Zack Wheeler turned in seven innings and fanned seven batters on Friday night for the Mets. However, the glaring blemish lied in the runs column.
Engaged in a pitcher’s duel through the first five innings, Wheeler and Dodgers’ starter Alex Wood matched each other pitch for pitch until Cody Bellinger socked a no-doubt grand slam into the Coca Cola Corner which would prove to be the game’s difference maker.
“I had [Bellinger] 0-2, just where I wanted him and I was just trying to bury it in there underneath his hands,” Wheeler said. “It just tailed back over and basically set it on a tee for him. He made me pay for it.”
The right-hander threw 114 pitches, a season high and the most he has thrown in a game since pre-Tommy John Surgery. With such a minuscule margin for error, however, the grand slam would prove to be the nail in the coffin for New York.
In that inning, Wheeler walked two batters and allowed a bloop hit to Matt Kemp before Bellinger unloaded his 13th big fly of the campaign.
“Except for one leak-back 0-2 fastball, he threw the ball great,” manager Mickey Callaway said. “He had some pitches left and went out there and went seven for us and kept us in the game. Can’t ask for anything more from a starter than that.”
Jose Bautista cut the lead in half in the bottom half of the frame with his first home run as a Met, but it wouldn’t be enough of a spark for New York to leapfrog LA in the runs category. The rest of the Mets offense stranded seven runners.
After three wins in a row several days ago, the Mets finished off their west coast trip losing the last three games to the Rockies. Upon returning home and losing to the Dodgers, New York has now lost four straight and is 1-11 in its last 12 home games.
“I wish we were playing better for our home fans and giving them more wins,” Callaway said. “They deserve more wins. We need to win more games at home for them.”
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With the Mets continuing to slip, the team looks more and more like they will be sellers at the deadline. If that happens, Wheeler will likely be a sought after commodity for teams.
Despite a 4.85 season ERA, Wheeler has shown flashes of potential and dominance. For instance, his velocity has increased and he has also tossed seven games this year where he has struck out seven batters or more.
The next month should be interesting for the 28-year-old, who will likely have his name tossed around a lot in trade rumors.
