The Philadelphia Phillies won their ninth straight game with a 4-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday.
The win means the Phils are now 8-0 under interim manager Rob Thomson and as such haven't lost since parting ways with Thomson's predecessor, Joe Girardi. Saturday's win also pushes the Phillies above the .500 mark for the first time since April 12. Thomson became the first MLB manager to win the first eight games of his tenure since Joe Morgan of the Red Sox in 1988 and the first Phillies manager to do so since Pat Moran did the same in 1915.
As Alex Coffey writes, outfielder Mickey Moniak credits Thomson's open style of communication. "It started once Topper got here," Moniak said. "And that's a big thing for us. Not to knock Joe for not doing it. It's all stylistic, everyone is different."
This is the Phillies' longest win streak since they won nine in a row from July 29 through Aug. 6, 2011. That year was the last time the Phillies made the postseason.
Against Arizona, right-hander Zack Wheeler turned in a dominant outing. In six shutout innings, he allowed two hits and struck out six against zero walks. With the effort, Wheeler lowered his ERA to 2.84 for the season. On offense, the Phillies' 2-3-4 hitters -- Rhys Hoskins, Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos -- combined for six hits and eight total bases.
If the Phillies are able to win the series finale on Sunday, then they'll secure a 10-game win streak for the first time since 1984. The Phillies are now in third place and 8 1/2 games behind the first-place New York Mets in the NL East.
