Phillies Need To Get ‘‘Out of Whack’ Zack Wheeler on Track

Zack Wheeler doesn't feel like himself and the Philadelphia Phillies need to figure out why.

Aug 12, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) throws against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Philadelphia Phillies woke up on Aug. 13 outside of a playoff spot in the National League for the first time in over two months.

Since clawing their way back into a Wild Card spot on June 3, the team has remained in the playoff field, but not any longer after losing their series to the St. Louis Cardinals. It was the sixth series loss out of eight since the All-Star break.

There is a lot going wrong with the team, but arguably the most concerning is that the Phillies are no longer dominating games started by their Big 3 of Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler and Jesus Luzardo.

Philadelphia lost 2-0 when Sanchez took the mound on Aug. 11. He threw six shutout innings before Alex McFarlane and Tim Mayza gave up a run each. The NL All-Star Game starter at least looked dominant; the same cannot be said for Wheeler, who has felt like something is off in his last two starts.

Zack Wheeler does not feel like himself on the mound

Aug 7, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) throws a pitch during the third inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Just a little out of whack right now,” Wheeler said, via Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic (subscription required), “so (I) just have got to get that figured out, kind of dig into it and see what’s going on.” 

He was not good against the Cardinals, laboring through five innings as he surrendered five runs, four of which were earned, on six hits and one walk with five strikeouts. It was the second consecutive start that he gave up four earned runs.

In his previous start, against the Toronto Blue Jays, Wheeler was uncharacteristically wild. He issued five walks and surrendered seven hits to go along with six strikeouts, getting through 5.1 innings.

He has said that he doesn’t feel like himself, and it is something the team has to get to the bottom of. In his first start out of the All-Star break, against the Miami Marlins, Wheeler was tagged for five earned runs through three innings, but the team nearly won the game.

Phillies need Zack Wheeler to rediscover form

Jul 21, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) looks on against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The offense bailed him out, along with Kyle Backhus, Jose Alvarado, Jonathan Bowlan and Orion Kerkering, who fired five shutout innings. But the game was lost when Jhoan Duran blew the save, giving up five hits and three earned runs in 0.1 innings.

Wheeler battled some nausea before that start, but didn’t want to blame any outside factors on his poor outing. Now that he has surrendered at least four earned runs in three out of four starts in the second half, it certainly seems as if something may be wrong.

Interim manager Don Mattingly and pitching coach Caleb Cotham need to get to the bottom of it. Because if Wheeler is pitching like this, the Phillies' odds of making the playoffs are going to plummet.

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