Philadelphia Phillies‘ interim skipper Don Mattingly pulled 36-year-old Zack Wheeler out of the game on Wednesday night.
The ballclub was facing the Pittsburgh Pirates, but Wheeler made it clear that he wasn’t ready to leave the mound.
Ahead of their next matchup, Mattingly expressed his thoughts on Wheeler’s frustrations.
Phillies’ Manager Stands Firm in His Decision To Pull Wheeler
GettyPhiladelphia Phillies’ Zack Wheeler was pulled from the game on Wednesday
Ahead of Philadelphia’s series finale against the Pirates on Thursday, Mattingly spoke with the media regarding Wheeler.
As reported by NBC Sports Philadelphia (via X), he stated, “At this point, I don’t think he wanted to talk to me yet. Maybe he’ll settle down and talk to me later, but I haven’t had a chance to talk to him yet.”
He added, “In general, it really doesn’t bother me at all that he’s upset. I think the great ones never want to come out of a game, and he’s no different. I had Kershaw out there [in L.A.], he did not want to come out of games, but from my standpoint, I’ve got to protect, not necessarily him, but he’s at 105 in that inning… he’s at 115 in the fifth inning. This is a long-term kind of situation.”
In reference to the organization’s pitching staff, Mattingly noted, “I think you guys know our rotation is obviously a great rotation, but the depth of it is not just filled with four [Paul] Skenes down in the minor leagues, ready to pop in and fill the spot. So, my job is to make sure that this guy stays available through the course of the season, and we’ve got a long way to go…”
According to Mattingly, he wasn’t able to catch up with Wheeler before their afternoon clash against Pittsburgh.
Such a disagreement is far from uncommon in the big leagues.
Having said that, Mattingly is standing firm in his decision to pull Wheeler.
So far this season, the right-hander owns a 2.36 ERA and 84 strikeouts across 80.0 innings pitched through 13 starts.
He’s walked 20 batters along the way at the time of this writing.
Now, their final meeting is in progress at Citizens Bank Park.
Snapshot of the Phillies Right Now
GettyPhiladelphia Phillies’ Don Mattingly pulled Zack Wheeler on Wednesday
Philadelphia is riding a two-game winning streak over the Pirates, but Pittsburgh could still tie the series this afternoon.
Once this set wraps up, the Phillies will hit the road.
They will head to Kauffman Stadium to face the Kansas City Royals for a three-game stretch.
In the National League East, Philadelphia is second with an overall record of 49-38.
However, they’re not too far behind the Atlanta Braves, who are 50-34 overall.
Behind the Phillies are the Miami Marlins (46-41), the Washington Nationals (45-43) and the New York Mets (36-51).
In the Major Leagues as a whole, Philadelphia is ranked sixth in the standings.
They are currently tied with the Chicago Cubs.
If the Phillies clinch a victory this afternoon, they will, of course, improve their record and extend their winning streak to three games.
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