The Phillies are heading into a weekend series with the Detroit Tigers, but the conversation around the club keeps circling back to Zack Wheeler.
Philadelphia just wrapped up a series win over the Cincinnati Reds and now sits 3-3 on its nine-game road trip. The club has been a steady 10 games over .500, and with the All-Star Game coming to Philadelphia next week, the roster is set to be well represented. Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper are expected to take part in the Home Run Derby, and the Phillies will have multiple All-Stars in the game.
Wheeler, though, remains the glaring exception.
The right-hander has put together an All-Star-caliber first half, but he still hasn’t been selected. Through 14 games, Wheeler is 9-1 with a 2.28 ERA and 98 strikeouts. Even after missing some time early in the season, his numbers have made a strong case on their own.
His latest outing only added to the frustration. Against the Reds, Wheeler struck out 14 over seven innings and gave up just one run in a win. After that performance, he delivered a quote that clearly stuck with his teammates and coaches, because shirts were later made with part of it on them.
Some Phillies players and staff have already been wearing those shirts in support of their ace, a visible nod to the snub that has become one of the biggest All-Star omissions in the league this year.
Wheeler is scheduled to make his final start of the first half against the Tigers, and it will be a strong matchup on paper with Tarik Skubal on the other side.
In Other News...
Zack Wheeler Just Made An All-Star Statement Phillies Fans Will Feel
Zack Wheelers season has been good enough to make the All-Star conversation feel routine, but this one carried a little more edge. The Phillies ace has been one of the best pitchers in the league again, sitting on a 2.28 ERA with a 9-1 record in 14 starts, and he had every reason to be in the middle of the National Leagues midsummer showcase talk.
Instead, Wheelers All-Star saga ended with a statement of its own, one that says plenty about how he views his place among the games elite. For a pitcher who has built this kind of rsum in Philadelphia, the issue was never whether he belonged in the conversation. It was the way the conversation unfolded, and that leaves a different kind of message for the rest of the league. [Read more 🡒]
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The latest move comes after Velasquez made two appearances in Chicago before heading back onto the market, keeping his next chapter open for a while longer. For a pitcher who has bounced through different roles and organizations, the appeal remains the same: one more chance to find a foothold and prove there is still something left in the arm that once made him a fixture in the Phillies rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Just Lost Valuable Draft Ground At The Worst Time
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Philadelphia has not exactly been shy about chasing pitching help through the pipeline, and this could sharpen that focus even more. With Andrew Painter back at Triple-A Lehigh Valley after a rough big league debut and Aidan Miller sidelined by a back injury, the organization is already dealing with some uncertainty in key developmental spots, which makes losing draft ground feel even more costly when the next class finally arrives. [Read more 🡒]