Game One Pitching Preview
Red October
The playoff drought has ended. Phinally! The time we have all been waiting for. Playoff baseball. The Phillies haven’t been in the playoffs since 2011. Honestly, it hasn’t felt like meaningful baseball has been played since then. Yes, they have almost snuck in the last few years, but by late September, they were already out of contention. But none of that matters anymore. We have playoff baseball in Philadelphia.
Game 1 takes place on Friday, October 7th. The first pitch is scheduled at 2:07 eastern time. Zach Wheeler hits the bump for the Phillies, opposite Jose Quintana for the Cardinals. Now lets take a look at both starting pitchers.
Jose Quintana
Quintana is 6-7 on the year, with a 2.93 ERA. He has started 32 games on the year, pitching a total of 165.2 innings. Quintana had 137 strikeouts with 47 walks.
It seems like the Cardinals are going with a lefty to target the lefties in this Phillies line-up. I see Schwarber and Harper as the primary targets for this decision. I understand starting a lefty, but I hope we can throw out match-ups in a series like this. The better players need to step up, and I see both Schwarber and Harper having a good series no matter how many lefties they throw at them.
Last Three Starts
In his last three starts Quintant was 1-1 with a no decision. In those last three starts he has gone 6.2 innings, 5, and 3 innings. Over those games he has given up 10 hits and only one run. I can’t say I have watched Quintana pitch over the last few weeks, but he has put up good numbers for the Cardinals. There is a reason they took over the NL Central and pulled away from the Brewers.
Zach Wheeler
Wheeler is 12-7 on the year, with a 2.82 ERA. He started 26 games on the year, pitching a total of 153 innings. Wheeler had 163 strikeouts with 34 walks.
This has been an interesting season for Wheeler. The Phillies struggled to win games with Nola and Wheeler all year. Still, their numbers don’t reflect how well they pitched all season. So, in theory, the Phillies have the advantage in the pitching match-up.
Last Three Starts
In his last three starts Wheeler was also 1-1 with a no decision. In those three starts he has gone 4 innings, 6 innings, and 5 innings. Over those games he has given up 9 hits and only one run. Wheeler has pitched well after coming off the injured list. This is the exact reason Wheeler was put on the injury list. To start this game healthy and well rested. Although Wheeler has had a good year he hasn’t seemed to reach the level he was at last season. At this point, it doesn’t matter anymore; we just need Zach to be Zach.
I’m confident he will show up and be the Zach Wheeler we know he can be. If the Phillies want to win this series, taking game one is the first step. The time is now to take revenge for 2011. We finally have a red October, but no guarantee of a game in South Philly. The Phillies need to win this series to give us a home playoff game.
Overview
Both pitchers have been good all year. Both pitchers have been solid recently. Now is the time of year pitching needs to take over. There is no doubt that Wheeler is the better pitcher. The Phillies should and will win this game on the back of Zach Wheeler and timely hitting. The return of playoff baseball will come with a win, as the Phillies take a 1-0 lead in this series.
Photo Credit: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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