PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 03: Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Kyle Schwarber (12) celebrates with teammate Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins (17) after hitting a home run during the Major League Baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Angels on June 3, 2022 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)
Phillies starter being punished the most for team’s characteristic slow start
Zack Wheeler has done everything he can to help the Phillies early on, but his team has left him high and dry.
A week of Philadelphia Phillies baseball is in the books. It’s amazing how quickly the excitement and anticipation that build all offseason, reaching a crescendo before Opening Day, can deflate after one less-than-ideal week.
Seven games into the 2024 season, the Phillies, with all the talk of getting off to a fast start, have stumbled to a 3-4 record.
It’s not for lack of starting pitching, especially from staff ace Zack Wheeler. In two very different starts, the right-hander has looked in midseason form, allowing just one earned run on eight hits across 12 innings. He has registered 15 strikeouts, 10 of which came in a tough loss in brutal conditions against the Cincinnati Reds.
Sure, we’re still in small-sample-size territory, but Wheeler has done everything in his power to help the Phillies earn early-season wins. While his Opening Day loss to the Atlanta Braves fell squarely on the bullpen’s mind-boggling three-inning implosion, the lack of offense is the main culprit. The Phillies have been outscored 13-4 in his two starts.
Despite being the most victimized by the inconsistent early season play, Wheeler, the veteran he is, has taken the approach you’d expect to the disappointing start.
It is what it is,” Wheeler said after Wednesday’s 4-1 loss, per MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. “There’s nothing we can do about it now. We’ve just got to play a little more consistently and we’ll be right where we want to be.”
Wheeler has been the model of consistency early on. He has gone six innings in each outing, holding the Braves off the scoresheet on five hits. Against the Reds, he was victimized by an uncharacteristic Bryson Stott error and left trailing 3-1.
Manager Rob Thomson has been impressed by Wheeler’s start, especially after the loss to the Reds on Wednesday.
