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Phillies: Opening series pitching matchups vs. Marlins

By Matthew C

PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 14: Aaron Nola #27 of the Philadelphia Phillies in action against the Boston Red Sox during a game at Citizens Bank Park on September 14, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 14: Aaron Nola #27 of the Philadelphia Phillies in action against the Boston Red Sox during a game at Citizens Bank Park on September 14, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
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Game 2: Zack Wheeler (PHI) vs. Caleb Smith (MIA)

4:05 pm EST | Citizens Bank Park | July 25th, 2020

Phillies’ Zack Wheeler:

Zack Wheeler #45 of the Philadelphia Phillies (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Zack Wheeler #45 of the Philadelphia Phillies (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

Starting the second game of the three-game series against the Marlins for the Phillies is veteran right-hander Zack Wheeler. Wheeler, 30, is entering his first season with the Phillies after spending the first five years of his career with the New York Mets.

Wheeler finished his 2019 campaign with an 11-8 record and posted a 3.96 ERA.  He racked up 195 strikeouts over 195 1/3 innings pitched with the Mets last season. His 3.96 ERA in 2019 is one of the highest in his career.

The Phillies acquired Wheeler after they signed him to a five-year deal in the offseason. By the time his contract expires, Wheeler will be 35 years old.

Per Baseball-Reference, Wheeler is projected to complete the 2020 season with a 4.59 ERA and an 8-9 record over the course of twenty-one starts.

With this being the first season Wheeler is playing with the Phillies, it’d be interesting to see how well he fits in with the rotation and if he is able to produce quality starts and numbers in this shortened 60-game season.

Marlins’ Caleb Smith:

Caleb Smith #31 of the Miami Marlins (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
Caleb Smith #31 of the Miami Marlins (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

Caleb Smith is starting for the Marlins in game two of the series at Citizens Bank Park. Smith has been in the Marlins rotation since 2018, where he came to Miami from the New York Yankees.

The left-hander went 10-11 with a 4.52 ERA in the 2019 season – just his second season with the Miami Marlins. It sure was not the season that the Marlins were expecting from him, nonetheless giving him another chance here with Smith pitching second in the starting rotation for the team this season.

Smith started against the Phillies three times last season and only one of those starts resulted in a very poor outing.

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