The Phillies got hammered 15-1 by the Royals on Monday. Cy Young contender Cristopher Sanchez got lit up for nine runs on 12 hits. It was ugly. So on Tuesday night in Cincinnati, Philadelphia needed someone to stabilize the ship. Zack Wheeler did more than that. He almost sank it.
Wheeler took the mound at Great American Ball Park and delivered seven innings of near-dominant work. He gave up a solo homer to Eugenio Suarez, sure. Four hits total. No walks. And he punched out 14 Reds hitters, tying his own career best. That’s 24 strikeouts across his last two starts. Not bad for a guy who had thoracic outlet decompression surgery last September.
The right-hander lowered his ERA to a slick 2.28 after this one. He’s got 98 strikeouts through 87 innings this season. He won’t be at the All-Star Game representing the host Phillies — that honor went elsewhere — but his numbers say he belongs there.
How Wheeler Bounced Back
His last start against the Pirates was uneven. Not terrible, but not this. Tuesday night was a different animal. He had the Reds swinging at air, working fast, throwing strikes, and never really letting them breathe after the Suarez homer. The Phillies won 4-1, and it felt more lopsided than the score shows.
Wheeler is 34 now. He’s been through the surgery, the rehab, the questions about whether he’d come back the same guy. So far, the answer is yes. Maybe better. His fastball still has life. His slider is a weapon. And he’s throwing with the kind of confidence that comes from knowing you’ve already beat the hardest part.
Sanchez has been the rotation’s ace for a year and a half. Kyle Schwarber is having another MVP-caliber year. Bryce Harper looks like his old self. Jhoan Duran has a sub-1.50 ERA. Brandon Marsh is playing the best baseball of his career. But Wheeler is still the guy this team trusts when they need a stop.
He couldn’t help the Phillies last October against the Dodgers, who went on to win the World Series. He watched Game 4 slip away from the dugout and remembers the look on his teammates’ faces. That’s stuck with him. This season, he’s pitching like a man with something to prove.
Opposing hitters might want to say a prayer before facing him. He’s not slowing down.
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