Looking to improve off a decent, though not entirely dominating five-inning start last Sunday in Washington, Zack Wheeler was instead chased from today’s contest with two outs in the fifth inning. The most alarming stat of the day had to have been the seven walks issued – a career-high for the righty. However, 51 strikes on 103 pitches and seven earned runs aren’t too far behind in what would eventually translate to a 12-9 loss and Wheeler’s first decision of the year.
Wheeler’s first free pass came to Adam Eaton – the first batter of the game – on four fastballs off the outer part of the plate. He quickly turned the page with nifty grounders off the bat of Howie Kendrick and Anthony Rendon, the former leading to a 6-4-3 double play and the latter coming on just three pitches.
The first major hitch would come around in the second frame, when Wheeler again began matters with a leadoff walk – this time to Juan Soto. After Kurt Suzuki dunked a slider into shallow left-center and Wilmer Difo drew a walk of his own on five pitches, Wheeler’s lack of command began to show itself. Opposing pitcher Max Scherzer snuck a ground ball base hit into left to plate the game’s first run before Victor Robles singled on a 2-0 fastball down the plate to bring the order back around.
At that point, Wheeler again stumbled versus Eaton, falling behind 3-0 before giving up a full count double that hopped over the left field wall to give the Nationals their third and fourth runs of the day. Scherzer would score following a 111 mph sacrifice fly off the bat of Kendrick, the last dent in the first five-run inning off Wheeler since June of last season. Wheeler threw 33 total pitches in the second with just 15 strikes.
Nonetheless, manager Mickey Callaway intended to keep his liberally-used bullpen out of the picture, sticking with Wheeler for the third. All told, the righty responded relatively well, striking out Soto on a 1-2 slider before notching two weak groundouts to seal a 13-pitch third. The fourth inning was equally efficient, as Wheeler again retired the side in order. He capped things off with a strikeout of Robles on another good slider. All of a sudden, Wheeler and his 71 pitches looked capable of churning six innings out of an otherwise tough start.
A two-pitch 1-3 groundout of Eaton to begin the fifth pushed this sentiment a step further, though the momentum promptly plummeted. Wheeler walked his fourth and fifth hitters with the next two plate appearances, and despite recording a second out on a Soto flyout, he couldn’t finish it off. With the same combination of 96-97 mph fastballs that had missed earlier in the day, the righty walked Ryan Zimmerman to load the bases, before a high 3-1 fastball to Suzuki brought home the sixth Nationals run of the game. Wheeler was lifted for Tim Peterson, who brought one more runner home thanks to a wild pitch, though the damage was left at that.
Wheeler now owns a 10.24 ERA and 1.86 WHIP in his nine and two-thirds innings of work, and despite allowing just four hits, tossed just 13 first-pitch strikes to his 24 batters – a far cry from the 16 he amassed against just 22 the prior week.
Much of his struggles today can be attributed to both his lack of command and generally slower tempo. It should be known that Wheeler has never been much of an early bloomer – as his 5.40 ERA and 1.48 WHIP through the first two months of last season can confirm. Though with that in mind, the elements of his successful second half are still very much in place. Steering the rough opening in a better direction shouldn’t be too difficult for a pitcher of Wheeler’s caliber – both in terms of his potential and his experience.
