Updated by Joe D,
You can put it in the books. Sandy Alderson strongly hinted today that Zack Wheeler will make his Mets and MLB debut on June 18 in Atlanta.
“You could speculate and be fairly comfortable that you will see him pitch on that day.”
The Mets have doubleheader that day and it could very well be a Harvey and Wheeler pairing for the Mets.
Zoom, zoom..
Original Post
Well, he definitely wasn’t helped by the home plate umpire tonight, but a tough fifth inning ruined what was shaping up to be an effective start from Zack Wheeler. This was supposed to be Wheeler’s last AAA tune-up before his potential MLB call-up on Monday, and for a while, things looked excellent. Despite what I thought was a terrible strike zone from the ump, Wheeler cruised through his first four innings on the mound — allowing just one earned run off four hits and no walks. He struck out six over that span and was very impressive.
The fifth inning, however, brought a world of trouble for the young righthahder. A lead-off walk, his first of the game, followed by a base knock by Carlos Triunfel put runners on the corners with none out. He would go on to allow three more hits and earned runs in the inning, including an RBI double to Dustin Ackley. He was removed after 105 pitches, 65 of them strikes, in favor of Sean Henn who got him out of the inning without further damage.
His final line was 4.2 IP, 8 H, 1 BB, 4 ER, 7 K.
Something worth noting is the long break Wheeler had between the fourth and fifth innings, because the 51s dropped a five spot in the inning after scoring three runs the inning before. He really did look like a different pitcher in the fifth inning compared to the rest of the game, and the Mets are very confident in his readiness, so I will give him the benefit of the doubt.
