Looking for spark, A's face tall task vs. Zack Wheeler, Phillies

The Athletics had no answers for Cristopher Sanchez in their series opener with the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.

However, things don't get any easier for the A's on Wednesday as they face Zack Wheeler in the middle contest of their three-game set in Philadelphia.

Sanchez, the runner-up for the 2025 National League Cy Young Award, was in vintage form in the Phillies' 9-1 victory on Tuesday. He struck out 10 batters over eight scoreless innings, allowing just three singles and a walk.

"Starting pitching has been really, really good lately," said Bryce Harper, who supplied two home runs to highlight the Phillies' offense. "When you have starting pitching like that, it's pretty easy to go out there as an offense and try to get some runs on the board and know that you don't have to score (a lot) to win a game."

The A's have lost three of their past four games, but they don't have any time to dwell on their recent performances. In fact, they must prepare for another challenge, this time against the right-handed Wheeler (1-0, 2.45 ERA), the 2024 NL Cy Young runner-up.

Wheeler is working his way back from a blood clot in his shoulder -- a scary situation that ended his 2025 season prematurely. He has made two starts since returning, allowing three runs on six hits in 11 innings.

Wheeler earned his first win Friday in Miami, holding the Marlins to one run and three hits over six innings. Now he'll try to piggy-back on Sanchez's splendid outing.

"We're a really good staff, and we've got to pitch like it," Wheeler said after his most recent start. "They pay us for a reason. We're, I want to say, the core in a sense. So it starts with us putting up zeros and kind of making that statement when we go out there. So, yeah, it's on us for the most part."

Wheeler is 3-1 with a 4.62 ERA in his five career appearances against the A's, although he has held them scoreless in each of the past two matchups.

The A's will counter with left-hander Jeffrey Springs (3-2, 3.96), who left his most recent start after only three innings against the Kansas City Royals last Thursday due to hip soreness. The team called the move precautionary.

"You have a guy that you don't necessarily want to protect, but not risk injury (for)," A's manager Mark Kotsay said. "He was probably willing to go back out and I made the decision for him. He was done at that point."

Through his first four starts this season, Springs' ERA was 1.46. In his past three outings, it is 8.36. He'll look to bounce back against a Philadelphia team that he has pitched against three times (one start) with a 4.50 ERA but no decisions.

A's first baseman Nick Kurtz has reached base in 29 straight games. He extended the streak Tuesday in the ninth inning against Phillies closer Jhoan Duran, who was taking the mound for the first time since missing nearly a month with an oblique injury.

Aside from the ninth-inning run against Duran, it was a quiet evening for the visitors, who managed only four singles in the lopsided defeat.

"Tough night for our hitters to battle," Kotsay said. "We still had a chance to get to (Sanchez), but we just couldn't get that big hit."

--Field Level Media