Zack Wheeler pitched six strong innings and Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber each homered and drove in three runs as the Philadelphia Phillies routed the host Miami Marlins 16-2 on Friday.
Wheeler (14-6) allowed just one run on two hits and one walk. He struck out seven and lowered his ERA to 2.59.
Turner went 3-for-5 with three runs, a walk and his 16th homer of the season. Schwarber went 2-for-5 with three runs, a walk and his 33rd homer of the year.
Philadelphia (85-56) won its sixth game in a row and maintained an eight-game lead in the National League East over both the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves.
The Phillies set season highs in hits (22), extra-base hits (10) and runs. However, they lost catcher J.T. Realmuto to a left knee contusion. He fouled a pitch off his knee in the second exit, then exited for a pinch hitter in the fourth.
Miami starting pitcher Edward Cabrera was scratched due to migraine symptoms.
In his place, right-hander Austin Kitchen, 27, made his first major league start after three relief appearances. Kitchen (0-1) gave up seven runs, six earned, on nine hits in two innings. He struck out one and walked none.
Miami (52-89) used six pitchers, including outfielder David Hensley, who allowed two runs in two innings.
Kitchen needed 30 pitches to make it through a rough first inning. The Phillies bunched together four singles and benefitted from a throwing error by first baseman Jake Burger. Bryce Harper, Bryson Stott and Realmuto and RBI singles.
The Phillies made it 7-0 in the second as Schwarber stroked an RBI single, Turner followed with a two-run homer and Realmuto later added a run-scoring single.
Miami got on the board in the fourth as Connor Norby singled, advanced on a Burger walk and scored on Otto Lopez’s double.
However, the Phillies kept coming, increasing their lead to 10-1 in the fifth as Johan Rojas and Turner stroked RBI doubles and Harper added a run-scoring single.
In the sixth, the Phillies scored four more times as Kody Clemens and Rojas hit RBI doubles before Schwarber slugged a two-run homer.
Philadelphia concluded its barrage of runs in the ninth as Stott and Garrett Stubbs lofted sacrifice flies.
–Field Level Media