Zack Wheeler gave up just three hits in seven innings in the Mets’ 7-3 win over the Giants on Thursday, but two of them left the park.
The right-hander has now allowed homers in five straight outings — the longest stretch of his career. And during that span, opponents have gone deep eight times against him.
Like many other pitchers this season, Wheeler has seen the home run rate soar and doesn’t quite know what to do about it.
“I was thinking about that after I came out, every fly ball [they hit], I was staying out there on the mound because I didn’t know if it was gonna go out today or not,’’ Wheeler said. “There have been a couple questionable home runs. You can’t really say anything. You’ve just got to go out and pitch and try to get outs.”
For the most part, Wheeler did that well — albeit against a bad Giants team.
San Francisco had just one base runner against Wheeler through three innings — and that was when Wheeler drilled opposing starter Shaun Anderson.
Mike Yastrzemski — grandson of Carl — led off the fourth with an infield single before Brandon Belt hit one out to left-center to tie the game at 2-2.
With one out in the sixth, Pablo Sandoval crushed a 3-2 pitch out to right to give the Giants a 3-2 lead.
Wheeler said he left both pitches over the plate, but even normal fly balls are not sure outs anymore.
“You try not to blame it on [anything], but when you’re making your pitches and guys are putting the bat on the ball and it’s going a long way, you get kind of frustrated,’’ Wheeler said. “You can’t let it get to you mentally. You keep making your pitches and try to get ground balls. … That’s the big key these days.’’
Wheeler allowed just 14 homers in 182 ¹/₃ innings a year ago, and he’s already given up 11 in just 84 innings this season. He had allowed three home runs in his first eight outings of the season.
“If he only gives up three [home runs] the rest of the way, we’ll be OK, which he’s definitely capable of doing,’’ Mickey Callaway said with a laugh. “Pitchers go through these [stretches]. It’ll straighten itself out.”
Wheeler did allow just three homers over his last 11 starts last season — when he went on a terrific run to close out the season, going 9-1 with a 1.68 ERA in 75 innings.
Other than the two shots by Belt and Sandoval, Wheeler was excellent.
He retired the first eight batters he faced and nine of his last 11 in a 107-pitch outing. It was his fourth straight start in which Wheeler has completed seven innings and while his ERA is higher than what he or the Mets would want, it’s a season-low 4.61.
“I felt a lot better today,’’ Wheeler said. “Just with my body and mechanics, I was there. … Except for the two home runs.”
