The end to Mercado's first start was especially impressive. He retired the final seven hitters he faced and needed only 21 pitches total to get through the fourth and fifth innings before handing the ball to the bullpen, which retired nine in a row before Jose Ruiz allowed all three batters he faced in the ninth inning to score.

It helped that the Phillies supported him early. Garrett Stubbs, who prides himself on the game-planning and strategic element of catching, navigated Mercado through the start and further helped him with a two-run double down the third-base line in the second inning.

Trea Turner hit a solo home run to left-center in the top of the third, then brutalized a middle-in 94 mph fastball from Hayden Wesneski in the fifth, hitting it 439 feet out of the stadium onto Waveland Ave for a two-run shot. Two innings later, Turner fell behind in the count 1-2 before stroking a two-out, opposite-field RBI single.

Turner had the game-winning two-run single on Sunday and will be even more crucial than usual over the next week to 10 days as the Phillies await the returns of Bryce Harper (hamstring strain), Kyle Schwarber (groin strain) and J.T. Realmuto (right meniscus surgery recovery). All three injured Phillies are making progress. They each jogged on the field Tuesday, Realmuto did receiving drills and took batting practice on the field for the first time since his June 12 surgery, and Harper and Schwarber hit in the cage indoors.

Harper and Schwarber could be back as soon as July 9. Realmuto's return might have to wait until after the All-Star break, though Thomson hasn't closed the door.

"We'll see," the Phillies' manager said Tuesday afternoon. "He's a quick healer."

The Phillies have gone 11-9 without Realmuto and are 3-1 since Harper and Schwarber went down. They've gotten big contributions from Turner and Nick Castellanos, and also from Stubbs.

Stubbs treats his offense like "icing on the cake" but he's held his own at the dish since Realmuto's surgery, batting .275 with a hit in 10 of the 11 games he's played.

The next-man-up mentality for the 2024 Phillies has been more than just lip service.

They're 56-29, a season-best 27 games over .500. The Braves lost to the Giants so the Phillies' division lead is back up to nine games. The teams meet this weekend for the first time since the first three games of the year.

But first, they'll look to take at least two of three from a Cubs team that has lost six of seven series and 16 of the last 24 games. Zack Wheeler takes the hill Wednesday night and Cristopher Sanchez will start the afternoon of July 4.