Down 2-1, The Philadelphia Phillies need a win against the New York Mets in Game 4 of the NLDS on Wednesday to keep their postseason hopes alive. It is officially all hands on deck.
After the Game 3 loss on Tuesday, Phillies manager Rob Thomson clarified who was available out of the bullpen to Matt Gelb of The Athletic.
“Everyone is available.” Thomson said.
That includes Phillies ace Zack Wheeler. If Wheeler does end up appearing for the Phillies, he would do so on just three-days rest after throwing 111 pitches on Saturday in Game 1. In the Phillies’ 6-2 Game 1 loss, Wheeler pitched seven shutout, one-hit innings while striking out nine.
Wheeler’s 111 pitches were the most a Phillies pitches has thrown in the postseason since Roy Halladay in Game 5 of the 2011 NLDS.
It seems difficult to imagine a situation in which Thomson would have to go to Wheeler on such short rest after throwing so many pitches on Saturday. But, if the Phillies find themselves in a late-inning, high-leverage situation with a lead and a chance to force a Game 5, Thomson may call on his ace. Wheeler’s only career relief appearance came during last year’s postseason. In a similar situation, Wheeler pitched 1.2 scoreless innings in Game 7 of the NLCS against the Arizona Diamondbacks on two-days rest following a 99-pitch start.
If Wheeler does end up pitching, he almost certainly will not be available to start a potential Game 5 on Friday. That would likely force the Phillies to resort to a bullpen game. However, he once again could be used on short-rest out of the bullpen.
Zack Wheeler’s 2024 season with the Philadelphia Phillies
Pitching in the 10th season of his MLB career, Wheeler once again put together another Cy Young-caliber campaign. In 32 starts in the regular season, Wheeler had a 16-7 record with a 2.57 ERA and a National League-leading 0.955 WHIP and was named an All-Star for the second time in his career.
While Wheeler likely will not win the Cy Young due to Atlanta Braves starter Chris Sale’s pitching Triple Crown performance, he once again showed that he is one of the absolute best pitchers in baseball.
In addition to his regular season dominance, Wheeler is one of the best postseason pitchers in Major League Baseball history. Saturday’s gem lowered his career postseason ERA to 2.18, the third-lowest in MLB history among pitchers with at least 10 starts. In a must-win Game 4, Wheeler may need to step up again for the Phillies.
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