It’s Zack, with a “K.”
That’s just the easiest way to remember the correct spelling of Zack Wheeler’s first name, along with his optimum pitching style.
On a seasonably cool Friday night in Flushing, the Mets right-hander cranked up the heat and delivered in a 3-2 victory over the Cubs that snapped his team’s three-game losing streak.
Wheeler struck out 10 batters — reaching double figures for the third time in his career — on a night he allowed two earned runs on four hits and four walks over 6 ²/₃ innings, throwing a career-high 120 pitches.
Manager Terry Collins wanted to give Wheeler a chance to get through the seventh — the pitcher had announced before the inning his intention to finish seven — but pulled the plug after Chris Coghlan walked with two outs.
Just Wheeler’s mentality of wanting to finish the inning impressed the manager.
“That is the kind of bulldog I think he is becoming,” Collins said.
Eric Campbell’s three-run homer off Travis Wood in the fourth provided the Mets (58-65) with their offense after they were limited to four runs in the three-game sweep by the Nationals.
Wheeler (8-8) departed with two outs in the seventh Friday and watched Vic Black get the final out in the inning before Jeurys Familia and Jenrry Mejia worked a scoreless frame apiece.
For Wheeler, it marked the ninth straight start in which he lasted at least six innings and allowed three runs or fewer. Over that stretch he is 5-0 with a 2.09 ERA, and has emerged as the staff ace.
“I’ve been able to keep my walks down and go right after guys,” Wheeler said. “My command is a little bit better, my stuff is a little bit better with my mechanics, so I’m just repeating everything and being more consistent.”
Starlin Castro’s RBI single in the third put the Mets in a 2-0 hole after Anthony Rizzo had brought in a run with a groundout. Wheeler walked the pitcher Wood leading off the inning to start the Cubs’ rally.
But Campbell’s three-run homer in the fourth gave the Mets a 3-2 lead. David Wright and Lucas Duda walked in succession against Wood to begin the inning before Campbell cleared the left-field fence with one out for his second homer of the season.
“[Wood] was struggling with his command that inning, so I figured if he’s going to throw a strike it’s probably going to be something toward the middle and get it over,” Campbell said. “He left one over the plate and I got the barrel out there.”
Before the game, Collins pointed to Campbell’s production as the reason Matt den Dekker is not playing against lefties.
“When we decided to make this move, one of the reasons was we wanted to get Eric Campbell in there against left-handed pitchers,” Collins said, referring to den Dekker’s recall from Triple-A Las Vegas after Chris Young was designated for assignment.
“We also wanted to get Lucas Duda in against left-handed pitching. I’ve applied to try to get a 10th player out there, but unfortunately it hasn’t been [approved] yet. We decided when we brought [den Dekker] here that we were going to platoon him.”
Collins would like to think the rookie Campbell can continue providing pop from the right side.
“When he starts hitting homers, he’s going to be coming in my office asking for days off,” Collins said. “That is what’s going to keep him in the lineup, is showing that kind of power, because he’s a big guy and if he starts driving the ball consistently, he’s going to get a lot of playing time.”