Zack Wheeler pitched five innings and allowed two runs Tuesday night.

If he was some run-of-the-mill fifth starter, you’d give that performance a big kiss and take it right to the bank.

But there’s nothing run-of-the-mill about Wheeler.

Since arriving in Philadelphia before the 2020 season, he has been the best starting pitcher in Major League Baseball, his 31.8 fWAR topping Kevin Gausman’s mark of 27.1

But lately, Wheeler hasn’t lived up to his lofty track record, and that has to be a concern for a Phillies team that pins so much of its October hopes on its top three starters — Cristopher Sanchez, Jesus Luzardo and Wheeler.

For the second straight start Tuesday night, Wheeler ran into trouble with two outs in the fifth inning. He left the game down a run – with four walks on his final line – before his mates ultimately got him off the hook on their way to a 6-4 win over the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park.

“It’s been hit or miss with what I have that day and I’m kind of not used to that,” Wheeler said of his recent outings. “So, it’s a battle. I just have to put everything together. I know I’ve still got it. There’s no question about that.

“The guys picked me up tonight. We’ve had a lot of good at-bats lately. That’s what good teams do.”

Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott continued to swing hot bats. Along with Justin Crawford, they had the big hits that fueled a four-run rally as the Phillies fought back from a 3-1 deficit and took a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Stott also played brilliantly at third base, making two stellar plays in the ninth inning to help Brooks Raley get the save on a night when Jhoan Duran was unavailable after throwing 43 pitches the previous two days.

The victory was the Phillies’ fifth in a row, matching a season-high. They are back to 11 games over .500, also matching a season-best.

With 35 games remaining in the regular season, they are in control of the National League’s second wild-card playoff berth.

Things seem to be pointing in the right direction.

“For sure,” Bohm said. “We kind of stumbled out of the break a little bit. But of late, we’ve kind of corrected that, I guess. I think it’s just showing up every day. That’s always the mindset in this clubhouse. Just continue to roll with that. Show up, prepare, go do what it takes to win a game and move on to the next day.”

While the offense is clicking and the wins are following, there is some reason for unease, specifically as it relates to the indispensable Wheeler.

He has allowed five two-out runs in the fifth inning in his last two starts. He has walked 10 in his last three starts. That’s four more than he had in six starts in May. He has seen the sixth inning just once in his last five starts, though rain shortened one of those outings. His ERA over his last five starts is 6.64.

He has gone six straight starts without a win. Granted, he was knocked out by rain in one of those starts. Nonetheless, it’s his longest victory drought since 2018 when he was a New York Met.

That’s not Zack Wheeler.

Especially the walks.

“That’s the frustrating part,” he said. “That’s not characteristic of me. I’ve been walking too many the past handful of games. We’ve got to figure it all out together. It’s just a little rough stretch for me.”

Wheeler’s stuff was good Tuesday night. He made a mechanical tweak to get into his legs more and that helped his fastball. It topped out at 97.1 mph and averaged 95.5, up from its season average of 95.1. He threw a first-pitch strike to 15 of 21 hitters.

“The past couple of games, once I get into the game a little deeper, it just doesn’t work out for me,” Wheeler said. “The fastball felt as good tonight as it has in a really long time actually. But my offspeed was not good. It’s hard to pitch with one pitch.”

Wheeler gave up a solo home run to Griffin Conine on a misplaced 0-2 fastball in the second inning.

It was a 1-1 game entering the fifth. Wheeler got the first two outs then walked the next two batters before Xavier Edwards put the Marlins up, 2-1, on a base hit to left-center. Edwards was out stretching as Wheeler’s night came to an end. He threw 98 pitches, 32 in the fifth inning. Eighteen of the 32 came against the first two batters. Did that take something out of the 36-year-old right-hander?

“I wouldn’t say it took anything out of me,” he said. “Honestly, I felt fine coming out of that game, health and energy-wise. I just dug myself a hole there. I got into a lot of deep counts, especially in that last inning.”

Manager Don Mattingly seemed unconcerned with Wheeler’s recent struggles.

“His stuff seems fine,” Mattingly said. “Guys are just battling. You get to that second and third time through the order, it just gets harder and harder to get through a lineup. Especially a lineup like Miami that puts the ball in play, fouls stuff off, doesn’t make quick outs. They put pressure on you. I don’t know what to make of it. I worry more about whether this guy is giving us good starts and keeping us in games. Zack is not one of the guys I worry about. He’s been Zack Wheeler for a long time. His stuff is still good.”

Wheeler lines up to pitch again Monday night in Seattle. It’s a big start given his importance to where this team is trying to go.