Zack Wheeler is currently rehabbing with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. (Cheryl Pursell)
If you just look at the box score from Zack Wheeler's second rehab start with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, it paints an ugly picture. Some additional context is needed.
Wheeler gave up four hits and five earned runs Friday evening against the Durham Bulls in North Carolina, but there was definitely a scenario where he could have escaped without giving up any runs at all.
Things really unraveled with two outs in the bottom of the third inning when Raynel Delgado sliced a ball into deep left-center field. Seemingly, left fielder Óscar Mercado should have been able to make the catch, but it instead dropped between him and center fielder Pedro León, one-hopping the wall for a two-run double:
Here is the replay of what @TimKellySports is referencing. https://t.co/xA7uCjNxBQ pic.twitter.com/1ZlN5g8EHQ
Two batters after he should have been out of the inning, Wheeler gave up a no-doubt-about-it, two-run homer to Jacob Melton. The three-time All-Star finished out the third inning, but after throwing 27 pitches in that frame, didn't return for the fourth:
JACOB. MELTON.
Melton's first homer as a Bull comes off All-Star Zack Wheeler and is SLUGGED to the right field bleachers to bring in three 🐂🐂🐂 pic.twitter.com/z5xLSvFt7Q
Even if you acknowledge that Wheeler's defense didn't help him — and probably prevented him from getting another inning of work — the 35-year-old righty certainly wasn't sharp in his second rehab outing, as he works his way back from the thoracic outlet decompression surgery he had last September. In the aforementioned third inning, he hit two batters. The pitch that Melton hit out was poorly located. In general, he just didn't have great command, as he walked two batters in addition to plunking a pair, while throwing just 26 of his 49 pitches for strikes.
One disappointing outing — especially with the added context — is hardly the end of the world. However, Friday evening's results could end up meaning Wheeler needs four rehab outings, as opposed to three. That's just a guess, though, because it's possible he would have ended up doing four regardless.
