Phillies ace Zack Wheeler faces the visiting Athletics on Wednesday
By Matt Severance May 6, 2026 at 9:09 am ET • 3 min read
Imagn Images It's amazing sometimes what a difference it can make to an MLB team when it undergoes a managerial change or gets a key player back from injury. Both appear to be benefiting the Phillies, as they have taken off under interim manager Don Mattingly and have won both starts of ace Zack Wheeler since his late season debut. The right-hander returns to the mound Wednesday against the visiting Athletics in a 6:40 p.m. ET first pitch.
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Wheeler, a three-time All-Star and two-time runner-up for the NL Cy Young Award who is making $42 million a season, didn't make his debut until April 25 in Atlanta. That was a couple of days before the Phils fired Rob Thomson and replaced him with Mattingly.
It was Wheeler's first outing since last August (253-day absence) because of a blood clot found near his pitching shoulder that led to thoracic outlet surgery. He allowed two runs and three hits over five in a game the Phillies won in 10 innings. Wheeler was even better last Friday in Miami, allowing one run and three hits over six in earning the victory – getting up to 94 pitches.
From the third through sixth inning, he generated 14 swings and misses. According to CBS Sports' Matt Snyder, the average velocity for his sinker was 94.5 mph, with the four-seam fastball being 94.0 – both down from his season debut. Last season, it was on average 95.4 mph for the sinker and 96.1 on the heater.
"My body felt great," Wheeler said of his start against the Marlins. "But it felt like my body was just moving in slow motion a little bit. That's why my velo was down just a hair. But I felt great. I still executed for the most part."
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When the Phils fired Thomson, they had an MLB-worst 5.80 ERA. But that entire group has largely turned it around by moving Wheeler in and slotting everyone else down a notch. Philadelphia is now 7-1 under Mattingly and in that span, Phillies starters have a 1.53 ERA with 57 strikeouts to just 10 walks in 47 innings. In Tuesday's win over the Athletics, Cristopher Sanchez became the first Phillies pitcher to toss eight innings this year.
"I mean, you feel the pressure," Wheeler said. "We're a really good staff, and we've got to pitch like it. They pay us for a reason. We're, I want to say, the core in a sense. You know? It starts with us putting up zeroes and making that statement when we go out there."
Both Jesus Luzardo and Aaron Nola, for example, have looked much better of late. Any rotation without gas-can Taijuan Walker is an upgrade, and he was released last month. Wheeler has made five career starts vs. the Athletics and is 3-1 with a 4.62 ERA. The SportsLine Projection Model forecasts him at 5.9 innings, 5.4 hits allowed, 7.2 strikeouts and 2.1 earned runs Wednesday.
We might have to start talking about Mattingly as an NL Manager of the Year candidate, although he's not on the FanDuel odds board for that yet. Atlanta's Walt Weiss is the +300 current favorite. There is no rule against an interim guy winning the award as far as I know, but none have won it so maybe it's an unwritten rule type of thing among voters.
Mattingly was the NL Manager of the Year in 2020 with Miami. Clearly this success likely only enhances his shot at the full-time job. It also probably helps that his son Preston Mattingly is the general manager of the Phillies.
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The Athletics plan to start lefty Jeffrey Springs (3-2, 3.96 ERA) tonight. The 33-year-old journeyman has been quite good at times in 2026 and quite bad at others. Springs was lifted after three innings during his most recent start last Thursday in Kansas City after experiencing right hip soreness but has been cleared for this one.
Springs has a 4.50 ERA but no decisions in three appearances spanning eight career innings vs. Philadelphia. The model projects him at 5.8 innings, 4.9 hits allowed, 4.5 strikeouts and 2.4 earned runs. Springs is +202 vs. Wheeler (-288) in a head-to-head strikeouts props at DraftKings.
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Springs is the first left-handed starter the Phillies will face under Mattingly, and they are 0-10 vs. non-opener lefty starters this season. If anything, that means they are due for a victory. Winds are blowing out a bit so wanted to punch the total up a fair amount. Check out other expert picks in the SportsLine daily newsletter.
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