The Philadelphia Phillies may have themselves a minor Zack Wheeler problem.
When you hear 'Wheeler' and 'something no Phillie has done before' in the same sentence, it is usually something fans will celebrate. On the back of a 9-2 lashing at the hands of the Seattle Mariners that ended the club's nine-game win streak, this one will go down in infamy.
According to Paul Casella of MLB.com, Wheeler became the first Phillies pitcher in the Modern Era (since 1900) to allow at least four home runs and at least five walks in the same outing. His four home runs surrendered tie a career high (May 29, 2026 vs. Dodgers; June 16, 2024 vs. Orioles). The five walks are the bigger concern.
Wheeler has now walked five men twice in his last four starts. He had not walked that many in a game since April 7, 2019, when he walked seven as a member of the Mets. Known for his pinpoint control, Wheeler has now walked 15 batters across those last four starts - something he has not done since 2014.
“To be totally honest with you, I feel perfectly fine,” Wheeler told reporters in Seattle after the game. “Healthy, strong...everything's there. I don't know. Just got to zone it back in and figure it out.”
The veteran's night was finished after surrendering a season-high eight runs on nine hits, which tied a season high in its own right. Wheeler was challenged to go back out for the fifth inning despite already throwing 94 pitches and allowing six runs. He failed to record an out, allowing his final two home runs before being lifted by interim manager Don Mattingly.
The Phillies manager told reporters that Wheeler wanted to go back out, and he sort of wanted to see him go back out there and get the team another inning, but he did not plan to let him go long. It did not go according to plan.
Mattingly referred to the outing as "uncharacteristic," specifically regarding his pitcher's command. His velocity does not appear diminished in any way, but Wheeler did mention after his last start that the fastball felt great, but his off-speed pitches were the ones giving him problems. The same held true last night.
Wheeler threw 103 pitches total, 45 of which were from his off-speed arsenal (Sweeper, Curve, Splitter). 19 of those 45 were called balls, which is good for 42.2 percent. Nearly half. On the flip side, only 26.2 percent of his fastballs were not strikes. Three of the four home runs against him also came on his off-speed pitches.
J.T. Realmuto was catching Wheeler last night, and he told reporters that he has "all the faith in the world" that he will come out of this stretch fine. Both he and Wheeler indicated that they plan on working on a lot of things, but they will begin digging into video today to see if the team's former ace might be tipping his pitches. The battery mates felt the Mariners took strong swings on the off-speed all night.
Right now, Wheeler is stuck in the thick of it. Over his last six starts, he has an 8.51 ERA with 16 walks and 8 home runs allowed. He has failed to reach the sixth inning in any of those outings.
Wheeler's next start is scheduled for Sunday in Anaheim against the Angels. With about six starts remaining before the postseason, the Phillies battery and their pitching staff need to get to the bottom of what is ailing him fast. After losing Wheeler for the stretch run and playoffs last season, they cannot afford to bring this version with them if they hope to make a run at the World Series.
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