Wheeler, Skenes Square Off as Phillies Chase 2.5-Game NL East Gap

Q: One year after their epic duel, which pitcher's career is now on a better trajectory: Paul Skenes or Zack Wheeler?

Paul Skenes is on the better long-term trajectory one year later. The key difference is age, health, and direction of performance. Skenes is still only 24 and already has a Cy Young on his résumé. The added reporting says he has continued to pitch at a historically elite level in 2026, with underlying metrics that are even better than his award-winning 2025 season. He has been described as one of the hardest starters in baseball to hit, with top-tier strikeout, walk, and WHIP numbers, and no major health setback clouding his outlook. Wheeler remains excellent, and in the short term he may still be the safer bet to win a big game. His 2025 season was outstanding before it was interrupted by a blood clot and thoracic outlet surgery, and his 2026 return has been impressive. Reports indicate he has largely regained his form, posting ace-level results after surgery and showing the resilience that has defined his career. But trajectory is not just about current quality; it is about where a career is headed. Wheeler is 36 and coming off a serious procedure that naturally raises questions about durability and how long he can stay at his peak. Skenes, by contrast, is ascending, healthy, and already producing at a level that suggests he could define the next era of frontline pitching. So while Wheeler’s comeback is one of baseball’s best stories, Skenes has the stronger career arc from this point forward.

Q: A year after his blood clot surgery, has Zack Wheeler regained the dominant form that defined his 2025 season?

Yes. A year after surgery for a blood clot and thoracic outlet syndrome, Zack Wheeler has clearly returned to ace form, and the evidence suggests he has matched or even exceeded the level he showed before the injury interrupted his 2025 season. Before the August 2025 diagnosis, Wheeler was one of the National League’s best pitchers, posting a 2.71 ERA over 149.2 innings with 195 strikeouts and earning All-Star and All-MLB honors. The concern entering 2026 was whether he could fully recover after missing the start of the season and showing reduced velocity during rehab. Since returning to the Phillies on April 25, 2026, Wheeler has answered that question emphatically. Through 12 starts and 75.1 innings, he is 8-1 with a 2.03 ERA, a 0.86 WHIP and 74 strikeouts, while opponents are batting just .176 against him. Philadelphia has gone 10-2 in his starts, underscoring his impact on a contending club. The shape of his dominance has changed slightly. His average fastball is a bit lower than in 2025, and his strikeout rate is down, but he has compensated with command, efficiency and pitch mix, including greater use of his splitter. That has allowed him to keep working deep into games at an elite level. Taken together, Wheeler’s 2026 performance shows he has not merely recovered from surgery; he has re-established himself as one of baseball’s top starters.

Q: Did signing an injury-plagued Marcell Ozuna prove to be a successful gamble for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2026?

No. Through early July 2026, Marcell Ozuna has not justified the Pirates’ gamble. Pittsburgh signed Ozuna after his injury-affected 2025 season, betting that a healthier version of the former Braves slugger could restore the middle-of-the-order power he showed in 2023 and 2024. Instead, his 2026 production has been well below expectations. Multiple reports cited him hitting below .200 deep into the season, with a weak OPS in the .500s to low .600s, limited home-run output, and negative WAR. He opened with a severe slump, lost regular playing time, and at times was benched. That underperformance mattered because Ozuna was signed to fill a narrow role. As a DH-only player and defensive non-factor, his value depended almost entirely on his bat. When the offense did not come, the contract looked costly for a Pirates club that does not spend freely. Analysts described him as one of the team’s biggest problems and a major reason an otherwise solid offseason was viewed less favorably. There were small positives. Ozuna reached 300 career home runs and some underlying metrics suggested his struggles may have been more about timing than total skill collapse. Pirates officials also publicly praised his clubhouse presence and did not immediately give up on him. But the question is whether the gamble worked. Based on his results to this point in 2026, it has not. The hoped-for bounce-back has not materialized, and the signing has largely been viewed as a miss.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 1

Zack Wheeler and Paul Skenes headline what the report calls the day’s top pitching matchup, with the betting focus on a low-scoring first five innings.
Wheeler brings an 8-1 record, 2.03 ERA and 0.86 WHIP, and Philadelphia has won 10 of his 12 starts; he also threw seven scoreless innings against Pittsburgh in May.
Skenes enters at 6-7 with a 3.10 ERA and 0.97 WHIP, but the Pirates have lost his last eight starts, including one against the Phillies in which he allowed five runs over five innings.
Philadelphia’s broader form strengthens the matchup’s stakes: the Phillies are 48-38 after a 9-19 start and sit 2.5 games behind Atlanta in the division race.
Pittsburgh is hovering at .500 and 10.5 games back in the NL Central, leaving little margin as it tries to stay relevant in the Wild Card chase.