As one of the best pitchers in the National League, Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler might have had a chance to start the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Atlanta.
But Wheeler instead opted for rest over glory and will skip that game, making his Saturday start at the San Diego Padres his last one until after the break.
“He came in the other day and said he wanted to make sure his body was good coming out of the break and carry on through the rest of the year,” Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson said before his team’s 4-2 loss to San Diego on Friday. “He wants to do what’s right by the club. I think he’s being smart.”
Wheeler (9-3, 2.17 ERA) has struck out 148 hitters in 116 innings while allowing an MLB-low .177 batting average and an 0.84 WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched). His decision to skip the All-Star Game means Kyle Schwarber will be the only representative of the National League East-leading Phillies in Atlanta.
In his last two starts, Wheeler has allowed just one run in 17 innings and struck out 22. That includes a 3-1 complete-game win Sunday against Cincinnati that saw him strike out 12 in his first complete game since 2021.
Wheeler has dominated the Padres in his career, going 5-1 with a 1.81 ERA in 10 starts and striking out 77 in 64 2/3 innings. He fired eight shutout innings on June 30 in a 4-0 victory over San Diego.
Opposing him in the series’ middle game will be right-hander Yu Darvish, whose season started Monday night — delayed by an elbow injury — in a 6-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Darvish lasted 3 2/3 innings, permitting three hits and two runs with three walks and five strikeouts.
Darvish left after 63 pitches but should be able to get deeper into this start. He’s excelled in eight career outings against Philadelphia, going 3-1 with a 2.15 ERA and recording 64 strikeouts in 50 1/3 innings.
As has been the case frequently since a 15-4 start, the Padres could use more length from a starter. Their bullpen, the first in MLB history to send three members to an All-Star Game with the news that Adrian Morejon would replace Wheeler on the NL team, came through with 4 1/3 scoreless innings to protect the win on Friday night.
It’s likely that Morejon, Jeremiah Estrada, Jason Adam and MLB saves leader Robert Suarez will be unavailable after combining for nine innings the past two nights in wins.
Still, the importance of Friday night’s victory can’t be understated for San Diego. It entered the game with a 16-30 mark against teams over .500 and hasn’t won a series against a winning team since taking two of three in Milwaukee from June 7-9. When playing sub-.500 teams, the Padres have feasted, going 34-13.
Friday night’s result also marked the first time San Diego earned consecutive wins since June 24-25, against the Washington Nationals.
Padres All-Star outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. is grateful for the contribution from his team’s bullpen.
“They are going out there as a group and just competing as a whole group. It’s beautiful to see them lock in and save the lead,” Tatis said. “What they are doing is really special.”
–Field Level Media
