Return of Star Phillies Pitcher Has Keyed Team’s Turnaround

There wasn’t a more disappointing team in baseball than the Philadelphia Phillies through the first 28 games of the season.

The team’s underwhelming performance cost manager Rob Thomson his job, as he was fired after the team’s 9-19 start. Replacing him on an interim basis was Don Mattingly, who has overseen quite the turnaround.

In about three weeks, the Phillies have clawed their way back over the .500 mark. Their latest victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates to complete a weekend sweep pushed their record to 24-23, moving above .500 for the first time since April 7.

Philadelphia is 15-4 since Mattingly took over, and one of the driving forces behind the team’s success has been the return of ace Zack Wheeler. He began the season on the injured list after recovering from blood clots that shut down his 2025 campaign early, but since he has returned, he has helped breathe life back into the team.

Zack Wheeler picked up right where he left off for Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) delivers pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates. — May 17, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) delivers pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Wheeler made his season debut on April 25 against the Atlanta Braves. He pitched five innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits and three walks with six strikeouts. While he didn’t factor into the decision, he pitched well enough to put his team in a position to win the game.

That is exactly what the Phillies did, coming away victorious, 8-5, in 10 innings to snap their 10-game losing streak. It would be the start of something special in Philadelphia, as the team has gone 16-5 since that point.

Wheeler has made five starts thus far this season, and the Phillies are undefeated when he takes the mound. His most recent start was arguably his most impressive, going toe-to-toe with reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes and outdueling him.

Philadelphia snapped two impressive streaks that Skenes had going in the game. They drew the first walk against him in 39 innings and also snapped his scoreless innings-pitched streak at 20, which was a career high.

A dominant day from Zack Wheeler 🔥 pic.twitter.com/OvI5bGjssP
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 17, 2026

Five runs were scored off Skenes, which was more than enough with Wheeler dealing against the Pirates. He threw seven shutout innings, allowing only four hits and one walk while striking out eight.

There were some concerns about his velocity dropping when he came off the injured list, but it has not negatively impacted his performance. Through five starts and 31.2 innings pitched, Wheeler has a 1.99 ERA and 2.37 FIP, striking out 30 and walking only seven.

Despite the delayed start to the campaign, the veteran righty looks to be in midseason form. His Baseball Savant page has plenty of dark red, meaning Wheeler is producing at an elite level even as he prepares to turn 36 years old at the end of the month, while coming off a serious injury.

Having him back atop the rotation alongside Cristopher Sanchez provides the Phillies with an edge not many teams can contend with.

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