Phillies need legendary Zack Wheeler performance in NLCS Game 5

PHOENIX — After a crushing Game 4 loss that saw the Philadelphia Phillies bullpen melt down and allow the Arizona Diamondbacks to pull even in the NLCS, there was no shortage of postgame talking points.

• Rob Thomson gave Craig Kimbrel a vote of confidence, but did acknowledge when pressed that he and pitching coach Caleb Cotham will discuss whether it makes sense to use the nine-time All-Star in lower-leverage situations for the time being.

• José Alvarado said — through interpreter Diego Ettedgui — that he will “for sure” be available for Game 5 Saturday, despite pitching in back-to-back games and having had two stints on the injured list with elbow issues this season.

• With a taxed bullpen, Thomson said “he could be” when asked whether Ranger Suárez would be an option out of the bullpen Saturday. That would put the Phillies in a dicey situation for a potential Game 7 on Tuesday, however.

All those relevant nuggets aside, the reality facing the Phillies in Game 5 is simple: They need a legendary performance from Zack Wheeler.

Even if Thomson is indeed willing to use Alvarado and Jeff Hoffman for the third consecutive day, it’s fair to wonder if the effectiveness for either will wane with such a heavy workload. One would think that Michael Lorenzen and Taijuan Walker are more likely to pitch in relief in Game 5 than Kimbrel or struggling rookie Orion Kerkering, and Thomson hasn’t been especially eager to turn to either one this October.

However you slice it, the Phillies are going to be really thin out of the bullpen in a Game 5 that they need to have. Usually when you talk about “needing length” from your starter, it’s a game in July after a doubleheader. But in this case, the Phillies need not only dominance, but a good amount of innings from their ace.

And even after losing consecutive games in Arizona, there is confidence from the Phillies that Wheeler will be the stopper Saturday.

“For me, every game in the postseason is a must-win, so we wouldn’t want anybody else on the mound tomorrow,” catcher J.T. Realmuto said postgame.

“I mean, Wheels is our guy. He’s thrown the ball great for us all year. They have a great guy going as well [Zac Gallen], so it should be a good game.”

Wheeler did speak Friday afternoon at Chase Field before Game 4, and an answer he gave in regards to how he feels about the increased use of openers in the sport now feels especially relevant.

“Flip a coin, right? If you have the guys to do it, I guess it’s fine,” Wheeler said when asked about whether he thinks openers are good or bad for baseball.

“It does wear on your bullpen a little bit. But like we were just talking about, it’s part of the game these days. I can only control myself.

“I think maybe that makes myself put a little more pride into going deeper into games so I can allow that to happen and everybody be comfortable with it later after my start,” Wheeler continued. “You know, sometimes I’ve had the opener the game before me, and so the next day I’m, like, alright, I have to go seven or eight to save the guys.”

Saturday, the Phillies need Wheeler to go seven or eight to potentially save their season. So far this postseason, Wheeler is 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA across 19 innings, so there is reason to be optimistic, however bleak things may seem for the Phillies right now.

Over the last two postseasons, Wheeler has a 2.63 ERA and a minuscule 0.70 WHIP in nine starts. He’s probably already in the discussion for being one of the better postseason pitchers in recent memory. With a dominant performance Saturday, he’ll kick the door in and force his way into the conversation about greatest postseason pitchers of all time, while putting the Phillies on the brink of a World Series trip.

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