Wheeler's strong start snaps Phillies' losing streak with 6-0 win against Mariners

SEATTLE (AP) — Kyle Schwarber led off with a homer and Zack Wheeler pitched eight scoreless innings as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Seattle Mariners 6-0 on Sunday.

Bryson Stott, Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm homered as part of a five-run eighth inning to give Philadelphia breathing room. Schwarber added a double and a single for a three-hit day as the Phillies snapped a six-game losing streak.

Wheeler (11-5) allowed just two hits and struck out nine in his longest outing of the season. He only allowed one baserunner past first, when Cal Raleigh hit a double off the wall in the first inning.

“I knew today we needed a win, so I just had that mindset. And I was able to do it,” Wheeler said. “I feel like we got quicker outs today, so that obviously allowed me to go deeper into the game and that’s what we needed.”

Wheeler got the best of Seattle’s Logan Gilbert in a battle of All-Star starting pitchers. Gilbert (6-8) started out in a hole as he gave up the home run to Schwarber on the third pitch of the game, a fastball in the middle of the plate.

It was Schwarber’s 41st career leadoff homer, and his 10th of the season.

Gilbert allowed four hits and struck out seven without allowing a walk. He threw 98 pitches over the six innings, 15 of them to Nick Castellanos in the second inning, the longest at-bat in the major leagues this season. Castellanos fouled off six straight pitches before grounding out to third base.

“I felt good today for sure, but it would have been pretty sweet to finish off the series with a win and get a sweep,” Gilbert said. “Especially against that team, they’re really good. Good series getting the win, but it’s tough losing today.”

Harper singled in the fourth inning to reach 3,000 total bases in his career. Harper is the 42nd player in history and 12th left-handed hitter to reach the milestone before turning 32 years old, according to the Phillies.

Philadelphia held a tight 1-0 lead going into the eighth inning before breaking things open with a homer barrage. Stott led off the inning with his eighth homer against Mariners reliever Yimi García. With two outs, García walked Trea Turner and Seattle turned to left-hander Tayler Saucedo, who promptly gave up a two-run bomb to Harper and Bohm made it back-to-back home runs. Bohm’s 12th homer extended his on-base streak to 22 games, the longest active streak in the majors.

J.T. Realmuto capped the big eighth inning with a run-scoring single to give the Phillies a six-run lead.

“I think these guys have been frustrated and grinding, and now they see something come out of it,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “I think it’ll be a pretty happy flight going to L.A.”

Before the big eighth inning, Philadelphia caught a break in the seventh. Jorge Polanco hit a deep fly ball and center fielder Brandon Marsh lost it in the sun. On the warning track, he held his glove up and was surprised when the ball landed inside it for the out.

“I had my arms out and the baseball gods put the ball right in my glove,” Marsh said. “Better lucky than good in that moment for sure. The luck hasn’t been falling our way, hopefully that’s the turning point.”

TRAINERS ROOM

Raleigh held his leg and was looked at by a trainer after throwing to second to try and catch Marsh stealing in the eighth. He stayed in the game but Mitch Garver took his place at catcher for the ninth. Servais said Raleigh had a hamstring cramp and didn’t expect it to be an issue going forward.

UP NEXT

Phillies: RHP Aaron Nola (11-4, 3.43 ERA) will open a three-game series on Monday against Dodgers RHP Tyler Glasnow (8-6, 3.50), continuing a 10-game road trip for Philadelphia.

Mariners: RHP Luis Castillo (9-10, 3.43) opens a three-game home series against Detroit on Tuesday.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

CORRECTS TO KYLE SCHWARBER NOT JEFF HOFFMAN - Philadelphia Phillies' Kyle Schwarber celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a home run off Seattle Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert during the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Liv Lyons)

Philadelphia Phillies' Jeff Hoffman runs the bases after hitting a home run off of a pitch from Seattle Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert during the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Liv Lyons)

Seattle Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert winds up to throw during the first inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Liv Lyons)

Philadelphia Phillies' Jeff Hoffman celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a home run off Seattle Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert during the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Liv Lyons)

Seattle Mariners' Cal Raleigh rounds second base as he is called out by a catch from Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Liv Lyons)

Philadelphia Phillies Bryce Harper slides into second base against Seattle Mariners shortstop Dylan Moore during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Liv Lyons)

Seattle Mariners' Cal Raleigh dodges a low ball from Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Liv Lyons)

Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper signals to the crowd after hitting a home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Liv Lyons)

Philadelphia Phillies' Bryson Stott rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Liv Lyons)

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are veering sharply in how they gear up for Tuesday’s presidential debate, setting up a showdown that reflects not just two separate visions for the country but two politicians who approach big moments very differently.

Harris spent the weekend cloistered in a historic hotel in downtown Pittsburgh where she focused on honing crisp two-minute answers, per the debate’s rules.

Meanwhile, Trump has publicly dismissed the value of studying for the debate. The former president is choosing instead to fill his days with campaign-related events.

Follow the AP’s Election 2024 coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.

Here’s the latest:

Vice President Kamala Harris plans a four-day campaign trip through major swing states after the Democrat’s debate Tuesday with Republican Donald Trump.

Her “New Way Forward” tour will include a new television spot, rallies, canvassing events and programs designed to target important voting groups, the campaign said Sunday, adding that the tour will culminate at the start of Hispanic Heritage Month on Sept. 15.

In a tight race against the former president, the Harris campaign sees itself as having the room to persuade voters before focusing more intently on turnout with the beginning of early voting before the Nov. 5 election. Trump has also stepped up his outreach with rallies and interviews in seemingly friendly forums.

▶ Read more about Harris’s post-debate plans

When Donald Trump and Kamala Harris meet onstage Tuesday night in Philadelphia, they’ll both know there’s little debate that Pennsylvania is critical to their chances of winning the presidency.

The most populous presidential swing state has sided with the winner of the past two elections, each time by just tens of thousands of votes. Polling this year suggests Pennsylvania will be close once more in November.

A loss in the state will make it difficult to make up the electoral votes elsewhere to win the presidency. Trump and Harris have been frequent visitors in recent days — Harris plans to return Friday — and the former president was speaking in Butler County on July 14 when he was the target of an assassination attempt.

The stakes may be especially high for Harris: No Democrat has won the White House without Pennsylvania since 1948.

▶ Read more about Pennsylvania’s role in this election

From her earliest campaigns in California to her serving as President Joe Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris has honed an aggressive but calibrated approach to debates.

She tries to blend punch lines with details that build toward a broader narrative. She might shake her head to signal her disapproval while her opponent is speaking, counting on viewers to see her reaction on a split screen.

And she has a go-to tactic to pivot debates back in her favor: saying she’s glad to answer a question as she gathers her thoughts to explain an evolving position or defend a past one.

▶ Read more about Harris’ debate style

A new Harris campaign ad airing running on Fox News on the day of the presidential debate features former Trump officials warning of what they say are the dangers of a second Donald Trump presidency.

The ad is running in Philadelphia and West Palm Beach, Florida — where Trump lives — on Tuesday.

It features clips from former Vice President Mike Pence saying he would not be endorsing Trump. Former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, National Security Advisor John Bolton, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley all warn against the Republican.

The presidential debate begins at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday on ABC.

If you ask Trump’s previous debate opponents what they’re watching for on Tuesday night — and we did — many say the same thing: Look out for the thing he says or does that Harris can’t possibly prepare for.

Trump is the ultimate wild card who's found tremendous political success by ignoring the traditional rules of politics. He will say or do whatever he thinks is best in the moment. And Harris, who has dedicated several days to debate prep, can’t make a plan for everything.

At this point, it’s hard to imagine Trump surprising anyone with new material. He has praised dictators, talked about genitalia size, suggested suspending the U.S. Constitution and said that Harris only recently “turned Black.”

Trump’s own team doesn’t know what he’ll do or say on any given day. That’s incredibly risky for Trump. But it also puts enormous pressure on Harris.

Republicans hope Trump makes immigration a defining issue of the debate.

The GOP has effectively condemned the Biden administration’s handling of illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border for much of the last four years.

Harris will be eager to remind voters that Trump helped kill a bipartisan immigration bill that would have done much to fix the problem. But overall, Harris is likely to be on the defensive when the issue comes up.

Democrats, meanwhile, want to focus on abortion.

Trump, of course, appointed three Supreme Court justices who later overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that protected a woman’s right to choose abortion. Trump has repeatedly said he was proud that Roe was defeated. But aware that such a view isn’t popular among many women, he has tried to moderate his stance on the divisive issue.

Harris won’t make that easy. Stating the obvious, as a woman, she is positioned to be a much more effective messenger on the issue than Biden was. And Trump can’t afford to lose many more female voters.

There will, of course, be an obvious gender dynamic on stage Tuesday night.

The candidates — who have never met in person before — will be expected to stay behind their podiums on Tuesday night. But Republicans are hopeful Trump will avoid any other provocations like pointing, yelling or otherwise approaching Harris in a way that might be off-putting to suburban women or other swing voters.

Harris, too, will face unique challenges related to her race and gender as voters consider whether to make her the nation’s first female president. Some voters still say they’re not comfortable with the idea. If she comes across as angry, she risks playing into racist tropes about Black women.

While the gender dynamic looms, do not underestimate the significance of their age difference, either.

Harris is almost two decades younger than the 78-year-old Trump. Age was viewed as a political advantage for Trump when he was facing the 81-year-old Biden, but the situation is now reversed against the 59-year-old Harris. If he wins, Trump would be the oldest U.S. president ever elected.

FILE - Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., participates in the vice presidential debate with Vice President Mike Pence, Oct. 7, 2020, at Kingsbury Hall on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

FILE - Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally, Aug. 17, 2024, in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

In this combination photo, Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., speaks during a debate, Oct. 7, 2020, in Salt Lake City, left, and Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks during a debate, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo)

The Latest: Harris and Trump are prepping for the debate but their strategies are vastly different

The Latest: Harris and Trump are prepping for the debate but their strategies are vastly different