Economical Wheeler, Schwarber’s fifth straight, Stott lead Phillies in opener at Fenway

Zack Wheeler threw 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball on Tuesday. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire) The Phillies’ bullpen entered Tuesday night extremely well-rested from an off day on Monday following a blowout on Sunday. From the jump, Zack Wheeler seemed intent on giving the group another night off. Wheeler fired 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball to lead the Phillies to a 2-1 win over the Red Sox. He pitched into the eighth inning for the first time this year, even after a high-stress 26-pitch seventh. That was possible because of what Wheeler did about an hour and a half before. Wheeler threw 16 pitches across the first three innings of the game. It was the fewest pitches a starter has thrown across a game’s first three innings since at least the turn of the century. Further aided by an eight-toss fifth inning, Wheeler threw 87 pitches in total, allowing six hits, a run and no walks while striking out four. He has looked every bit like himself since returning from thoracic outlet syndrome, but Tuesday was arguably his best work yet. The historic Fenway Park was the site of a little history for Kyle Schwarber, too. His first-inning solo homer, a 386-footer that just barely found its way into the bullpen beyond right field, gave him a five-game home run streak, tying seven players for the longest in Phillies history. Brandon Marsh, MLB’s batting average leader, added to that figure (and his historically high BABIP) with a second-inning leadoff single, with Bryson Stott later doubling him home. Wheeler induced double plays in the second and third innings and retired the Sox in order in the first, fifth and sixth. The seventh was where his night turned from ridiculously economical to just very economical. Ceddanne Rafaela blooped an RBI single to right with two outs, moving the tying run to third base. But a nice play by Trea Turner on a sharp Marcelo Mayer grounder kept him there. The Red Sox again put the tying run 90 feet away in the eighth but again couldn’t cash in, this time against a seemingly revitalized José Alvarado. After working through a one-on, one-out situation on Tuesday, he’s allowed one hit and no runs on six strikeouts in his last 3 1/3 innings. Jhoan Duran earned the save in his first high-leverage situation since returning from the injured list. Like the previous two innings, it wasn’t easy: The Red Sox put the tying run on second and the winning run at first with one out. But Duran struck out Rafaela and retired Mayer to end it. It’s the Phillies’ 11th win in 14 games, their ninth win in 13 one-run games this year and Don Mattingly’s 900th win as a manager.