Wheeler (7-1, 2.11 ERA) draws Zach Thornton (0-1, 8.31 ERA) in Friday's 7:10 PM ET opener at Citi Field. The Phillies opened at -150 on the moneyline, and once you see that pitching matchup, you understand why.
Wheeler just shut the Mets down last Sunday — 5.2 innings, 2 runs, 7 strikeouts — in a 6-2 Philadelphia win. In June alone he has posted a 1.82 ERA and gone 3-0 across 4 starts. Eight quality starts in his first 10 outings this season. He came back from offseason shoulder surgery and has shown no sign of any lingering issue. The 36-year-old is in the middle of a legitimate Cy Young-caliber campaign.
The Phillies have won 4 of their last 5, and the way those wins have arrived should terrify the Mets. Against Washington they scored 15 runs across the 9th innings of the final 3 games — including Bryce Harper's go-ahead 2-run homer and Derek Hill's follow-up 3-run shot in a 10-5 finish. Don Mattingly, the Phillies' interim manager, has guided Philadelphia to 13 series wins in 17 tries since taking over for a club that was 9-19 in late April. They are 45-36, locked into an NL wild card spot, and playing like a team that knows exactly what it is right now.
- Day-To-DayLiover Peguero SS — The Phillies reassigned Peguero to minor-league camp Sunday.
- Day-To-DayAndrew Bechtold 3B — no
- Day-To-DayAndrew Walling RP
- Day-To-DayCarson DeMartini SS
- Day-To-DayDaniel Robert RP — Robert suffered a cardiac incident Sunday while preparing to throw a bullpen session and was taken to a local hospital, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayMark Kolozsvary C — Kolozsvary (undisclosed) agreed to a minor-league contract with the Phillies on Friday that includes an invitation to spring training, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
- 15-Day-ILBrad Keller RP — Keller picked up the save Wednesday against the Athletics, allowing no runs on one hit and two walks in the ninth inning. He struck out one.
- 60-Day-ILJohan Rojas CF — Rojas (suspension) underwent surgery Friday to repair the UCL in his right elbow and will face an expected recovery timeline of 6-to-8 months, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
- Day-To-DayChristian Arroyo 2B — The Mets re-signed Arroyo to a minor-league contract Tuesday.
- Day-To-DayRyan Lambert RP — Triple-A Syracuse placed Lambert on the 7-day injured list June 4 due to an unspecified injury.
- Day-To-DayMike Baumann RP — Baumann signed a minor-league deal with the Mets on Wednesday, Michael Mayer of MetsmerizedOnline.com reports.
- Day-To-DayBrandon Waddell RP — Waddell (shoulder) picked up the win after allowing three runs on four hits while striking out two across three innings during Saturday's game against Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre.
- Day-To-DayMike Tauchman RF — Tauchman (knee) is still rehabbing at the Mets' spring training complex and has yet to resume baseball activities, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayJoe Jacques RP — The Mets signed Jacques to a minor-league contract Wednesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayKevin Herget RP — Herget signed a minor league contract that includes an invitation to spring training with the Mets on Thursday, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayJose Rojas 3B — Triple-A Salt Lake placed Rojas on its COVID-19 injured list Sunday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
The Mets stagger in having just been swept at home by the Cubs in 4 games, during which they were outscored 50-19 across the 5-game skid. On June 24 they committed 6 errors in a single game — something the franchise had not done since the 1962 expansion squad. New York is 34-47, on pace to win fewer than 70 games, while carrying a $329 million payroll. Marcus Semien just hit the IL, Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert Jr. are already out long-term, and Christian Scott — their best available starter — is expected back Saturday, which is no help tonight. Thornton, in his second career start, is the answer to a question nobody in Flushing wanted to be asking.