Phillies turn to Zack Wheeler for Game 2 vs. Rangers

Zack Wheeler’s first real start since the night he was throwing ‘lightning bolts’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The last time Zack Wheeler started a game in Texas, he had “lightning bolts coming out of his hands,” in the words of J.T. Realmuto.

It was Game 6 of the World Series in Houston. Wheeler, after experiencing arm fatigue earlier in the playoffs, was at his sharpest. He set down 15 of the first 17 Astros he faced in dominant fashion. He put runners on the corners with one out in the sixth inning and the Phillies up by a run, trailing the series 3-2. He was pulled for Jose Alvarado, who gave up a three-run home run to Yordan Alvarez on the fourth pitch he threw, the final big blow Houston needed.

It was tough to swallow for the Phillies and particularly for Wheeler, who said he was caught off guard by being pulled when he was.

This is his first start since that actually counts. Wheeler faces the Rangers at 4:05 p.m. in the Phillies’ second game of the season. They lost, 11-7, on opening day after jumping out to a 5-0 lead.

Wheeler’s first fastball in a spring training game last month was 97 mph, a good sign about the health of his arm. He hasn’t been shy about criticizing the pitch timer and the outsized role it plays in games, so that’s something to monitor as the 2023 season progresses.

It is already Year 4 of the five-year, $118 million contract Wheeler signed with the Phillies prior to the 2020 season. He’s been a true workhorse since, going 30-19 with a 2.82 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 69 starts covering 437 1/3 innings. The only pitcher in baseball with a lower ERA in as many innings as Wheeler over that span is Sandy Alcantara (2.74).

Wheeler has turned out to be somewhat of a steal. His contract averages $23.6 million per year. Consider the contract Carlos Rodon signed over the offseason with the Yankees — six years, $162 million. One additional year and $44 million more. The Yankees or any team signing the next big free-agent pitcher to a huge contract would be ecstatic to receive the level of production the Phillies have from Wheeler.

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It’s been one of the better signings in Phillies history. Wheeler had shown top-of-the-rotation promise at times in four different seasons with the Mets but didn’t put it all together until he got to Philadelphia.

Here is the Phillies’ lineup for Game 2 against the Rangers and right-hander Nate Eovaldi:

1. Trea Turner, SS

2. Kyle Schwarber, LF

3. J.T. Realmuto, C

4. Darick Hall, 1B

5. Nick Castellanos, DH

6. Bryson Stott, 2B

7. Alec Bohm, 3B

8. Jake Cave, RF

9. Brandon Marsh, CF