Bryce Harper hits a home run, Zack Wheeler dominates in the Phillies' win over the Brewers

MILWAUKEE – In his bullpen before Tuesday's game, Zack Wheeler didn't have the best feel for his fastball.

He tried not to think about it, hoping he could clean up for his start against the Brewers. Early in the game, catcher JT Realmuto called a lot of fastballs to help him get more comfortable with the pitch. Of the nine pitches Wheeler used in the first inning, seven were four-seamers and the other two were sinkers.

It paid off, and Wheeler retired the first three batters. So they kept using it. In the seven innings that Wheeler pitched in the Phillies' 5-1 win over Milwaukee, he used his four-seam pitch 64 percent of the time, reaching 97 miles per hour and causing 13 swing-and-misses.

“That was true for the most part. Sometimes it started to give a little bit of a slack, but it was true, it had good spin,” Wheeler said. “It went where I wanted it to go. I was up and down, in and out. JT called a great play.”

Nick Castellanos and Bryce Harper both hit home runs to help the Phillies reduce their magic number for a postseason berth to one. Their magic number for their first National League East title since 2011 is four. The Phillies also secured the tiebreaker over the Brewers with the season series win.

The Brewers ended Wheeler's attempt at a shutout in the fourth inning when William Contreras singled and then scored from first base on a Garrett Mitchell triple. Wheeler was able to pin Mitchell on third base with a swinging strikeout — which came off his four-seam — and forced a line out to right field.

Wheeler managed the rest of his outing without any problems, allowing only one more single before being replaced by Matt Strahm after the seventh inning.

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“He's really special, man, he's been so consistent since he's been here and he's earned every penny he's earned,” manager Rob Thomson said. “He's so important to this club. … He just takes the ball and can finish people off when he wants to.”

In his last start against the Rays, Wheeler was not particularly well controlled, walking three batters. On Tuesday, he did not allow a single walk and was more efficient, needing just 99 pitches to complete seven innings.

“He's a Cy Young, man,” Harper said. “I don't think anyone in baseball is better than him right now. I don't think anyone in the National League is better either. The people in Atlanta probably think the same about [Chris Sale] the guy who throws it down there. But I thought he got robbed of it three years ago, and I think he earned it this year.”

Aside from Castellanos' solo home run in the second inning, the Phillies couldn't do much against Brewers starter Frankie Montas until their third run. Montas recorded a season-high 10 strikeouts.

Kyle Schwarber started the sixth inning by hitting an infield single on a soft-hit grounder to third base. Harper then grounded a cutter to left over center of the plate and hit it into center field to break the 1-1 tie. It was his third home run in the last four games after ending his nearly month-long home run drought on Saturday.

“[Montas has] has good stuff,” Harper said. “I kind of always miss the heater, that cutter thing, and he throws that split finger.”

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Returning from the injured list, Edmundo Sosa hit a double for the first time in the seventh inning, coming off an uncharacteristic infield hit by Schwarber, who gently hit the ball toward Milwaukee relief pitcher Jake Bauers. The ball bounced off Bauers and landed in no man's land through the infield, allowing Schwarber to reach first base and the Phillies to score another run.

They added another run in the ninth inning. Johan Rojas walked, stole second base and was driven home by a single from Trea Turner. Jeff Hoffman put the team out of action and secured the win.

The Phillies can clinch a postseason spot with a win or a Braves loss against Cincinnati on Wednesday, but they have bigger goals.

“We will do something [to celebrate]because it's an accomplishment to make the playoffs in this league, it really is,” Thomson said. “For me, winning this division is a bigger accomplishment because there are so many good teams in this division. But it's a huge accomplishment.”