Did Phillies Ace Zack Wheeler Cost Himself Cy Young Award on Mother's Day?

It was a rough outing for the Philadelphia Phillies' ace, but what it enough to take him out of the National League Cy Young race?

Apr 14, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies were feeling great about themselves entering the series finale against the Miami Marlins on Sunday with an opportunity to sweep.

It had been a dominant showing from MLB's best team through the first two games and it seemed like a foregone conclusion they would get another win with their ace Zack Wheeler on the mound.

One thing that has hurt the Phillies and their elite right-hander this season is the lack of run support he's gotten at times this year when he's on the mound.

That wasn't the case early as Philadelphia led 3-0 before Wheeler even stepped onto the field.

But, that came raveling apart when the Marlins took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of third inning on Josh Bell's 411-foot three-run bomb to center field. More damage was landed the following frame when Miami scored two more runs after Wheeler gave up two hits, including an RBI triple, and hit a batter who scored on a sacrifice fly.

The Phillies pulled their ace after four innings following him allowing six earned runs on six hits.

It was a rare, poor outing for Wheeler which took his sensational 1.64 ERA up to a 2.53.

That is still elite by all metrics, however, when having this type of performance on his resume against one of the worst teams in the MLB, did that just cost him a chance to win the NL Cy Young award?

The short answer would be no.

Plenty of pitchers during the long season will also have plenty of stinkers that voters can point out. Wheeler didn't do so much damage that he can't recover from this, either.

With a 2.53 ERA that is likely to shrink over his next couple outings, he'll still be firmly in the mix if he can continue pitching well.

Philadelphia's offense also came to the rescue of their ace as they tied up the game at six in the sixth inning that took Wheeler off the hook for the loss.

The Phillies ultimately lost in extra innings, however, unable to complete their sweep.

As far as Wheeler's Cy Young chances are concerned, perhaps the only thing standing in his way is his teammate Ranger Suarez who continues to be sensational and holds an ERA of 1.50, the second-lowest in all of baseball among starting pitchers.