All eyes on Zack Wheeler in what could be his Mets finale
New York Mets starting pitcher Zack Wheeler reacts against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning of an MLB baseball game at Citi Field on July 7. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Zack Wheeler will return from the injured list to start Friday’s series opener with Pittsburgh in what could be his final game for the Mets. The MLB trading deadline is July 31 and the 29-year-old righthander has been the subject of trade speculation for more than a month.
He is 6-6 with a 4.69 ERA this season in 19 starts but has not appeared since July 7. The Mets placed him on the IL on July 15 with right shoulder fatigue. How he pitches against the Pirates could have an impact on what the Mets might get back for him in a trade or whether he is traded at all.
“He feels great health-wise. So obviously we’ll keep an eye on his delivery and make sure he feels really good,” manager Mickey Callaway said. “But what I want Wheeler to do . . . is to get ahead. I want to see strike one, control the count, make sure you put pressure on them. Make sure they are taking defensive swings. When Wheeler does that in the past, he’s been one of the best pitchers in the league.”
While potential trade partners likely will monitor the radar gun in assessing how sound Wheeler is, Callaway said that for him “It’s not about velo. You have to command it.”
Good sign for Conforto
Michael Conforto went 2-for-4, giving him consecutive multi-hit games for the first time since the second week of May. In the 49 games before these past two, he batted .228.
“[He] went through a little bit of a rough patch. He’s coming out of it and swinging the bat much better,” Callaway said. “We understand his history of ups and downs, but when he gets hot, he can carry anybody. We feel like he’s heading in that direction.”
Extra bases
Dom Smith did not play on Thursday after a rough night in the field Wednesday night, where he committed two errors and misplayed two other balls that went for hits. Callaway said Smith sat because San Diego started lefthander Eric Lauer and added, “We trust him out there . . . It was a tough night for him, but he’ll get over it.” . . . Jeff McNeil was out of the starting lineup because of “heavy” legs that Callaway attributed to playing during the All-Star break. He pinch hit in the seventh with the bases loaded and hit into an inning-ending groundout.
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
