Wheeler Stays With Mets, Leads Team Back Into Playoff Race With 7th Straight Win
CHICAGO (CBSNewYork/AP) — Zack Wheeler is still a Met, which makes him part of a suddenly dominant starting rotation. A day after the trade deadline passed, the hard-throwing right-hander kept his club on a second-half roll.
Wheeler tossed seven innings of four-hit ball, Robinson Canó drove in two runs with a homer and double, and New York beat the Chicago White Sox 4-0 on Thursday for its seventh straight win.
"That was probably one of the better games I've ever seen him pitch," manager Mickey Callaway said. "Just relaxed, fluid, just executing pitch after pitch. Not overthrowing at all and kept his pitch count down."
Wilson Ramos also drove in a run as the Mets completed a three-game sweep of the White Sox and won their 13th of 17 overall. New York has its longest winning streak since a nine-game run in early April 2018.
Hoping this recent hot streak turns into a payoff push, the Mets held onto Wheeler, who can become a free agent after the season, and several other trade candidates at Wednesday's deadline. They bring a strong rotation into the final two months of the season that includes newcomer Marcus Stroman, acquired in a trade with Toronto on Sunday. But New York is still fourth in the NL East and would have to pass half a dozen teams to move into a wild card spot.
With trade rumors swirling, Wheeler had his bags packed and was ready to move on from New York. He said all that didn't faze him, though, and he's forging ahead with his team.
"I just go out there every time just trying to win a ballgame and keep zeros on the board and do the best I can," he said. "We're winning some ballgames. Pitching's clicking. Hitting's clicking. Guys out there in the field made some amazing plays."
Wheeler's fastball reached 98 mph as the right-hander struck out seven and walked none in his second start after a 2½-week stint on injured list with shoulder fatigue. Wheeler (8-6) retired the first 11 hitters before José Abreu singled off shortstop Amed Rosario's glove with two outs in the fourth.
More than Wheeler's heater was cooking as he kept Chicago's hitters off-balance.
"I was hitting my spots," he said. "Slider was working good. Changeup was a lot better today. So when you get all that working, it makes it a lot easier."
The righty might be gearing up for another second half surge. Wheeler lowered his ERA to 2.19 since the All-Star Break. Last season, the 29-year-old exploded in the second half, going 9-1 with a 1.68 ERA.
Canó led off the second with a solo shot just over the left-center field wall. It was his first homer since hitting three in a win over the Padres on July 23.
Entering Thursday, Canó was 2 for 30 in seven games since hits outburst against San Diego.
"It felt like a month," he joked.
Canó's double to the right field wall with two outs in the sixth drove in Jeff McNeil to make it 2-0. Ramos' single to right plated Pete Alonso, and Canó scored on an error by catcher Welington Castillo, who couldn't handle right fielder Leury Garcia's perfect throw.
UP NEXT:
New York travels to Pittsburgh for a three-game series, with Steven Matz (6-6, 4.32 ERA) facing Pittsburgh's Trevor Williams (3-4, 4.87) on Friday.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
