Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler picked up the loss in his season debut Thursday against the Nationals.
Wheeler didn't pitch all that poorly, but was destroyed by Ryan Zimmerman. Zimmerman accounted for three hits against Wheeler, including a solo home run in the second inning. Other than that, Wheeler seemed to have some good stuff working. He struck out six batters in his first three innings.
Wheeler also cruised through the fourth relatively unscathed, but ran into some issues in the fifth. Singles by Denard Span and Jayson Werth put the Nationals ahead 3-2. Wheeler was able to pitch around two hits in the sixth, and was pulled following the inning. He was allowed to throw 114 pitches in his first start.
Wheeler allowed seven hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out six and gave up three earned runs. Wheeler's next start will come against the Braves.