Zack Wheeler Finding His Groove Is Great News for Phillies

Zack Wheeler being on his game of late is excellent news for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Sep 16, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) pitches against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With the Philadelphia Phillies in need of a win on Wednesday against the Washington Nationals, the team turned to their star right-hander, and he delivered. 

Coming into the game on Wednesday against the Nationals, the Phillies were not playing great of late. The team had lost four of their last five games, and things were quickly unraveling for the franchise. 

Fortunately, they were able to get a 3-0 win in a game that they really needed. The National League wild card race has become very tight between three teams, and every game is meaningful for Philadelphia at this point. 

While winning the NL East is unlikely, the Phillies can still be the first wild card team and get home-field advantage for the wild card round. That is certainly something that would be good for the franchise and could help position them well to advance. 

In the 3-0 win, it was very encouraging to see Zack Wheeler pitch the way he did. The veteran right-hander has been a key part of this team for many years now, and after a bad August, he is seemingly back on track. 

Wheeler Hitting His Groove at Right Time

Sep 16, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) pitches against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With just 10 games left now for the Phillies, Wheeler pitching well again is coming at the perfect time. Philadelphia is going to need both him and Cristopher Sanchez to be at their best in October if they are going to make some noise, especially with the injury concerns for Jesus Luzardo. 

In August, Wheeler had a 6.26 ERA, which is a bit unheard of for a pitcher of his caliber. However, with a good start to end the month, there was hope that September would be a good one for the team. 

So far, that has proven to be the case. After the seven shutout innings against the Nationals, he has totaled a 0.90 ERA so far this month. In 20 innings of work, he has allowed just two runs, and he is looking like the NL Cy Young-caliber pitcher the team needs him to be. 

With the season coming to an end soon, Wheeler is currently scheduled to pitch two more times. However, the last projected start would be the final game of the season, and the team could very well push him back if they are comfortable with saving him for a playoff series. 

Overall, the team has to be thrilled with how he has looked of late, and Wednesday was his fourth excellent start in a row. If he pitches like this in the playoffs, the ceiling is very high for the Phillies.