Phillies post season-high run total in rout of Marlins

Zack Wheeler pitched six strong innings and Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber each homered and drove in three runs as the Philadelphia Phillies routed the host Miami Marlins 16-2 on Friday.

Wheeler (14-6) allowed just one run on two hits and one walk. He struck out seven and lowered his ERA to 2.59.

Turner went 3-for-5 with three runs, a walk and his 16th homer of the season. Schwarber went 2-for-5 with three runs, a walk and his 33rd homer of the year.

Philadelphia (85-56) won its sixth game in a row and maintained an eight-game lead in the National League East over both the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves.

The Phillies set season highs in hits (22), extra-base hits (10) and runs. However, they lost catcher J.T. Realmuto to a left knee contusion. He fouled a pitch off his knee in the second exit, then exited for a pinch hitter in the fourth.

Miami starting pitcher Edward Cabrera was scratched due to migraine symptoms.

In his place, right-hander Austin Kitchen, 27, made his first major league start after three relief appearances. Kitchen (0-1) gave up seven runs, six earned, on nine hits in two innings. He struck out one and walked none.

Miami (52-89) used six pitchers, including outfielder David Hensley, who allowed two runs in two innings.

Kitchen needed 30 pitches to make it through a rough first inning. The Phillies bunched together four singles and benefitted from a throwing error by first baseman Jake Burger. Bryce Harper, Bryson Stott and Realmuto and RBI singles.

The Phillies made it 7-0 in the second as Schwarber stroked an RBI single, Turner followed with a two-run homer and Realmuto later added a run-scoring single.

Miami got on the board in the fourth as Connor Norby singled, advanced on a Burger walk and scored on Otto Lopez’s double.

However, the Phillies kept coming, increasing their lead to 10-1 in the fifth as Johan Rojas and Turner stroked RBI doubles and Harper added a run-scoring single.

In the sixth, the Phillies scored four more times as Kody Clemens and Rojas hit RBI doubles before Schwarber slugged a two-run homer.

Philadelphia concluded its barrage of runs in the ninth as Stott and Garrett Stubbs lofted sacrifice flies.