Phillies’ Zack Wheeler gets to work on a splitter in his spring debut against the Orioles

Trying to alter his look against lefties, who batted 67 points higher against him last year, Wheeler broke out the splitter three times against Baltimore.

Zack Wheeler, shown during a spring training workout on Feb. 14, worked on a new pitch against the Orioles on Tuesday.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer

by Scott Lauber

Published Mar. 5, 2024, 4:10 p.m. ET

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Zack Wheeler thought he could sneak in a 40-pitch bullpen session last week before the birth of his third child. But his wife went into labor on the morning he was scheduled to throw.

What’s a Phillies ace to do?

“I dropped her off, came here, threw a bullpen, then rushed back,” Wheeler said Tuesday after his first Grapefruit League start, one week after welcoming his daughter, Winter. “She was nice enough to let me come in. I’m grateful for her being understanding about it.”

Hey, Wheeler needed the reps. He’s trying to incorporate a new pitch — a splitter, to alter his look against left-handed hitters — and didn’t want to just set it aside during his three-day paternity leave.

In his spring debut at BayCare Ballpark, a 3-2 loss to the Orioles in which he allowed one run, Wheeler threw three splitters, all to lefties. Heston Kjerstad fouled off the first; Kyle Stowers swung through the second. The third skipped past catcher J.T. Realmuto and went to the backstop.

“The [second] one was really good,” Wheeler said. “Got a swing-and-miss like I wanted, and the shape looked great. It’s just getting it consistent, just throwing it a lot more.”

With or without the new pitch, Wheeler is among the top handful of pitchers in the majors — and the recipient this week of a three-year, $126 million contract extension that will give him the highest annual salary ($42 million) in Phillies history beginning in 2025.

But there’s always room for improvement. Lefties hit .261/.310/.412 against him last season, compared with righties’ .194/.235/.313 slash line.

At first, Wheeler and pitching coach Caleb Cotham discussed throwing more changeups to lefties. But Wheeler said Cotham decided his arm action wasn’t as conducive to the changeup, so they settled on trying a splitter.

“It just opens up the book a little more to lefties,” Wheeler said. “I think it’ll just put me over the top and hopefully get a Cy Young. That’s what I want to do. If I can take care of lefties like I do righties, hopefully that’ll take care of itself.“

Said Realmuto: “I’m all for it. Same thing as last year. He was talking to me all offseason about working on the sweeper. It was kind of a learning curve for that pitch. He got better and better as the season went, and it became one of his go-to pitches.”

Wheeler faced four lefties in two innings against the Orioles. He gave up a leadoff double on a slider to top prospect Jackson Holliday and an RBI single on a fastball to Colton Cowser in the first inning. He struck out Kjerstad on a fastball in the second before getting Stowers on a backdoor cutter.

“If you keep the same bag of tools all the time, they’re going to know what you throw in certain counts a lot,” Wheeler said. “You just start mixing stuff up as you go, try to stay fresh and new instead of being here in the big leagues for a while and keeping the same repertoire.”

On the mound: Max Castillo, a right-hander who is being stretched out as a depth starter in triple A, tossed three scoreless innings in relief of Wheeler. He hasn’t allowed a run in five innings this spring.

“Tremendous,” manager Rob Thomson said. “A lot of location, a lot of soft contact. He’s really got good stuff. Slider’s good, changeup’s really good to the lefties. He’s impressive.”

At the plate: Jake Cave, who is vying for a spot on the bench, went 2-for-2 with an RBI single. He’s off to a 4-for-11 start. … Realmuto and Trea Turner both doubled. … With a virus going through the clubhouse, Nick Castellanos was scratched from the original lineup.

Quotable: ”I hung a slider right down the middle, and he did what you’re supposed to do with it. It’s impressive being that young. He’s obviously got the power to go with it. He’s a pretty good player.” — Wheeler on facing 20-year-old Holliday, the top prospect in baseball.

On deck: After a day off, the Phillies will make the 96-mile ride Thursday to Port Charlotte, Fla., for a 1:05 p.m. game against the Rays. Aaron Nola will make his third spring start.