Phillies remain MLB's hottest team with dominant Zack Wheeler performance

The Phillies made quick work of the Giants in a 6-1 victory on Monday, sweeping the four-game series. 

Starting pitcher Zack Wheeler was sharp, going seven innings and striking out 11 San Francisco batters. Per Stathead, it's his 11th career game with at least 11 strikeouts and his first since July 28, 2023.

Philadelphia has now won six in a row, the league's longest streak. Since an 8-8 start through their first 16 games, the Phillies have gone 17-3 over their last 20. According to data from FanGraphs, entering Monday, Phillies pitchers have a 2.93 earned run average since April 15, the sixth-best mark in the league.

They also rank third in team batting average (.272), with an MLB-leading 114 runs and NL-leading 26 home runs.

Wheeler has played a pivotal role in the team's early season turnaround. Over his last four starts, he has a microscope 0.36 ERA, allowing one earned run in 25.1 innings while striking out 33 batters and issuing eight walks.

His ERA for the season has now dipped to an NL-best 1.64. Per NBC Philly's John Clark, that's the lowest ERA for a Phillies pitcher through his first eight starts since Hall of Famer Roy Halladay (1.59) in 2010. 

Halladay received his second Cy Young Award later that year.