Things looked very bleak for the Philadelphia Phillies after it was announced that their ace Zack Wheeler would miss the rest of the 2025 season. He finished 2025 with a 10-5 record, 2.71 ERA, 0.935 WHIP and 195 strikeouts over 149 2/3 innings pitched. His diagnosis of venous thoracic outlet syndrome was devastating, but his teammates in the starting rotation have collectively done their best impression of Wheeler to pick him up after he landed on the injured list.
The left-handers on the team have played like aces of their own since Wheeler's diagnosis. The trio of Jesús Luzardo, Ranger Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez has been impressive this season, but this recent version of the group has leveled up, giving Citizens Bank Park a playoff feel every time they've taken the mound.
The three lefties in the Phillies' rotation have picked up where Zack Wheeler left off as the best pitching staff in MLB
Something clicked for this team in a way that Phillies fans were unsure was possible. Before, a playoff scenario without Wheeler seemed like a nightmare scenario. Now, it seems like the next-man-up mentality is being taken in stride.
Since Wheeler's landed on the injured list, Suárez has a 0.88 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 39 strikeouts over 30 2/3 innings pitched, Sánchez has a 3.13 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 35 strikeouts over 31 2/3 innings pitched, and Luzardo has a 3.23 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 42 strikeouts over 30 2/3 innings pitched. That combines for an impressive 2.42 ERA, 1.032 WHIP and 116 strikeouts over 93 innings pitched.
Among all MLB starters during that span, the combination of Sánchez, Suárez and Luzardo also rank 2-4 in fWAR, behind only the Pirates' Paul Skenes. That kind of production paves the way for a Cy Young Award in any season. Luckily for the Phillies, it's coming straight from their rotation, especially Sánchez, who is gunning for that nomination this fall.
As a Phillies fan, you couldn't ask for better. The Phillies just capped off a four-game sweep of the Mets on Thursday, in which Luzardo gave the biggest Jekyll and Hyde performance of all-time by retiring 22 straight batters after allowing four first-inning runs. Luzardo fought back and left no doubt, much like how this pitching staff has been operating over the past few weeks.
It may not stay this dominant for the rest of the season and leading into the playoffs, but that's where the veterans like Aaron Nola, Taijuan Walker and even recently added Walker Buehler come in. The Phils also still lead the NL with a combined 3.49 ERA. They may not shut out their opposition every night, but this could also be the hot streak and sustained success that carries this team through October. It was believed before Wheeler's injury that the pitching staff could be the differentiating reason why the Phillies would win a title, so 2025 (in the wake of Wheeler) should be no different.