Zack Wheeler Must Brave the Struggle, Phillies Injury Updates
(Madeline Ressler/Phillies Nation)
Zack Wheeler asked Rob Thomson if he could pitch game 2 on Thursday night rather than game 1. “You can do whatever you want,” Thomson explained, “You’re Zack Wheeler.”
Thomson is right, Wheeler can do what he desires because he’s one of the top pitchers league-wide, if not the best in the National League.
Yet, every pitcher has a bad start here or there. Tarik Skubal, ace of the Detroit Tigers, gave up five runs to the worst-off Red Sox two weeks ago, which is why there’s no cause for concern regarding Wheeler’s final line from last night’s start.
It happens.
The right-handed ace has had plenty of success this year. He’s posted an ERA of 2.96 and a WHIP of 0.92 — both well below the league mark.
His only unsuccessful starts? Against the Braves. This season, Wheeler has a 9.28 ERA in his two starts against Atlanta. In his other starts, he has a 1.93 ERA, which would rank in the top five across the league.
Wheeler is looking to add Cy Young hardware to his mantle, and this year might be his best chance. In 2021, Wheeler led the league in complete games, shutouts, innings pitched, and was second in strikeouts. He barely trailed in ERA but lost the Cy Young award to Corbin Burnes. Last year was more of the same as he lost the Cy Young to Chris Sale, who posted a similar season to Wheeler.
As of Thursday night, the Phillies ace leads the league in strikeouts and innings pitched. His ERA is inflated from Thursday’s outing, which now ranks 26th in the league.
Don’t fret, though; his dashboard numbers will climb back to the top.
Wheeler’s advanced metrics are phenomenal; his expected ERA ranks in the 98th percentile, as does his pitching run value. There aren’t many pitchers, if any, in the National League that are better than #45 in red pinstripes.
The Phillies have an all-time great rotation, and it’s punctuated by one of the best pitchers in the 2020s, Wheeler.
He’s just letting the Braves get their hits in the regular season, rather than when it really matters.
Injury Updates
Bryce Harper exited Tuesday’s game after being hit in the elbow by a 95 mph Spencer Strider fastball. It was the same elbow he had surgery on after the 2022 postseason. He had X-rays done after his removal, and they came back negative. It was determined to be an elbow contusion.
Due to Wednesday’s game being postponed, Harper had another day to rest his elbow. Before yesterday’s doubleheader, Thomson told media members that Harper would not be available for game one as a pinch hitter but could be in the lineup for game two.
He was not in the lineup in game two, in which the Phillies lost in terrible fashion.
In between games, Thomson told media members that Harper “was feeling better.” He will remain day-to-day as the club monitors his condition. With Milwaukee coming to town this weekend, Harper may want to get in the lineup to see his former teammate, Rhys Hoskins, at first base.
Aaron Nola was placed on the IL for an ankle injury directly after his nine-run outing versus St. Louis. It was expected he would return on time, but it seems to have been delayed.
As he was progressing in his recovery, he tweaked his back and has had trouble jogging on his sprained ankle.
Nola threw a bullpen in between the doubleheader on Thursday, but no updates have been provided beyond that. It’s expected he will need a rehab start with Lehigh Valley before he toes the slab at Citizens Bank Park.
The Phillies have won 9 of their last 10 series and currently sit atop the National League with a 36-20 record — a 104-win pace.
It may not have been a pretty Thursday night for the ball club and Wheeler, but they handled their business against an NL East foe in the first two games.
They will host Hoskins and the 29-28 Brewers for a three-game series this weekend.
Sean Regenye
Sean Regenye is a sophomore broadcast journalism major at Penn State University. He is a die-hard Philly sports fan and loves baseball, especially the Phillies.
