The Phillies' magic number to make the postseason is now down to eight games with just 11 left to play in the 2026 regular season. That magic number dropping was no thanks to the Phils, who blew another horrifying game on Tuesday. Instead, it came thanks to the other NL teams in the thick of the Wild Card race. The Phillies need something to break their way and fast. Their starting rotation is still their key to success, and that needs to start with a return to form from their ace, Zack Wheeler, on Wednesday.
Seeing Wheeler look like his normal self just went from "crucial" to "beyond essential" in a heartbeat.
The Phillies placed Jesús Luzardo on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday with shoulder inflammation, which effectively ends his 2026 regular season. There's a chance he could return for the playoffs, but it's a massive blow regardless, and now gives little runway for him to get ramped up for a do-or-die series less than two weeks from now. After Cristopher Sánchez's pedestrian outing against the Washington Nationals, the Phillies need their two-time Cy Young runner-up to be the man to keep the Phillies' season alive past September.
Zack Wheeler's first step to Phillies recovery is Wednesday in Washington DC
The Phillies are facing a high level of uncertainty in their rotation, likely their high-water mark on the year. Sánchez has become wildly inconsistent since the end of his scoreless streak and Luzardo is out of the picture for now. Wheeler, who has struggled in fits and spurts, is firmly back in the spotlight. The Phillies need him to calm down the fanbase and just take care of business in the series finale on Wednesday and potentially solidify the minds of Phillies brass about who should pitch in Game 1 of the Wild Card series. The Nationals are not a great ball club, though they have a strong offense, and it's a perfect opportunity for Wheeler to silence some growing concern about the Phils' postseason chances. He just needs to go out and inject some confidence into this fanbase again as they cling to their playoff lives.
Wheeler has gone through his fair share of struggles since his return from Thoracic Outlet surgery last offseason. He's pitched to a 12-5 record, 3.14 ERA, and 172 strikeouts in 143 1/3 innings. He looked like the ace early in the year, but has stumbled with a 4.37 ERA over his last 13 starts. That also includes the eight earned runs he allowed on Aug. 24. He's allowed just one run in each of his last three outings, so perhaps the old Wheeler is here to take over as the staff's leader once again.
Wheeler has become one of the most trusted postseason pitchers this franchise has ever had. The now 36-year-old faced the possibility of even being the third starter, given how things were going just a few weeks ago. With how things are playing out now, Wheeler realistically could be the man the Phillies hand the ball to in Game 1 in Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, or anywhere else they end up. It all starts with the first pitch at 6:45 ET tonight in Washington.
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