Before the Philadelphia Phillies took the field for their series finale against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday afternoon, manager Rob Thomson scared fans. According to various Phillies beat journalists, the skipper revealed that the team intends to put Zack Wheeler’s next start back a couple of days due to shoulder pain, according to MLB.com’s Paul Casella.
Wheeler’s start in the series opener against the Texas Rangers on Friday in Arlington has been rescheduled till Sunday. But what’s up with the right-hander’s shoulder?
Rob Thomson reveals Phillies’ ace Zack Wheeler had shoulder soreness
According to KYW Newsradio’s Dave Uram, Thomson addressed the situation to the media prior to the Phillies’ 5-1 loss to the Orioles. Wheeler apparently left his start against the Detroit Tigers on Saturday with shoulder pain. Fortunately, the imaging came back clear.
“Wheeler came out of his last start a little sore, more sore than he normally is,” Thomson told the media. “We finished an image. It is clean. We’ll simply give him a few additional days.
“He’s fine, so if he’s ready to go on Sunday…,” Thomson told Casella. “Obviously, we can back him up even more if we need to, because we have the off-day [on Thursday].”
Wheeler didn’t throw for a few days due to stiffness, but he did play catch on Wednesday.
Thomson elaborated on Wheeler’s shoulder, saying he believes it hindered his command, which was an issue for the 35-year-old ace in his previous outing. Wheeler attributed his struggles against the Tigers last weekend on bad leadership.
Did Wheeler’s complete game contribute to his recent struggles with command?
Thomson cited Wheeler’s complete game against the Cincinnati Reds on July 7 as a likely root cause of his present difficulties and shoulder tightness. When asked if he would allow any of his pitchers to throw another complete game this season, he declined to say.
I hope not. It truly worries me. “It scares and concerns me,” Thomson added. “When a man has a low pitch count, he wants it, and it’s difficult to take away. I am aware that there are certain side effects on the arm, such as tiredness.”
Following his superb nine-inning, one-run, 12-strikeout effort against the Reds, Wheeler has a 2.17 ERA in 18 starts. In the four games since, he has allowed 13 earned runs in 23 2/3 innings, yielding a 4.94 ERA that is uncharacteristic of Wheeler.
Any rumors of a Wheeler injury would throw the fan base into a frenzy. Despite the rotation being the Phillies’ strength, losing Wheeler for any length of time would make the team appear considerably less formidable.
Following his superb nine-inning, one-run, 12-strikeout effort against the Reds, Wheeler has a 2.17 ERA in 18 starts. In the four games since, he has allowed 13 earned runs in 23 2/3 innings, yielding a 4.94 ERA that is uncharacteristic of Wheeler.
Any rumors of a Wheeler injury would throw the fan base into a frenzy. Despite the rotation being the Phillies’ strength, losing Wheeler for any length of time would make the team appear considerably less formidable.