Inside The Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies Ace Deserved Better Results From His Dominant Outings

What does Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler need to do to get a win?

Tyler Maher

Apr 9, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Busch Stadium.
Apr 9, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Busch Stadium. / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
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Zack Wheeler deserves better than this.

After signing a three-year, $126 million extension with the Philadelphia Phillies in the offseason, Wheeler has held up his end of the bargain. The 33-year-old right-hander has provided his typical ace-level production so far with a 1.89 ERA, a 0.90 WHIP and a 20:2 K/BB ratio in 19 innings over his first three starts.

Unfortunately for Wheeler, his teammates haven't given him a lick of help.

Incredibly, the Phillies have somehow managed to lose all three of his starts, scoring just four runs combined in his outings.

In Wheeler's season debut on March 29, he exited after six shutout innings with a 2-0 lead against the Atlanta Braves. Philadelphia's bullpen promptly imploded, surrendering nine runs and turning the game into a blowout loss.

In Wheeler's second start, the Phillies' defense let him down, committing a costly error that resulted in two unearned runs. Meanwhile, the offense scuffled, managing just one run on six hits against the Cincinnati Reds. Wheeler took the loss despite giving up just one earned run and striking out 10 over six innings.

In his third and most recent start, Philadelphia's offense couldn't be bothered to score at all. The Phillies were shut out 3-0 by the St. Louis Cardinals, leaving eight men on base and going 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Wheeler's seven strong innings were wasted, resulting in another hard-luck loss.

As great as the ace is, he can't win a ballgame all by himself. He needs run support, solid fielding and a quality bullpen behind him. Unfortunately, he's gotten none of those things so far.

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Tyler Maher

TYLER MAHER

Tyler is a writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. He grew up in Massachusetts and is a huge Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox. He went to Tufts University and played club baseball for the Jumbos. Since graduating, he has worked for MLB.com, The Game Day, FanDuel and Forbes. When he's not writing about baseball, he enjoys running, traveling, and playing fetch with his golden retriever.