After a rocky start to the season, there's finally some positive momentum brewing in Philadelphia. The Phillies have won four straight games since their managerial change, and Friday night's 6-5 victory over the Marlins offered a particularly encouraging sign: Zack Wheeler is starting to look like his old self again.
Wheeler took the mound for just his second start since undergoing a thoracic outlet procedure—a surgery that removed a rib after a blood clot was discovered in his shoulder. In his first outing back, there were understandable questions about his command and velocity. But on Friday, he answered many of them. Over six innings, Wheeler threw 94 pitches, striking out eight batters while walking just two and allowing only one run on three hits.
That lone run came early, on back-to-back doubles in the first inning. After that, Wheeler locked in. He allowed just one hit over the next five scoreless frames—and that was an infield single. From the third through fifth innings, he was at his dominant best, fanning six batters and generating 14 swings and misses overall.
Velocity was a key concern heading into this start, but Wheeler's sinker sat comfortably in the mid-90s, averaging 94.5 mph, while his four-seam fastball came in at 94.0 mph. While those numbers are still a tick below last season's averages (95.4 mph on the sinker, 96.1 mph on the four-seamer), they're well within a safe range, especially for a pitcher still building back arm strength.
His breaking ball showed good bite, too. Though the command wasn't sharp early on, Wheeler found his groove by the third inning, and from there, it was vintage stuff. For Phillies fans who watched their ace battle through recovery, seeing him settle in and dominate for five straight innings was a welcome sight.
The Phillies fired manager Rob Thomson on Monday after a 9-19 start—the club's worst stretch since 2017 and a stark contrast to last year's 96-win campaign. Don Mattingly took over as interim manager, and the team has responded with four straight wins. While it's a small sample size and the Phillies have faced the Giants and Marlins, it's worth noting this team had gone 1-11 just before the change.
For now, the vibes in Philadelphia are shifting. And if Zack Wheeler continues to look like his old self, there's reason to believe this hot streak could be more than just a temporary bounce.