Zack Wheeler tosses seven scoreless innings vs. Braves for 100th career win

PHILADELPHIA — Zack Wheeler did his best on Saturday night to simultaneously keep the National League Cy Young race interesting while making the NL East race far less so.

Edmundo Sosa and Trea Turner each went deep to provide more than enough support for Wheeler on his way to his 100th career win.

“It’s special,” Wheeler said. “No. 1 was against these guys and No. 100 was against these guys. … It’s been a long road, and just hard work and believing in myself and believing in the teams that I’ve been on.”

Wheeler’s latest gem lowered his ERA to 2.63, leaving him just behind Atlanta’s Chris Sale (2.58) for the best mark in the NL. Wheeler’s seven strikeouts raised his total to 183, also just shy of Sale’s 197. Wheeler has an NL-best 0.98 WHIP — ahead of Sale’s 1.02 — and also holds the edge in innings (167 2/3 to 153 2/3) and starts (27 to 25).

Each pitcher is vying for his first career Cy Young Award, despite some close calls. Wheeler finished second to Corbin Burnes in a remarkably close vote for the 2021 NL Cy Young Award. He also received a share of votes in ’20 and ’23. Sale, meanwhile, finished in the top 5 in AL Cy Young voting six times with the White Sox and Red Sox, including as the runner-up in ’17 — but he hasn’t received a vote since ’18.

Fair to say Wheeler is squarely in the mix for the NL Cy Young Award again this season?

“Yeah, I hope so,” Wheeler said. “It’s just one of those things you come into the season and that’s one of your personal goals to win that [award]. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with personal goals, because if you set those and you do well and you accomplish them — or you come even close to it — then you’re helping the team a lot. That’s all I try to do every year, just be the best I possibly can, and I know that’ll help the team.

Added Phillies manager Rob Thomson: “In my opinion, yeah, he’s in the conversation, for sure.”

Barring something unforeseen over their final four or five starts, one of either Wheeler or Sale figures to claim the NL Cy Young this season — though both teams enter the final month focused on a different trophy.

While the Phillies have had their struggles lately, Wheeler has been his usual steady self.

The veteran right-hander finished an August in which he went 3-1 with a 1.62 ERA in six starts. He did not allow more than two runs in any of those outings. He struck out 44 and walked only five. And four of those six outings came against teams currently in postseason position (two vs. Atlanta, one vs. Arizona and one vs. Houston).

“We’re getting six, seven innings out of him every time out,” Thomson said. “And he’s taking down those big offenses. He’s been great.”

Wheeler has held the opposition to two runs or fewer in 16 of his past 18 starts. He’s completed six innings in 21 of his 27 starts overall — tied with San Francisco’s Logan Webb for the most such outings in the NL this season.

Wheeler has also continued his dominance over the Braves this season, posting a 0.95 ERA over three starts against them. He has 20 strikeouts and zero walks over 19 innings in those outings.

“I needed to match him — it’s that plain and simple,” said Atlanta starter Max Fried. “He’s been one of the best pitchers in the game for a few years now. You know in this type of atmosphere and this type of game, he’s going to be throwing the ball well.”

Amazingly, Wheeler’s latest dominance came on a night when he said it was “50-50” on whether he knew where a pitch was going when it left his hand.

“Honestly, I didn’t know where the ball was going,” Wheeler said. “So I was just trying to throw as hard as I could and hope for the best.”