Phillies drop out of playoffs, lose series in St. Louis

With Zack Wheeler on the mound, the Philadelphia Phillies were favorites to take an afternoon game against the St. Louis Cardinals.

A gusty win on Monday led to a slight defeat on Tuesday night, setting the stage for Wednesday afternoon's matchup between the two clubs.

With the starting pitching advantage in their favor, the Phillies took the field with the chance to head out to Iowa on a winning note.

Instead, disaster struck, and the Phillies exited Busch Stadium wondering whether or not the playoffs have slipped from their grasp.

After allowing an unearned run to score in the second inning, Wheeler settled in for the next handful of frames. However, with two outs in the fifth, the veteran could not escape a two-out rally.

With a runner at first, Wheeler allowed four straight hits, including a pair of doubles to the heart of the Cardinals' order. All with two outs, the Cardinals plated four additional runs in the frame, ending Wheeler's afternoon early.

In his last seven starts, the Phillies' ace has accumulated a 4.08 earned run average, with a 2-3 record in that span. His season ERA bloomed to 2.89 thanks to the Cardinals' offense.

In the top of the fourth inning, the Phillies got on the score board for the first time since Monday evening.

After getting shut out in Tuesday's 2-0 loss, the Phillies went scoreless in the first three innings of Wednesday afternoon's loss.

A two-out double from Bryce Harper put a runner in scoring position for Luis Arraez. Arraez had been in one of the longest hitless streaks of the season. Driving in Harper, the Phillies tied the game at one a piece.

Philly would not cross home plate again in this matchup, struggling to find consistency in yet another ballgame. 

They head to Iowa to play in the Field of Dreams game against the Minnesota Twins on Thursday evening before having off on Friday night.