The Philadelphia Phillies secured another shutout victory against the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday afternoon, triumphing with a 5-0 win in the series finale at Great American Ball Park.
Zack Wheeler continued his impressive performance, pitching six innings of one-hit ball. The bullpen, led by Orion Kerkering and Jeff Hoffman, maintained the shutout with three scoreless frames to close out the game.
This marked the second shutout in four days for the Phillies’ pitching staff, following their scoreless victory in Monday’s series opener against the Reds. Although Philadelphia split the series after losing the middle two games, they have won eight of their last 10 games, improving their record to 16-10.
Remarkably, the Phillies have recorded four shutouts during this recent stretch, bringing their total to five shutouts in 26 games this season, the highest in MLB.
Today's 5-0 win over Cincinnati is the @Phillies' 5th shutout of the season, the most in the majors.#MLB | #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/Rm8FlkSAMO
— Baseball Reference (@baseball_ref) April 25, 2024
While it’s early in the season and pitchers typically have an advantage over hitters, the Phillies’ pitching dominance has been noteworthy. Their rotation, featuring Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez, Cristopher Sanchez, and Spencer Turnbull, has been outstanding, with impressive ERAs.
The bullpen has also performed well overall, contributing to the team’s success on the mound. Opposing batters have struggled to generate offense against the Phillies, who boast a combined ERA of 3.36 and are averaging over a strikeout per inning.
