CHICAGO _ His bags packed and his mind ready to move, Zack Wheeler spent most of the past few weeks figuring he'd be pitching for another team come August. He is a pending free agent, the Mets looked like trade-deadline sellers, and trade-deadline sellers typically trade their pending free agents. It seemed inevitable.
And then 4 p.m. Wednesday came and went, bringing Wheeler clarity _ just not the kind he expected. There was no trade. He is staying with the Mets the next two months and maybe beyond. He was glad all that was over, he admitted, so that he could get back to pitching.
As the Mets topped the White Sox, 4-0, on Thursday, Wheeler got back to dominating, too. He tossed seven shutout innings, striking out seven and walking none, in the Mets' seventh consecutive win.
