Philly Leader

Bryce Harper appeared to have just missed it. He barreled a ball in the sixth inning of Tuesday night’s 5-1 victory over the Brewers at American Family Field, sending it high into the sky toward left-center field. Harper dropped his head, seemingly thinking the ball might be caught in front of the fence. However, he hit the ball so hard and so high that it continued carrying until it eventually fell behind the wall.

This home run gave the Phillies a two-run lead, ensuring they would not waste Zack Wheeler’s latest Cy Young-caliber performance. It also reduced the Phillies' magic number to clinch the NL East to four with 11 games remaining. They can secure a postseason berth with a win on Wednesday.

Wheeler had an impressive outing on Tuesday as he improved to 16-6 with a 2.56 ERA. His fastball averaged 95.5 mph, slightly above his season average. He struck out Brewers left fielder Jackson Chourio swinging on a 97.0 mph fastball in the fourth inning, marking Wheeler’s third-hardest pitch in the fourth inning or later this season.

Wheeler is competing against Braves left-hander Chris Sale for NL Cy Young honors. While Sale is currently favored, two more strong starts from Wheeler could make things interesting.

Since July 29, when he allowed seven runs against the Yankees, Wheeler has not given up more than two runs in any start. This game marked his ninth consecutive start of six or more innings, and the Phillies have now won 34 consecutive games this season when their starter pitches seven or more innings.