Phillies news: Zack Wheeler details mixed pitching bag vs. Marlins appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler gave a candid assessment of his outing Tuesday after the club extended its winning streak to five games with a 6-4 victory over the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. Wheeler worked five innings, allowing two runs on two hits with four walks and seven strikeouts while throwing 98 pitches.
NBC Sports Philadelphia shared the veteran right-hander’s postgame comments on X, formerly Twitter, after he explained that his fastball felt strong even though the rest of his arsenal did not cooperate.
“The fastball was there, but off-speed was not there today.”
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"The fastball was there, but off-speed was not there today."
Zack Wheeler dives into what worked and what didn’t for him in Tuesday night’s win. | @WapnerNewmanpic.twitter.com/WIjtZWP2Bf
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) August 19, 2026
The 36-year-old right-hander’s fastball was the clearest positive from the outing. He averaged 95.5 mph and reached 97.1 mph, slightly above his season average, while throwing first-pitch strikes to 15 of 21 batters.
The secondary pitches created more difficulty. Wheeler issued four walks, including consecutive free passes in the fifth before Xavier Edwards delivered a two-out RBI single. He also surrendered a solo home run to Griffin Conine on an 0-2 fastball in the second inning and needed 32 pitches to complete the fifth.
The Phillies trailed 2-1 when Wheeler exited, but the offense responded with four runs in the sixth behind contributions from Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott. The bullpen held the lead from there to secure the Phillies’ fifth consecutive victory.
The win improved the Phillies to 69-58 for the 2026 season and strengthened their hold on the second National League wild-card spot. Wheeler, meanwhile, remains winless over his past six starts and has posted a 6.64 ERA over his last five outings, making his ability to regain consistency an important storyline for the stretch run.
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