Wheeler (5-4) took the loss, allowing nine runs (five earned) on 10 hits and one walk while striking out six over 4.2 innings in the first game of a doubleheader Tuesday against the Yankees.
Wheeler, who lost his first game since May 16, was staked to a 4-1 lead in the top of the third inning but gave one back in the bottom of the third and then ran into big trouble in the fourth as Gio Urshela hit a two-run homer and Luke Voit added a three-run blast to give the Yankees a 7-4 lead. The 29-year-old came out for the fifth but permitted two more runs and was removed after 94 pitches. Wheeler has a 4.87 ERA and 1.29 WHIP, and he'll look to rebound Sunday at home against the Cardinals.