PHILADELPHIA -- Is Zack Wheeler fully back?
Well, if what he did in the fifth inning of Saturday night's 4-2 win over the Braves is any indication, then the answer is an emphatic yes.
It wasn't just that Wheeler struck out the side on his way to a second consecutive solid start, it was how he did it -- and who he did it against.
Wheeler made quick work of Ha-Seong Kim to start the inning, striking him out on three pitches. He then outlasted All-Star catcher Drake Baldwin by getting him to chase a splitter in the dirt on the ninth pitch of the at-bat.
Next up? Ronald Acuña Jr.
Acuña had already taken Wheeler deep two innings earlier, smashing a Statcast-projected 450-foot bomb that the Braves superstar made sure to thoroughly enjoy. He took his time getting out of the box before embarking on a lengthy trot around the bases that elicited a cascade of boos from the Philadelphia faithful.
So when Acuña stepped back into the box against Wheeler in the fifth, the sellout crowd at Citizens Bank Park again made itself known. The fans reacted to each and every pitch as Wheeler got ahead, 1-2, before Acuña worked the count full.
Acuña then fouled off back-to-back pitches that just narrowly escaped the grasp of catcher J.T. Realmuto to stay alive. Wheeler's eighth pitch was a perfectly placed 96.6 mph fastball on the outside corner that Acuña swung through for strike three.
It was the type of pitch that has mostly eluded Wheeler for more than a month. It was also the best indication on a night full of them that he truly is working his way out of his worst stretch as a Phillie.
Acuña's swing-and-miss was one of 19 whiffs induced by Wheeler, his most since July 21 against the Dodgers -- his last start before things took a turn for the worse. He got 10 of those whiffs with his four-seamer (matching a season high for the pitch) and another seven with his splitter.
Overall, Wheeler struck out nine while allowing just three hits and a pair of walks. He turned in six innings of one-run ball for a second straight start after putting up a 8.51 ERA over his previous six outings.
It was exactly the kind of night the Phillies needed as they cut the Braves’ lead in the National League East back to four games. They also remained a half-game behind the Cubs for the first NL Wild Card spot, though Chicago has clinched the head-to-head tiebreaker.