Phillies takeaways: Zack Wheeler's off day, Otto Kemp powers up, trade deadline nears

New York Times

5 hours ago

NEW YORK — Zack Wheeler's 1-0 cutter to Cody Bellinger bounced through the dirt in front of the hitter's feet. The next pitch, a fastball, fell just below the center of the zone in the third inning Sunday at Yankee Stadium.
Bellinger drove the ball to right field, where Nick Castellanos did not get a good read on the ball and missed it while sliding. It became a triple.
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Perhaps the damage could have been limited if Castellanos had fielded it differently. But a ball in the dirt, then an extra-base hit? It was that kind of day for Wheeler, who was not as sharp as usual. He hit three batters, including two back-to-back in the second, and gave up four runs that inning.
Wheeler battled to strike out eight over 5 2/3 innings, but the Phillies never overcame the deficit, losing 4-3 to the New York Yankees, who avoided a series sweep.
'He was yanking a lot of pitches — three hit batsmen, less than 60 percent strike-throwing percentage,' Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. 'That's a little bit off.'
Wheeler called the game a grind, saying he hasn't been at his best in both of his starts since the All-Star break. That's relative for Wheeler, who in his previous start allowed two runs and seven hits and hit a batter while striking out 10 and earning a win over the Red Sox. It was good pitching, but not the high-level execution that Wheeler delivered for most of the first half.
In four career starts and 20 2/3 innings at Yankee Stadium, Wheeler has 16 earned runs, 28 allowed hits, three hit-by-pitches (all on Sunday) and 11 walks. Those outings have occurred over an 11-year span. Is there anything about the ballpark?
'No,' Wheeler said.
He felt good in the bullpen before the game. It did not carry over to his pitching. Sometimes it's like that, he said.
'Just need to sit down with (pitching coach) Caleb (Cotham) and just see what's going on,' Wheeler said. 'I don't think it's anything crazy.'
It was the type of jump that's more likely to be seen beneath a basketball hoop or along the sidelines at a football game.
But catcher J.T. Realmuto brought a sky-high jump to home plate at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, seemingly levitating as he caught a throw from center fielder Johan Rojas and tagged out Bellinger at the plate while mid-air. He saved a run on the play, which ended the third. It was like no jump Thomson had seen a catcher make before.
'That was two athletes right there making a really good play,' Thomson said of Realmuto and Rojas.
Unreal!! pic.twitter.com/xMYc2Ic1P4
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 27, 2025
It seemed to be the weekend of Realmuto. Really, the summer of Realmuto. The 34-year-old catcher has broken out after batting .205 across 22 games in May. He entered Sunday's game slashing .336/.369/.450 with an .819 OPS since June 1. And that says nothing of his defense, which remains among the best in the league.
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Realmuto went 1-for-4 on Sunday, sending a single to right field in the sixth. He went 2-for-4 on Saturday and 2-for-5 on Friday. He has two home runs since Wednesday, against the Red Sox, when he hit his first homer since May 21.
'When I get on time and take my 'A' swing and catch the ball out front a little more often, that's when I do a little more damage,' Realmuto said Friday. 'I'm still more of a line-drive, focused-on-right-field hitter, but I'll catch those mistakes out front.'
An impending free agent, Realmuto could field strong offers this winter should he continue his surge.
Otto Kemp swung four times in his first two at-bats on Sunday. The third and fourth swings became home runs — his third and fourth homers since his MLB debut on June 7.
'It's one of these parks that, I mean, it's pretty iconic,' Kemp said. 'So, to get to start here, and hit two out today — it's pretty sweet. It's a dream, man. It's what you play for: to compete in places like this.'
Undrafted three years ago out of Point Loma Nazarene University, Kemp continues to see his dream unfold in wild ways — whether it's his first multi-homer game at Yankee Stadium or bunting for the first time in professional baseball in his Citizens Bank Park debut.
Kemp has bounced from position to position since his major-league debut. He started at third, then moved to first four games later while Bryce Harper was on the injured list, then to the left-field platoon when Harper came back and now back to third with Alec Bohm on the IL. The Phillies like his bat, so they will work him in where they can.
The return to third was rough initially, including an error in his second game back. But, on Sunday, he had perhaps his best play at third yet: a diving catch to snag a Bellinger line drive.
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Kemp said he's worked with infield coach Bobby Dickerson to slow the game down a bit, feeling how much faster things can be than in the minor leagues. Dickerson has helped Kemp 'focus on just catching the ball,' he said.
He's getting better all the time, Thomson said: 'All he needs is reps.'
As for the trade market: The Phillies are still likely to emphasize bullpen help. That market has yet to heat up, though on Friday the New York Mets traded for Gregory Soto — a reliever the Phillies sent to the Orioles at the deadline in 2024.
It is a group a lot of contenders are focused on. It is the same for right-handed bats, which the Phillies may also seek.
After Thursday's 6 p.m. trade deadline, the divisional race will truly heat up. The Phillies entered Sunday with slightly better odds to win the NL East than the Mets (51.3 percent to 48.7), according to FanGraphs. They left New York one game behind the Mets, who were playing Sunday night. The clubs' respective deadline moves will be key to the race, and so will any injuries.
A month from now, the Phillies will be back in New York to face the Mets in their penultimate series of the regular season. Both teams are in the market for bullpen help and perhaps an outfielder. Their lineups will probably look different in a month. But to what degree is uncertain, and it will likely prove consequential as the second half heats up in a competitive National League.
(Top photo of Zack Wheeler: Ishika Samant / Getty Images)