Compared to what he did as a rookie, Mets starting pitcher Zack Wheeler shouldn't be struggling as much as he has this season. His walk, strikeout and home run rates are all improved compared to last season, but the second-year right hander is just 2-7 with a 4.38 ERA through 14 starts.
The poor outcomes are beginning to irk the 24-year-old pitcher, according to Newsday.
"I feel like this whole year, it has been nothing but hits like that one against the pitcher or hits in the hole and it's just getting frustrating," Wheeler said.
It seems luck is playing a big factor in Wheeler's struggles. He has a .335 BABIP through 14 starts, per FanGraphs.com. The league average for starters is .296 and Wheeler had a .279 BABIP last season.
Wheeler's groundball rate has also increased from 43.2 percent to 55.1 percent, while lowering his line-drive rate from 23.5 percent to 17.8 percent.
"When you have good strikeout numbers and a very good groundball rate, that usually means you have good everything else," Wheeler said. "But it hasn't happened that way for me."