Orioles win 2 of 3 in the series after hitting 4 home runs off Wheeler and defeating the Phillies 8-3.

With three more home runs off Zack Wheeler and his ninth leadoff home run of the season, Baltimore defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 8-3 on Sunday.

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Wheeler (8-4) and Corbin Burnes (8-2) didn’t have the pitching matchup that was anticipated, but it was still an exciting series finale in front of Camden Yards’ third consecutive sellout crowd. After Phillies manager Rob Thomson was dismissed in the top of the sixth, there were several loud plane flyovers connected to Baltimore’s Fleet Week celebration that caused play to pause for a few seconds.

After winning two of three games against Philadelphia, the Orioles closed the gap on the AL East-leading New York Yankees to just one and a half games. Beginning on Tuesday night, the Yankees will host a three-game series against Baltimore.

The Orioles hit one home run in four of Wheeler’s five innings on the mound, breaking his record of never allowing more than three in a game. Henderson broke a tie for the big league lead in leadoff home runs with Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber in the bottom of the first inning. Schwarber went deep to start the game on Friday night. Then, with a man on, Colton Cowser scored from 443 feet to make it 3-0.

“I believe that Gunnar’s leadoff AB (nine pitches) essentially provided the template for everyone else to follow,” Cowser remarked. He was in the flow. Gunnar was fouling off pitches until he hit a pitch that struck him in the heart.

Adley Rutschman added a single home run in the third, and Jordan Westburg’s three-run blast ended Baltimore’s four-run rally in the bottom of the fifth after the Phillies had scored twice.

The Phillies loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth inning due to two mistakes made by Baltimore’s infield, but Yennier Cano entered the game and got Edmundo Sosa to strike out for his third save.

Wheeler gave up eight earned runs in just 4 1/3 innings, matching a career best. That was the most he had allowed since 2018.

Really, just give the order. According to Thomson, all four of those home run pitches fell exactly in the middle of the plate. And upward a little. That day is simply one of those.

Burnes persevered through six innings for his tenth straight solid start despite heavy traffic, defeating Wheeler in a close contest for the 2021 National League Cy Young Award. In the majors, that is the longest active streak. Due to a personal problem, Burnes was not available to speak with media following the game.

In the sixth, Garrett Stubbs of Philadelphia squared to bunt; however, Stubbs advanced to first after Burnes’ pitch bounced close to the batter’s foot. After consulting, the umpires ordered Stubbs to return to finish his plate appearance. After a heated disagreement with plate umpire Mike Estabrook, Thomson was removed from the game.

Throughout the weekend, there was an excellent view of the Fleet Week air shows from the ballpark; however, there was a short window of time when the planes were very noisy, causing the players to pause for short periods of time.

The Trainer’s Chamber

Before the game, Thomson stated that the Phillies anticipate having star shortstop Trea Turner return on Monday following a hamstring injury.

Orioles: On Sunday, Triple-A Norfolk received a rehab start from RHP Dean Kremer (triceps), who threw 3 2/3 innings.

Next Up

Phillies: On Monday night, Philadelphia’s Christopher Sánchez (3-3) takes the mound against Randy Vázquez (1-3) of San Diego.

Orioles: The Yankees will not have to play Burnes in this upcoming series thanks to his start on Sunday. On Tuesday night, Baltimore’s Albert Suárez (3-0) will start against Nestor Cortes (3-5).