Phillies ace Zack Wheeler came up big when his team needed it the most

The Philadelphia Phillies are among the National League's best. Not much had been going right for them for three weeks now. Fans were getting frantic over whether we've already seen the best of this team this year and confidence in this team's ability was starting to be questioned.

On Sunday, Zack Wheeler was also looking to bounce back after a rough seven-run outing against the New York Yankees. He certainly delivered.

Phillies ace Zack Wheeler came up big when his team needed it the most

Zack Wheeler shined against the Seattle Mariners in a game that might have left the team devastated after possibly getting swept in back-to-back series. Wheeler threw eight shutout innings giving up only two hits and one walk while punching out nine. Wheeler threw 96 pitches and was able to hit 68 for strikes. The Phillies went on to win 6-0.

Wheeler put the team and their season on his back with the Phillies reeling after six straight losses in different heartbreaking fashions over the last week. The bullpen had been stretched extremely thin, and the offense couldn't seem to get going. With few things going right lately, Wheeler was able to silence the opposition and allow the team to settle back down, with possibly a little help from the baseball gods, per Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Wheeler, on the year, is now 11-5 with a 2.77 ERA. He has 148 strikeouts and 41 walks through 136 2/3 innings.

Wheeler has pitched in more than a handful of meaningful games for the Phillies since joining the club in 2020. He has earned the ace status of the club and established himself as a top Cy Young contender every year. His dominance also earned him a contract extension during spring training.

With the win on top of the Braves and Mets losing on Sunday, the Phillies were able to regain an additional game for the division lead. The task won't get any easier as they start a three-game series Monday in Los Angeles, taking on the Dodgers before traveling to Arizona to battle the Diamondbacks for four games.

Here is how the NL East standings look after Sunday's action:

The schedule has been a factor in the Phillies' rough second half of the year, but momentum-building wins can help any club play beyond what the odds say. Maybe this outing will help jump-start the team again and help them play winning baseball for the rest of the West Coast trip.