It took the Phillies 23 days to go from 10 games under .500 to a winning record, and it is not a coincidence that it all began with Zack Wheeler’s return. The Phillies are 16-5 since Wheeler, the highest-paid pitcher in the sport by annual salary, made his season debut on April 25 and immediately became a steady presence every fifth day.He might not be the biggest star on the Phillies, but there he was Sunday with a fastball sitting 96 mph as he outdueled Paul Skenes. For three weeks, the Phillies have reminded everyone that when their stars are being stars, this team can do anything.Kyle Schwarber has a 1.164 OPS since April 25. That’s second in the majors. Bryce Harper’s 1.030 OPS is seventh in the majors during that span. Brandon Marsh is 41st with an .858 OPS. The rest of the Phillies have produced a .600 OPS since April 25.Wheeler and Cristopher Sánchez have combined for a 1.30 ERA in 62 2/3 innings since April 25. They are second and fourth in innings among all pitchers during that stretch. Sánchez has not allowed a run in 29 2/3 consecutive innings, the 10th-longest streak by a Phillies pitcher since at least 1900.A top-heavy Phillies roster hasn’t been enough to win in October. But they have always had a shot at October because of the star power on their roster. When this whole operation teetered in April, the onus was on the stars to prevent the Phillies from enduring an irrelevant summer.Consider it done. There is work to do, of course; a 24-23 record and an 82-win pace through 47 games would have qualified as a disappointment in March. But the way they’ve looked the last three weeks provides some optimism.Especially when it comes to Wheeler. He has a 1.99 ERA through his first five starts after surgery to remove a rib and correct thoracic outlet syndrome. It is beyond everyone’s expectations. Wheeler’s fastball averaged 96.3 mph Sunday during seven scoreless innings in a 6-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. That was better than 15 of his 24 starts in 2025. He is back to his prior self.And, now, so are the Phillies.A smattering of other things I think I think after a 5-1 road trip to Boston and Pittsburgh …Kyle Schwarber leads the majors with 20 home runs. (Paul Rutherford / Getty Images)1. I think it’s past time to place Schwarber in a special tier: He is one of the greatest sluggers in 144 years of Phillies baseball. Schwarber, during his latest barrage, passed Dick Allen for 10th place all-time in Phillies home runs. He could be in sixth place by the end of this season.