In lieu of recap: the Yellow Pages, A-K (Astros 2, Phillies 0)

No, seriously. Stop here!

I tried.

The scoreless streak stands at 17 frames and counting as, for the second night in a row, the bats of the Philadelphia Phillies (47-33) had no answers for the arms of the Houston Astros (47-33) in a 2-0 loss.

Zack Wheeler looked human for two innings, allowing one run on three hits and a walk. After slogging through 47 pitches in those innings, he needed just 53 to complete the other four, allowing only three hitters to reach base, one of which was negated by an inning-ending double play.

Wheeler would allow the first run of the game in that 26-pitch first inning via a leadoff ground rule double to Javier Peña. Three pitches later Isaac Paredes got enough contact on a sinker to send it back through the center of the infield and just out of the grasp of Trea Turner to allow Peña to score.

Astros’ starter, Colton Gordon, had himself the best start of his eight-game career. They lefty scattered four hits over five scoreless innings.

The Phils got their first runner in scoring position in the fifth inning after singles by Bryson Stott and Otto Kemp, but Gordon struck out Brandon Marsh and Turner on eight pitches to end the threat.

Jordan Romano pitched a scoreless seventh inning in relief of Wheeler but Matt Strahm got tagged in a big way on a dangerous fastball that Victor Caratini was all over.

They would get one more golden opportunity in the eighth when Marsh, Turner and Kyle Schwarber hit consecutive one-out singles to load the bases. Alec Bohm battled Astros’ setup man, Bryan King, to eight pitches but ultimately succumbed on a swing and a miss. Nick Castellanos took four straight hacks at King’s fastball but could only muster some weak contact on a grounder to shortstop that easily beat him to first base.

JT Realmuto and Stott both worked three-ball counts against Astros’ closer, Josh Hader, but he came back to retire them and Edmundo Sosa in order to end the inning.

The task for the lineup doesn’t get any easier as they will try to eschew a sweep tomorrow afternoon against righty and AL Cy Young hopeful, Hunter Brown, with Christopher Sanchez bumping.