Zack Wheeler follows Cristopher Sánchez’s gem with six scoreless innings in Phillies’ 3-0 win vs. Guardians

Cristopher Sánchez hasn’t given up a run in four starts over a span of 24 days for the Phillies.

How’s a fellow pitcher supposed to follow that?

“It’s almost unmatchable,” Zack Wheeler said.

Key word: Almost.

Because here was Wheeler on Saturday, seven days shy of turning 36, eight months after having a rib surgically removed. He waited out a two-hour rain delay, then hurled fastballs and splitters, overcame what he perceived as bouts of spotty command, and blanked one of the best teams in the American League for six innings.

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And unlike Sánchez, Wheeler actually got a smidge of run support in a 3-0 victory in front of 36,125 water-logged paying customers to snap the Phillies’ three-game skid and push their record back to .500 at 26-26.

“Vintage Wheels,” Bryce Harper said.

Interim manager Don Mattingly added, “Zack’s been amazing.”

How amazing? Consider: Since rejoining the rotation on April 25 — sooner, by the way, than anyone other than maybe he expected — Wheeler has a 1.67 ERA. The Phillies are 18-8 since then, including 6-0 in his starts.

Slot him behind Sánchez, who owns a 1.62 ERA and a 37⅔-inning scoreless streak that is the second-longest in team history, and it’s little wonder the oddsmakers still like the Phillies’ chances.

It’s Memorial Day weekend, so it’s appropriate to begin peeking at the standings. The Phillies are 9½ games out of first place but only three out in the wild-card chase. But Fangraphs has them at 60.8% to make the playoffs

The formula, if they do: Sánchez, Wheeler, and pray for rain — not always in that order.

Is there a better 1-2 punch atop a rotation?

“I mean, I’m going to ask you. What do you think?” Harper said. “Is it the best 1-2? I mean, it’s got to be up there. I can’t really think about another 1-2.”

In time, Harper said, maybe the Braves will get Spencer Schwellenbach back from elbow surgery and pair him with Chris Sale. With Gerrit Cole back this weekend, the Yankees have a formidable duo with Cam Schlittler.

But we digress ...

» READ MORE: Rhys Hoskins’ injury was a sliding door moment in Phillies history. And it still ‘kind of eats at’ Bryce Harper.

“It’s been impressive,” Harper continued. “Obviously Sánchy taking the next step and being who he is, and Wheels just being vintage Wheels, it’s fun to watch. You go 38 scoreless from Sánchy or whatever it’s been, and then you’ve got Wheels, I mean, it’s tough coming into a ballpark and knowing you’re going to face those two guys in a series.”

Try telling the Guardians. They eked out a 1-0 victory Friday night on Kyle Manzardo’s ninth-inning homer against closer Jhoan Duran. But Duran redeemed himself by recording the final three outs after Orion Kerkering and Brad Keller followed Wheeler.

Bryson Stott’s two-run single up the middle with two out in the fourth inning against Guardians starter Slade Cecconi broke a scoreless stalemate and gave the Phillies their first runs in 15 innings. They tacked on a run in the sixth when slumping Adolis García (1-for-37 with 20 strikeouts) walked with the bases loaded.

But this was mostly about Wheeler, the highest-paid pitcher in the sport who continued earning every cent of his $42 million salary.

Wheeler sidestepped a one-out double by old friend Rhys Hoskins in the second inning, a one-out walk in the third, and Chase DeLauter’s leadoff double in the fourth. The Guardians put up some long at-bats and made him throw 99 pitches through six innings.

Otherwise, Wheeler was in complete command.

Even if he didn’t always feel like it.

» READ MORE: Bryce Harper will consider competing in Home Run Derby if he is an All-Star

“I was trying to throw the ball arm side, it was going to the glove side; I was trying to throw the ball glove side, I was going arm side,” Wheeler said. “Just got to hope for the best in those type of days, and J.T. [Realmuto] was able to get me through."

Specifically, Wheeler credited Realmuto for encouraging him to throw more splitters than usual. He uncorked 23, a career-high, and got six of his 15 swings and misses.

“It was a good pitch for me, and it got a little better as we went,” Wheeler said. “That’s compliments to J.T. right there. He saw what I had and saw what was working and kind of struggling.”

But Wheeler also leaned on his fastball, as usual, to “bully” the Guardians, as Mattingly said. In particular, he fanned Manzardo and Hoskins on heaters in the fourth inning to leave the leadoff man on second base.

As follow-up acts to Sánchez go, it was entirely worthy.

“You always try to beat the guy the day before you,” Wheeler said. “[Sánchez] is pretty hard to beat right now, but you’ve got to go out there and try and just feed off each other. We’ve always said that. We’ve got a good group of guys to kind of do that little competition within ourselves with.

“The run he’s been on, it’s pretty special.”

But there’s Wheeler, improbable as it may be, running right alongside.

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Ricky Bottalico spouts opinions each day on sports-talk radio and the Phillies' television pre- and postgame show. But before all that, he had a solid career as a relief pitcher, even representing the Phillies in the 1996 All-Star Game at Veterans Stadium. With the baseball world set to descend on Philly again in a few weeks, Ricky Bo joined "Phillies Extra" to re-live his All-Star experience. Watch here.

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Previous episodes: Preston Mattingly | Caleb Cotham | Larry Bowa | Joe Maddon | Rhys Hoskins | Terry Francona | Aaron Rowand | Hunter Pence | Paco Figueroa