Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler will get another shot to strengthen his case for the National League Cy Young Award when he opposes the host Miami Marlins on Friday.
The Phillies enter the second game of the four-game series on a five-game winning streak.
Wheeler (13-6, 2.63 ERA) is the consensus No. 2 pick for the NL Cy Young behind the Atlanta Braves’ Chris Sale (16-3, 2.46 ERA).
A two-time All-Star, Wheeler was the NL Cy Young runner-up in 2021 but he has yet to win the honor.
“You come into every season, and that is one of your personal goals,” Wheeler said of being selected the league’s top pitcher. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with personal goals. If you set those or if you come close, you are helping the team.”
Wheeler, 34, will try to build on his most recent outing, when he threw seven shutout innings and struck out seven in a 3-0 win over the Braves on Saturday.
In 24 career starts against the Marlins, Wheeler is 10-4 with a 2.78 ERA. In 10 starts at Miami, he is 3-1 with a 3.77 ERA.
However, as good as Wheeler has been this season, the Phillies are just 16-11 in his appearances. And in two outings this year against the Marlins, Wheeler is 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA.
Wheeler is thriving this year when former Marlin J.T. Realmuto is behind the plate, compiling a 1.98 ERA. With either Garrett Stubbs or Rafael Marchan catching, Wheeler has a 4.69 ERA.
Miami manager Skip Schumaker believes Realmuto is crucial to Philadelphia’s pitching success.
“J.T. is one of the best catchers in game-calling,” Schumaker said. “With J.T., you can never sit on pitches. He doesn’t let his pitchers fall into patterns.”
The Phillies (84-56), who opened the series on Thursday with a 5-2 win over Miami (52-88), own an eight-game lead on both the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves in the National League East as they hunt for their first division title since 2011.
After the Thursday win, Phillies manager Rob Thomson said he would look to rest players when he can.
“There’s a balance there because there’s still that final carrot of having the best record in baseball,” Thomson said in reference to earning home-field advantage for the playoffs. “It’s important for us to play at home in front of our fan base. They energize our group.”
The Marlins, who own the third-worst record in the majors, have a ton of young players looking to make their mark.
Only three Marlins hitters who began the season as starters remain with the club: catcher Nick Fortes, corner infielder Jake Burger and right fielder Jesus Sanchez.
Two young players in particular have emerged: third baseman Connor Norby, 24; and shortstop Xavier Edwards, 25.
Norby was acquired in the July 30 trade that sent left-hander Trevor Rogers to the Baltimore Orioles.
In 15 games with Miami, Norby has collected at least one hit in 14 of them — nine singles, seven doubles and three homers. In that brief span with the Marlins, he is batting .317 with a .953 OPS.
Edwards, who returned from the minors and took over as the everyday shortstop on July 2, is batting .333 with an .823 OPS in 50 games this year. He also has 22 steals in 24 attempts.
On Friday, Miami will start Edward Cabrera (3-6, 5.33). In five career starts against the Phillies, the right-hander is 1-2 with a 4.70 ERA.
The Marlins are 7-9 this year when pitching Cabrera, and that includes a 9-5 loss at Philadelphia on Aug. 14. In four innings, Cabrera allowed six runs, six hits and four walks while striking out two. He served up a fourth-inning grand slam to Kyle Schwarber.
–Field Level Media