The Philadelphia Phillies suffered another frustrating defeat on Monday night, falling 8-7 to the Miami Marlins in a dramatic walk-off finish at loanDepot Park. While the Phillies mounted an impressive comeback after an early deficit, the night was overshadowed by an unusually ineffective performance from ace Zack Wheeler, whose shortest outing in more than four years raised concern before he assured everyone afterward that he was simply dealing with “one of those days.”
Wheeler, one of the National League’s most dependable starters and a cornerstone of Philadelphia’s World Series aspirations, struggled from the very beginning. The right-hander surrendered six hits, five earned runs, one walk, and two home runs while striking out six batters over just three innings of work. It marked his shortest appearance since April 17, 2022, and the first time he had allowed five runs in a game since May 29, 2025.
Following the game, Wheeler dismissed any concerns about his health, insisting there was no injury behind the disappointing performance.
“It was just one of those games,” Wheeler said. “Just one of those days. The ball wasn’t coming out the way I wanted it to. No excuses—it was simply a bad outing.”
Although Wheeler remained confident that nothing was physically wrong, his outing did raise eyebrows because of a noticeable dip in velocity. His four-seam fastball averaged just 93.5 mph, nearly two miles per hour below his season average and the second-lowest average fastball velocity of his major league career. Only one previous start—on April 3, 2024—featured a lower average.
The veteran admitted he experienced nausea earlier in the day but downplayed its impact on his performance.
“I didn’t feel like that affected me out there,” Wheeler explained. “The ball just wasn’t coming out like I wanted it to. My body wasn’t moving the way I wanted it to. I tried to battle through it, but today I just couldn’t.”
Interim manager Don Mattingly echoed Wheeler’s comments after the game, emphasizing that the Phillies have no concerns about the ace dealing with an injury.
“No, not at all,” Mattingly said. “He told us he felt physically fine. He simply said the ball wasn’t coming out the way it normally does.”
Miami capitalized immediately on Wheeler’s struggles. Otto Lopez led off the first inning with a single before advancing on a stolen base and eventually scoring after consecutive throwing errors by catcher J.T. Realmuto and shortstop Trea Turner. The defensive miscues handed the Marlins an early 1-0 lead and set the tone for a sloppy opening inning.
Turner’s error continued an alarming defensive stretch. It was his seventh error in the Phillies’ last 10 games—the most committed by a Philadelphia shortstop over a 10-game span since Desi Relaford recorded seven between June 3 and June 18, 2000.
The Marlins kept the pressure on in the first when Heriberto Hernández launched a solo home run to left field, doubling Miami’s advantage to 2-0.
Things only worsened in the second inning. Griffin Conine opened the frame by hitting Wheeler’s curveball over the wall for another solo homer. Later in the inning, Jakob Marsee doubled before Otto Lopez drove him home with a triple, extending Miami’s lead to 5-2.
It marked the first time Wheeler had surrendered five runs within the opening two innings of a game since June 2, 2023.
As Wheeler struggled, Mattingly, head athletic trainer Paul Buchheit, and members of the coaching staff gathered in the dugout to discuss how best to navigate the remainder of the game.
After Wheeler managed a scoreless third inning, Mattingly informed him that his night was over. The outing caused Wheeler’s ERA to climb from an outstanding 2.16 to 2.53.
Despite the early deficit, the Phillies refused to quit.
Philadelphia stormed back in the sixth inning with four runs to erase the Marlins’ lead. J.T. Realmuto delivered a run-scoring double before later crossing the plate on a throwing error by left fielder Heriberto Hernández, giving the Phillies a 6-5 advantage and seemingly shifting the momentum in their favor.
Realmuto added a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning to extend the lead to 7-5, putting Philadelphia within six outs of an unlikely victory.
However, the bullpen could not preserve the comeback.
Closer Jhoan Duran, who had been nearly untouchable for most of the season, suffered only his second blown save of the year after allowing three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning. It was the first time Duran had surrendered runs since June 9, making the collapse even more surprising given his dominance throughout the season.
The heartbreaking defeat wasted an encouraging offensive rally and extended Philadelphia’s recent struggles. Since returning from the All-Star break, the Phillies have now lost seven of their last 10 games, creating additional urgency as the trade deadline approaches.
Realmuto acknowledged how disappointing the loss was, particularly considering how often Wheeler has carried the team throughout the years.
“It would’ve been nice to pick Zack up after all the times he’s picked us up over the last seven years,” Realmuto said. “It was just a strange game where they got to two of our best pitchers.”
Although Wheeler’s rare off night appears to be nothing more than an isolated stumble, the Phillies know they’ll need their ace back at his dominant best if they hope to regain momentum and make a serious push toward a World Series title during the second half of the season.
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