 struck out seven over 5 1/3 innings in his first start since July 7 due to right shoulder fatigue - an issue he called an impingement. With contending teams watching closely, the right-hander averaged 96.8 mph on his fastball and looked sharp until Adam Frazier clocked a two-run homer in the sixth inning. Wheeler allowed three runs, six hits and no walks.McNeil hit a three-run homer, and Todd Frazier, Pete Alonso and Wilson Ramos added solo shots for the Mets. Alonso's homer was his 34th.Pirates rookie starter Dario Agrazal (2-1) got roughed up for the first time in his short big league career, and Pittsburgh dropped its sixth straight. The Pirates are 2-13 since the All-Star break.With Mets closer Edwin Diaz nursing a sore left big toe a day after being hit by a line drive, Seth Lugo pitched the ninth for his first save of the season.Wheeler, who can become a free agent after the season, expects to be dealt prior to the July 31 deadline and even has his bags packed at home. Manager Mickey Callaway acknowledged that Wheeler faced a ''difficult task'' tuning out the trade talk, but he expected the 29-year-old to lock in for game time.He looked sharp early, striking out leadoff hitter Corey Dickerson with a 98.2 mph fastball. Wheeler allowed a run in the second on two soft singles and Colin Moran's one-hopper that skipped off shortstop Amed Rosario's glove for an RBI infield single.Wheeler retired 12 straight before running into trouble in the sixth. Melky Cabrera led off with a single, and Adam Frazier drove a two-run shot to cut New York's lead to 4-3. Wheeler got an out and allowed a single to Josh Bell before being pulled after 73 pitches.Mets fans near the home dugout gave Wheeler a standing ovation as he walked off.Wheeler has experience with the deadline drama. Sunday will mark eight years since he was acquired from the San Francisco Giants for veteran outfielder Carlos Beltran.McNeil and Ramos each hit their 10th homers. Todd Frazier clubbed his 14th a day after ending a 1-for-18 skid with two hits.Agrazal was pulled after allowing Alonso's one-out homer in the sixth. He gave up five runs on three homers, and his ERA rose from 2.25 to 3.24 in his sixth career start.CHECKS OUTAs promised when he earned $1 million for winning the All-Star Home Run Derby, Alonso delivered checks for $50,000 each to representatives from the Wounded Warriors and Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers foundations before the game.DEADLINE ACQUISITION?McNeil video chatted with his wife pregame to ask her permission to bring home a rescued puppy brought to the ballpark by the North Shore Animal League. Discussions were expected to continue through the weekend.TRAINER'S ROOMPirates: Dickerson was pulled in the third with left groin discomfort.Mets: Diaz said he was feeling well and declared himself ready to pitch a day after taking a ball off his left big toe. X-rays were negative, and Diaz threw from 90 feet before the game without issue. Callaway said he wanted to speak with the medical staff pregame before deciding whether Diaz would be available. ... RHP Walker Lockett was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse to make space for Wheeler.UP NEXTMets LHP Steven Matz makes his third start since a brief stint in the bullpen. He pitched six innings of two-run ball against San Francisco in his previous outing.---Follow Jake Seiner: https://twitter.com/Jake-Seiner---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Mets welcome back Wheeler, who may last beyond start vs. PiratesFLMFor most of this week, it appeared as if Zack Wheeler would be the member of the New York Mets making a farewell start during the final homestand before the trade deadline.But it turns out Wheeler might be sticking around, and the goodbye start by a Mets pitcher might have taken place Wednesday, not Friday, when Wheeler is scheduled to come off the injured list and take the mound against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates in the opener of a three-game series.Wheeler (6-6, 4.69 ERA) is lined up to oppose Pirates rookie Dario Agrazal (2-0, 2.25) in a battle of right-handers.Both teams played at home Thursday afternoon; the Mets beat the San Diego Padres 4-0 in the rubber game of a three-game series and the Pirates suffered their fifth straight loss with a 6-3 setback to the St. Louis Cardinals.Wheeler will be pitching for the first time since July 7, when he took the loss after allowing six runs over five innings as the Mets fell to the Philadelphia Phillies 8-3 in the final game before the All-Star break. The 29-year-old was placed on the injured list eight days later due to a fatigued shoulder.The injury seemed to imperil the trade deadline plans of the Mets (47-55), who enter Friday's game with only the Pirates and the Miami Marlins further below .500 in the National League. Wheeler, due to reach free agency after the season, appeared to be New York's most attractive trade chip.But while Wheeler will make it back to the mound in time to audition one more time for potential suitors, he may not be the pitcher the Mets are looking to deal. On Thursday afternoon, multiple outlets reported New York might sign Wheeler to an extension and instead trade Wednesday's starter, Noah Syndergaard, who isn't eligible for free agency until after the 2021 season.Wheeler, who was also the subject of trade rumors last season before staying put, said he's not worried about where he might or might not be next week."I'm just going to try and go out there and get a win and concentrate on that," Wheeler told reporters after he threw batting practice Tuesday.The Pirates are solely focused on that, too, as they try to battle out of a potential season-ruining tailspin. Pittsburgh entered the All-Star break just 2 1/2 games out of first place in the NL Central and heading into a stretch in which it would play 10 of its first 13 second-half games against divisional foes.But the Pirates went just 2-11 in those games, including 1-9 against the NL Central."We haven't played winning baseball," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle told reporters following Thursday's game. "We haven't connected the dots. We haven't been able to get our hitting and our pitching and our defense all synced up." Agrazal didn't factor into the decision in his most recent start Sunday, when he gave up one run over six innings as the Pirates fell to the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-1 in 11 innings.Agrazal, who will be making his sixth career start, has never faced the Mets. Wheeler is 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA in three starts against the Pirates.--Field Level Media
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