Rhys Hoskins, J.T. Realmuto power Phillies to 4-0 victory, series win over Cardinals

It was July 3, too soon by any reasonable measure for scoreboard watching. But it was also Sunday Night Baseball, the last game of the day, so the opportunity facing the Phillies was hard to miss.

The Atlanta Braves already lost. The San Francisco Giants did too. With a win over the St. Louis Cardinals, another National League contender, the Phillies could pull within 1 1/2 games of a playoff spot.

Sure enough, Rhys Hoskins and J.T. Realmuto came through with home runs against Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright and Zack Wheeler tossed seven scoreless innings to save a shorthanded bullpen in a 4-0 victory before 44,225 patrons at sold-out Citizens Bank Park.

The postgame fireworks were practically a bonus.

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“It’s a big series win,” Hoskins said. “It’s always good sign, just as a measuring stick in the National League. We go there [to St. Louis] in a week. It’ll be another big test for us, and we’ll see how we go.”

OK, a word of caution: The whole thing could still go sideways. Bryce Harper just had thumb surgery, after all. Jean Segura is out with a broken finger. Before the game, lefty Ranger Suárez (low back spasms) joined fellow starter Zach Eflin (bruised right knee) on the injured list. And shortstop Didi Gregorius has a knee injury that won’t abate.

But Tuesday will mark the midpoint of the schedule. The Phillies are 42-38, and although a lot can -- and most certainly will -- happen over the final 82 games, they are well positioned to be relevant throughout the summer.

That’s half the battle.

“They’re all big series, but that’s a good ballclub over there,” interim manager Rob Thomson said of the Cardinals. “We played very well this weekend. I’m happy about that.”

If the Phillies are going to at least tread water until Harper gets back -- and they just completed a week in which they went 3-3 against the Braves and Cardinals -- the old reliables must lead them. That means Hoskins and Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos, Wheeler and co-ace Aaron Nola.

When Hoskins gets on a hot streak, he’s capable of carrying the offense. Don’t look now, but since Memorial Day, he’s hitting .322/.428/.670 with eight doubles, 10 homers, and 19 RBIs in 32 games.

“If my decisions are good within the strike zone and I’m not missing pitches in the middle of the plate, good things tend to happen,” Hoskins said. “I think that’s kind of what’s going on right now.”

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Hoskins entered with four hits, including two homers, in seven career at-bats against Wainwright. It’s just one of those things, he said. For whatever reason, he sees the ball well against the Cardinals mainstay.

On cue, Hoskins broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning by jumping on a cutter from Wainwright and driving it out to left field. He also started a sixth-inning rally with a lead-off double and scored on Castellanos’ single.

Two batters later, and with the Phillies short on options in the bullpen, Realmuto provided some breathing room by bashing one of Wainwright’s signature curveballs for a two-run homer.

This would be an opportune time for Realmuto to take off, too. After hitting three homers in his first 254 plate appearances, he has gone deep three times in his last 33 trips to the plate

The Phillies won the series with the Cardinals, who are directly in front of them in the wild-card standings. The teams meet again for four games next weekend in St. Louis.

After taxing the bullpen for five innings Friday night and five more Saturday, the Phillies needed Wheeler to pitch deep into the game. As usual, the ace answered the call.

Wheeler gave up four hits -- all singles -- and didn’t allow a runner to reach second base, picking up his first win since June 16. Most importantly, he got through seven innings even though the Cardinals fouled off 32 pitches against him.

“I looked up every once in a while at the pitch count to sort of see where I am, and I was throwing like 20 pitches an inning, or close to it, the first few innings,” said Wheeler, who has a 1.67 ERA in his last 12 starts. “I recognized they were fouling a lot off. They have a good lineup. Just got to continue to bear down and just make your pitches.”

Wheeler has a 2.78 ERA and 399 strikeouts in 58 starts since the Phillies signed him to a five-year, $118 million contract. By comparison, Cliff Lee had a 2.76 ERA and 433 starts in his first 58 starts after signing a five-year, $115 million contract before the 2011 season.

The Phillies taxed their bullpen Friday night and Saturday, leaving them shorthanded. But after Wheeler completed seven innings, Nick Nelson and deposed closer Corey Knebel teamed up for the eighth and ninth.

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Knebel, in particular, looked strong against the heart of the Cardinals’ order. He got early MVP candidate Paul Goldschmidt to ground out before striking out scorching-hot Nolan Arenado on a foul tip and whiffing rookie Nolan Gorman.

Suárez’s back spasms flared up Sunday, according to Thomson, so the Phillies placed him on the injured list as a precaution. Suárez has a 4.33 ERA in 15 starts this season. Left-hander Christopher Sánchez will start in his place Tuesday night at home against the Washington Nationals.

“We want to be careful,” Thomson said. “We want to nip it now and make sure he’s OK.”