Zack Wheeler’s latest outing felt like a return to normalcy for Philly’s ace, even as the six-time Cy Young candidate in him remains a work in progress. He touched 97 mph with his four-seamer, but needed 97 pitches to log five innings, a reminder that the plan is less about peak dominance and more about building back reliability. The Phillies pulled out a 6-2 win thanks to late-inning bullpen support and back-to-back homers by Schwarber and Harper, underscoring the team’s readiness for a postseason run if Wheeler can string together true depth of start.

The backdrop is clear: Wheeler has pitched like a Cy Young contender for stretches this season, but recent turns have been shorter and less dominant. Shoulder soreness delayed a start, and since then he’s logged six starts with fewer innings and a 4.55 ERA, a departure from a 0.94 ERA earlier in the year. Still, velocity ticked up in the latest frame, and Wheeler’s confident assessment—"Everything felt normal"—keeps the door open for a comeback atop Philly’s rotation as the season winds down.

For fantasy and betting, the key question is sustainability: can Wheeler sustain velocity and command to push back into seven-inning outings? If so, his floor rises toward elite-SP territory, boosting wins and ratios. If not, expect a ceiling closer to a high-end, innings-limited starter, with a bullpen-centric path to wins in favorable matchups and a lingering risk in back-to-back starts.