The Mets removed starting pitcher Zack Wheeler after only 99 pitches Sunday at Cincinnati, the fewest he had thrown in 13 starts. According to the New York Post the Mets try to limit Wheeler to 110 pitches or so per start, but he had topped that in four of his previous five. In particular, the 335 pitches he threw over his final three starts in August caught the attention of the front office.
Wheeler is now at 170 1/3 innings, 1 2/3 more than he threw last season. As of now, the Mets have no plans to shut him down, but they may be extra cognizant of his pitch count going forward.
"We're trying to keep a close eye on him," manager Terry Collins said. "We've got to finish the season with this guy healthy. He's shown way too much promise here and we cannot go into (next) season with a sore shoulder or sore elbow."
Wheeler has indeed shown great promise this year, particularly in his last 13 starts. He has a 2.21 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 8.6 strikeouts per nine innings during that stretch.