#Phillies’ Zack Wheeler ‘carved up’ Mets in extra sweet outing

The added motivation was everywhere for Zack Wheeler on Sunday, from the pregame retirement of Roy Halladay’s No. 34 to the potential of a first-place solidifying weekend sweep, to shoving it again against his former team.

Wheeler positively “carved up” the Mets’ lineup — to use Pete Alonso’s phrasing — with a two-hit gem in a 3-0 win for the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

“I think I’ll always have that little chip on my shoulder [about the Mets]. We’re all human,” Wheeler said after the Phillies’ eighth straight win. “We know what time of year it is, we know who we’re playing and what’s at stake.

“When you’re in that position to get a sweep, you’re really bearing down, no matter who it is. But it’s my former team, so it feels a little better.”

The 31-year-old righty inked a five-year contract worth $118 million with the Phillies in December of 2019 after spending the previous seven years in the Mets’ organization. At the time of the signing, since-fired Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said he didn’t believe Wheeler was worth that contract, adding “the value for what we thought the investment was didn’t line up.”

After posting a career-best 2.92 ERA in 11 starts in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Wheeler has emerged as a viable Cy Young Award candidate this year. With Sunday’s 11-strikeout, 108-pitch domination of the Mets, Wheeler improved to 10-6 with a 2.42 ERA, while leading the majors with 156 innings pitched and 181 strikeouts.

“I would say that’s his best outing of the year,” Phillies manager Joe Girardi said. “On a day that you honor one of the greatest pitchers that I’ve witnessed pitch, he goes out and it was like Roy had his hand on him. He gives a Roy Halladay appearance today.

“I saw it right away. There was a little extra in him today. … God, was he good.”

Since the Mets plated four runs in the first inning against Wheeler on May 1, he has tossed 22 consecutive scoreless innings against them.

The only two hits the 2021 All-Star allowed Sunday were by Mets leadoff man Brandon Nimmo — a double in the first inning and a single in the ninth.

Wheeler retired 22 straight batters between Nimmo’s first hit and a walk to Michael Conforto in the eighth. It marked the most consecutive batters retired by a Phillies starter since Halladay’s perfect game against the Marlins in 2010.

“I knew when I walked Conforto that nobody had been on base for a while, but I didn’t know it was that many,” Wheeler said. “To do that on [Halladay’s] day, what can you say? Today was his day and I just tried to pitch like him.”

Wheeler now has posted three of his four career complete games and two of his three shutouts this season. He has worked at least seven innings in 15 of his 23 starts.

“Just vintage Wheeler out there, doing his thing,” said Bryce Harper, who belted one of the Phillies’ three solo homers. “He’s our horse. He goes out there and tries to throw as many pitches and innings as possible. … I’m not shocked the way he went out there and dominated.

“And if Nimmo doesn’t get those two hits, we’re talking about something else.”