New York Mets: Zack Wheeler Struggles in Long-Awaited Return

Zack Wheeler made his long-awaited return to the New York Mets. However, his return to the majors didn’t go too well.

The New York Mets got off to a good start in the first inning, as Curtis Granderson provided the team with some clutch two-out hitting. An opposite field base hit scored Asdrubal Cabrera for the first run of the game.

After a strong first inning for Zack Wheeler, he ran into some trouble in the third inning. The Marlins were able to score three runs on some hard hit balls. The big blow was a triple by Derek Dietrich that scored two runs.

Unfortunately for Wheeler, things didn’t get better in the third inning, as Christian Yelich hit a two-run home run to extend the lead. Wheeler’s return didn’t last long, as he was only able to pitch four innings. Even though the results weren’t good, it was great to see Wheeler back after a long recovery.

Things didn’t improve for the Mets after Wheeler left, as Josh Smoker got smoked in relief. In the fifth inning, Smoker loaded up the bases and then allowed two RBI singles to give the Marlins a very comfortable lead.

A lot of credit has to go to Wei-Yin Chen of the Marlins in the win. He pitched very well on a cold night in New York. In his first win of the season, Chen allowed just one run in six innings of work. The Mets were able to get eight base-runners against Chen. However, he did an excellent job spacing them out to avoid trouble.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Yoenis Cespedes was able hit his first home run of the season. On a tough night to drive the ball, Cespedes showed off his power.

Next: Takeaways from Braves Series

Next up for the Mets will be the second game of the series against the Marlins. Robert Gsellman will be making his first start of the season on Saturday evening.