Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler had his worst start of the season during Wednesday's win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. In what was supposed to be a pitcher's duel between Wheeler and Pirates ace Paul Skenes, both struggled.
Wheeler allowed nine hits and four runs, although he did collect 10 strikeouts. However, the damage could have been less. With two outs in the top of the fifth inning, interim manager Don Mattingly decided to remove Wheeler from the game and bring in Kyle Backhus.
Backhus subsequently hit two Pirates batters and allowed one of the runners he inherited from Wheeler to score.
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After the game, Wheeler was visibly upset with how his outing went when speaking with reporters. It ended a 53-start streak of completing at least five innings of work dating back to 2024.
Wheeler said he was upset he was taken out and that he feels he earned the right to try to finish the fifth inning, despite having thrown 104 pitches.
Mattingly did not take exception to Wheeler's comments but shared the reasoning behind the decision. He revealed that he did it for Wheeler's health and because keeping his contributors available and at their best is the priority.
"My job is to make sure that this guy stays available through the course of the season, and we got a long way to go," Mattingly said (h/t Ty Daubert of Phillies Nation).
It makes sense why. Wheeler is in the midst of an incredible comeback season after fully recovering from thoracic outlet syndrome.
Across 13 starts, he is 8-1 with a 2.36 ERA along with 84 strikeouts in 80 innings of work. While the rest of the rotation has struggled around him, Wheeler has shined and is well on his way toward his fourth career All-Star Game this summer.
Mattingly understands the Phillies have bigger goals and was not going to push Wheeler's pitch count even if it upset him.
