ERA to 2.13.
Holding the Tigers scoreless was key as the Phils sat on an early one-run lead and then erupted right after Skubal exited, with J.T. Realmuto's two-out, three-run double off Keider Montero leading to a four-run outburst that put the Phillies in the driver's seat to take the series with a 5-0 getaway win.
The Phils, once 9-19, head into the All-Star break at 53-43, having MLB's best record since Don Mattingly replaced fired skipper Rob Thomson. They will be no worse than 2.0 games behind the NL-leading Braves despite once trailing their rivals by double digits and starting June 9.5 games behind.
The Phils also come home to be All-Star Game hosts after winning consecutive road series, against the Reds and then Tigers, to finish their nine-game road trip with a 5-4 mark. Sánchez will start Tuesday's Midsummer Classic, in his home ballpark, while Wheeler will get some rest after embarrassing the exhibition's selection process twice, first by calling out his omission and then backing up his point with his third consecutive double-digit strikeout performance that improved him to 10-1.
Here are the winners and losers from the series:
Cris Sánchez
Not only will Sánchez be the first Phillie to start an All-Star Game since Roy Halladay (2011), Sánchez delivered a much-needed dominant road effort. His road ERA had ballooned to 4.97 after getting bombed by the Royals for nine runs in 3.1 innings in his prior start and five runs in 5 innings against the Nationals in D.C. on June 25.
Sanchez wasn't his sharpest against the Tigers, allowing 10 hits in 7 innings, but walked just one and struck out seven and allowed just two runs to enter the break with a 2.62 ERA and an MLB-best 5.4 pitcher's WAR. His next start will be at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday against the American League All Stars.
Our ace at our place 🌟
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 12, 2026
Cristopher Sánchez will start the All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park! pic.twitter.com/icBJT9cnKH
Dylan Cease is the first Blue Jays pitcher to start the ASG since Roy Halladay (2009). Cristopher Sánchez is the first Phillies pitcher to start the ASG since ... Roy Halladay (2011).
— Lochlahn March (@lochlahn) July 12, 2026
Derek Hill
From this point on, he should be referred to as Derek "Thrill." He gives one seemingly every game he plays lately. With his home run robbery of Juan Soto on June 26 still fresh in memories, Hill provided another highlight-reel catch Saturday to rob Zach McKinstry of an extra-base hit and potential RBI.
SUPERMAN DIVE FROM DEREK HILL 🤯 pic.twitter.com/4GtrQ29PwH
— MLB (@MLB) July 11, 2026
Hill, who has made some swing alterations since joining the Phillies, also homered Friday and stole three bases Saturday, including successive steals of second and third in the third inning to make an easy sac fly for Trea Turner as the Phillies went up 1-0, a lead they never relinquished. He later added an insurance RBI single.
Hill entered Sunday's game slashing .354/.380/.583 as a Phillie, but really struggled in the rubber game, going hitless with four strikeouts.
Aaron Nola
He got too early of a hook Friday, but Nola was good for the second straight outing, holding the Tigers to two runs on three hits in 5 innings and striking out eight. In his last start, against the Royals, Nola allowed three runs on seven hits in 7 innings and struck out seven.
In his last two starts, Nola has a way-more-respectable 3.75 ERA across 12 innings, with 15 strikeouts. The Phils can win a lot of games in the second half if Nola can pitch to an ERA around 4.00.
J.T. Realmuto
Realmuto took a beating behind the plate on Monday in a 1-0 win over the Reds, so he got Friday's opener against the Tigers off, and deservedly so. The rest must have helped. Realmuto stroked a two-run double Saturday in the fourth to open a 3-0 Phillies lead and then provided the biggest hit of the series on Sunday with the bases loaded and two out in the sixth, a bases-clearing double down the left-field line that cleared the bases and opened the game as Wheeler was cruising. He had three hits and five RBI in the series.
Don Mattingly
Mattingly recently changed his tune about wanting to manage the Phillies beyond 2026, and he deserves the job given the team's turnaround since he replaced Thomson. But his penchant for taking struggling starters out of games too early to help their confidence came back to haunt him when he removed Nola after the fifth inning with the game tied at 2-2.
He went to lefty Tim Mayza, who got rocked immediately, walking two batters before allowing a single and triple and then a balk, and suddenly he was leaving the mound with the Phils down 7-2. Mayza had a sub-3.00 ERA before that implosion, so it's understandable why Mattingly went to him, but even Mattingly admitted that he would lose some sleep over his decision to take Nola out that early.
"That's one I'll probably lose a little sleep over."
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) July 11, 2026
Don Mattingly considered keeping Aaron Nola in the game before pulling him after five innings. pic.twitter.com/nQoFw29841
Gabe Rincones Jr.:
It wasn't a great series for the rookie outfielder, who struck out with one out and the bases loaded Friday as the Phils were down 2-1, letting struggling Tigers starter Jack Flaherty off the hook. Rincones went 0-for-4 on Saturday and sat the bench Sunday while Edmundo Sosa got an outfield start. With centerfielder Justin Crawford missing the series because of left knee soreness, Rincones didn't capitalize on his shot, but Derek Hill did. The Phils will likely give the red-hot Hill much more time coming out of the break, with Crawford and Brandon Marsh as the other starting outfielders.
Brandon Marsh:
The All-Star outfielder had a terrible series, with just one hit in the entire series. Marsh went 1-for-10 with five strikeouts. He was part of a middle of the lineup that had chances Friday against Jack Flaherty, who didn't have great stuff, but couldn't get the job done.
Max Lazar
Middle relief continues to be problematic for the Phillies. Lazar was asked to stop the bleeding Friday night after Mayza allowed five runs by himself in the sixth, but Lazar the only gas Lazar threw went right onto the fire, as the Tigers blasted two homers off him in a three-run seventh that put the same so out of reach that catcher Garrett Stubbs was asked to finish the game. Lazar's ERA skyrocketed from 3.88 to 7.11 after the frame, and the Phillies once again lost a game because middle relief couldn't get outs.
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