Zack Wheeler has uncharacteristic start in Phillies' 5-4 series-opening loss to Blue Jays

Scott Lauber, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Aug 8, 2026

Published in Baseball

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

PHILADELPHIA — Chase Utley, famous for his pregame routine and laser-focused preparation, was just getting warmed up. So, he led with an apology.

“Zack,” he said. “Sorry, dude. I’ll pick this up.”

No worries. In the bullpen, Zack Wheeler kept throwing. Rain shortened his last start to two innings and delayed this one by two hours. Any sense of normalcy was gone long before Utley gave his Phillies’ Wall of Fame speech.

Even after Wheeler finally took the mound, something seemed amiss. He walked five batters, more than in any start since April 7, 2019, and threw 116 pitches, his highest total since May 6, 2021, and jawed with the Toronto Blue Jays’ dugout in a series-opening 5-4 loss.

The Phillies turned the game into a nail-biter in the ninth inning. They scored twice, and with one out, the Jays cut down the tying run on a force play at home plate and threw out Brandon Marsh by a half-step at first base, with a review confirming the call on the field.

It was one of those nights for the Phillies, who got four hits, drew 10 walks — 10!— but went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. They trailed 1-0 and 2-1 and 3-2. They had multiple chances to take the lead, including in the oh-so-close ninth inning.

Wheeler is usually emotionless on the mound, but the Jays appeared to irritate him in the fourth inning when they contended that his right foot was coming off the pitching rubber.

Before the inning began, plate umpire John Tumpane spoke to Wheeler. After Wheeler retired the first two batters, Tumpane ejected Toronto hitting coach David Popkins for continuing to chirp about Wheeler’s foot.

At one point, Wheeler directed a two-word expletive at Jays players on the top step of the dugout.

After Wheeler gave up a solo homer to Andrés Giménez to open the scoring in the second inning, the Phillies tied it when J.T. Realmuto’s single skidded past left fielder Jesús Sánchez, enabling Marsh to score all the way from first.

The Jays retook the lead in the third inning on a leadoff double from Brett Bateman, who scored on a sacrifice fly. And the Phillies answered again on Kyle Schwarber’s one-out double and an RBI single from Bryce Harper.

Wheeler gave up the go-ahead run in the fourth inning after the flap with the Blue Jays’ dugout. Josh Smith lined a two-out single and scored two batters later on Nathan Lukes’ single.

Lukes knocked Wheeler out of the game in the sixth inning with a 16-pitch at-bat that ended with a one-out single to load the bases. Tim Mayza came on and gave up a sacrifice fly to make it 4-2.

Smith hit a solo homer in the eighth against reliever Caleb Kilian for an insurance run that wound up being decisive.

The Phillies had chances in the fifth and seventh innings. The first two batters reached base in the fifth before Schwarber, Trea Turner, and Harper struck out in succession. In the seventh, the Phillies loaded the bases on three walks before Luis Arraez lined out to shallow center field.