In another game that pitted the Mets against an offensive powerhouse in the Chicago Cubs, Zack Wheeler battled, but came up empty once again despite giving his team a chance (and then some) to come out victorious.
The righty eclipsed 100 pitches for the third consecutive start — a feat he had not accomplished since his solid 2014 campaign — soldiering through six scoreless innings before running out of steam in a no-decision. With last night’s 7-4 let down, the Mets have now lost six consecutive Wheeler starts.
Confronted with runners on the corners and one out in the first, Wheeler jammed Anthony Rizzo with a 99 mph fastball to hash out a 4-6-3 double play. The narrative played out similarly in the third inning, as Wheeler again retired Rizzo, this time with men on first and second and two outs, on a pop out to short. All in all, Wheeler’s first three innings of work commanded a lofty 56 pitches, only 33 of which came in as strikes. When all was said and done, however, the righty held his own, and his comfort began to show itself as the contest waged on.
Mixing in four and two-seam fastballs that sat 95-97 mph while brandishing a slider in the low 90’s, Wheeler made the most of his next three innings, striking out three and allowing just two singles (both by Albert Almora Jr., no less). In a showing more efficient than a single quality start tally could suggest, Wheeler essentially replicated his gritty effort from Milwaukee with an outing that, although far from perfect, should not have been wasted.
When asked about his performance, Wheeler responded, “I was able to keep them off balance, for the most part, worked inside the plate, the slider was a little better, curveball was sharper, the splitter was working… [the fastball] was coming out a little easier… I’ve just gotta limit that one inning [where runs pour in] that’s been killing me all season, but today I was sort of able to do that and stay on track.”
Staked to a brittle 2-0 lead, Wheeler was given the chance to get through his first seventh inning in nearly two months, but was ultimately knocked out by a pair of singles that came around to score in his name as Paul Sewald scuffled through two innings of relief. With a final line of seven hits, two earned runs, two walks, and four strikeouts, Wheeler has lowered his earned run average on the season to 5.14.
Over a much sharper last three starts, Wheeler has pitched to a 3.50 ERA, averaging a K/BB ratio of 4.75 (9.5 K/9 to 2 BB/9). Bear in mind that hitters have posted a .358 batting average on balls in play in this span, meaning they’ve enjoyed their fair share of luck. Despite a dodgy seventh inning, it’s hard to blame Wheeler given the way he has started to click of late.
Whether or not he’s brought the stuff to overpower hitters, Wheeler’s ability to consistently trek six innings has definitely been a step in the right direction as he strives to remain a fixture in the rotation.
