PHILADELPHIA — J.T. Realmuto stood up from his crouch after catching the last pitch of the sixth inning Thursday and pointed his mitt at Zach Wheeler. His body language couldn’t have been clearer.
That’s more like it.
For Wheeler? No doubt. In his fourth start of the season, after not pitching a major-league spring training game, the Phillies ace threw six one-hit innings in a 7-1 rocking of the Colorado Rockies. His command wasn’t as precise as usual. (He walked four batters.) His velocity ticked up again, though, and well, he dominated.
But it wasn’t only about Wheeler. His revival paralleled the Phillies’ overall resurgence this week. In completing a rare four-game sweep — their first over Colorado since July 23-26, 2010 — they manhandled the sloppy Rockies by a 32-9 margin. They also evened their record at 10-10, the first time they have been at .500 since April 13.
That night, the Phillies lost to the New York Mets at home to slide to 3-3. Now, they are bracing to face their division rival again, this time at Citi Field beginning Friday night. And the Mets happen to be 14-6, their best 20-game start since 2018.
Ready to rumble?
But before the Phillies and Mets renew acquaintances, there was the confidence-inspiring start from Wheeler. From retiring the side on nine pitches in the first inning to fanning Rockies slugger C.J. Cron on that rising 95 mph heater that brought Realmuto to his feet in the sixth, Wheeler looked mostly like himself.
Wheeler didn’t allow a hit until Sam Hilliard’s triple to open the third inning. Even then, he emerged without allowing a run by getting Connor Joe to ground into a double play. Although he could have done without the leadoff walk to Charlie Blackmon in the fourth or the two-out walk to No. 9-hitting Dom Nuñez in the fifth, he maintained his velocity throughout the game.
And Wheeler even missed more bats in his final few innings. He struck out six of the final 11 hitters, got his pitch count up to 90, and topped out at 96.3 mph with his fastball. When he faces the Texas Rangers next week, Wheeler’s arm strength may finally be to his standard.
That’s only about the best possible news for the Phillies.
The Phillies took a gamble that Wheeler, with only a fraction of his usual spring training build-up, would be more effective than their alternatives, which speaks to both his talent and the organization’s lack of rotation depth. But he went 0-3 with an 8.53 ERA in his first three starts, fighting to harness both his command and velocity.
It’s been a tough April for most pitchers after the short spring training. But with Aaron Nola, Kyle Gibson, Zach Eflin, and Ranger Suárez combining to allow six runs in 24⅔ innings in this turn through the rotation, the thought of Wheeler being Wheeler again has manager Joe Girardi feeling bullish about his starters.
And with three games coming up against the Mets, there’s no better time for it.
Air Bohm
For all the attention on Alec Bohm’s defense (he hasn’t committed an error in 11 games, since his three-miscue nightmare April 11), there’s another area where the young third baseman has made a marked improvement. He’s hitting the ball in the air more.
Not including his solo homer in the fourth inning against Rockies starter Austin Gomber, Bohm had a 28.2% fly-ball rate, up from 24% in his first two major-league seasons. His ground-ball rate, meanwhile, has dipped to 48.7% from 52.9%.
The result: Bohm is slugging .500 in 56 plate appearances, even after being robbed of an extra-base hit on a diving catch in the seventh inning by Rockies center fielder Randal Grichuk. Bohm has two doubles, two homers, and leads the Phillies with 14 RBIs. He also is tied for the league lead with four sacrifice flies.
“For me, it’s [about] getting more on time,” Bohm said recently of an adjustment that he’s made with hitting coach Kevin Long. “Because the ground balls come from me being late and hitting the ball too deep. I think when I’m comfortable and on time, that’s when you see the ball start getting in the air more.”
Roman’s empire
Making his first major-league start since rupturing his left Achilles tendon last May 29, fill-in center fielder Roman Quinn placed his signature stamp on the game in the third inning.
Quinn, known for his blazing speed, reached on a bunt single and stole second and third base before scoring on a one-out sacrifice fly by Rhys Hoskins to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead.
But it wasn’t merely Quinn’s manufacturing of a run that caught everyone’s eye. He got down the first-base line in 30.4 feet per second, according to Statcast. How fast is that? Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. and the Dodgers’ Trea Turner are tied for the fastest average sprint speed this season, at 30.0 feet per second.
Up next
Here are the pitching matchups for three consecutive 7:10 p.m. games against the Mets: Friday — Aaron Nola (1-2, 3.74 ERA) vs. Tylor Megill (3-0, 2.35); Saturday — Kyle Gibson (2-1, 3.47) vs. Taijuan Walker (0-0, 0.00); Sunday — Zach Eflin (1-1, 3.20) vs. Max Scherzer (3-0, 1.80).
