Once upon a time, former Phillie Adam Eaton injured himself and missed a start. That was opening a pack of CDs he received in the mail. These days, Columbia House is no more, but the Phillies apparently have suffered an injury along those lines. This time, it's not a pack of CDs, but a zipper.
According to Phillies manager Joe Girardi, who spoke to the media after the Phillies lost to the Miami Marlins Thursday night, Zack Wheeler is going to miss a start:
Zack Wheeler has been pushed back to Monday. Has an issue with the nail on his middle finger. Caught nail putting on pants. Nola in Game 1 tomorrow. Bullpen game in Game 2. Spencer Howard will pitch Saturday. Eflin and Velasquez will pitch doubleheader Sunday.
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) September 11, 2020
Middle finger. How appropriate.
The Phillies lost game one of the seven-game series to the Marlins after starter Jake Arrieta rebounded from a putrid first inning. This time, Phillies reliever Tommy Hunter loaded the bases in the eighth inning. But as quickly as Hunter loaded the bases, Brandon Workman cleared them to erase a 6-3 Phillies lead.
The Phillies would have had to use the bullpen for one game coming up. If Wheeler was not bumped back three days to the 14th, that day would have been a bullpen game. The Phillies could have pitched Spencer Howard and Aaron Nola Friday instead. The Phillies bullpen probably could not handle an entire game, so a seven-inning game is probably best. So maybe this actually oddly helps the Phillies.
So hopefully Nola pitches a full seven in one of the two games. The other one? Anyone's guess. So while Wheeler's middle finger screws up Friday, at least he will be around on Monday to pitch for the Phillies.
