Zack Wheeler, Zac Gallen say they’ll be ready to pitch when Phillies, D’backs decide NLCS in Game 7

Neither starter has ever pitched in relief in the majors, but Tuesday's winner-take-all Game 7 means it's "all hands on deck" for both teams.

Zack Wheeler will be ready to pitch in Game 7 if manager Rob Thomson calls on him.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

by Matt Breen

Published Oct. 23, 2023, 10:23 p.m. ET

Zack Wheeler threw 99 pitches on Saturday night. Zac Gallen fired 93. But both aces said they’ll be ready to pitch Tuesday on two days rest if their teams need them with the National League pennant on the line.

Neither pitcher has ever pitched in relief in the majors, but both Phillies manager Rob Thomson and Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Tuesday’s Game 7 of the National League Championship Series calls for “all hands on deck.”

Wheeler and Gallen are both scheduled to throw bullpen sessions Tuesday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, which they would skip in exchange for exhausting those pitches in a must-win game. Wheeler said his bullpen sessions range between 25 and 40 pitches. Gallen said his bullpen sessions range between 30 and 40 pitches.

“Bullpens are usually a good day for me for some reason,” Wheeler said after the Phillies lost Game 6, 5-1. “If he asks me to do it, I’ll be down, for sure.”

Gallen, who grew up in South Jersey and started Games 1 and 5 for the D’backs, said he last pitched on short rest in college at North Carolina after failing to finish the first inning as a freshman against rival Duke. He threw just five of his 19 pitches for strikes while walking two batters and hitting two before being pulled. Gallen returned two days later and pitched into the fourth inning against UNC-Wilmington.

“A little bigger stage, little brighter lights,” Gallen said. “Probably be a little more adrenaline. … Whatever they ask. If it’s three batters, whatever it is. I’ll come to the field ready to pitch [Tuesday].”

The final game of the NLCS could come down to bullpen management and both teams have shown a willingness this month to be aggressive. Using an ace for high-leverage outs would fit that mold.

Lovullo pulled Merrill Kelly from Game 6 after five innings. Kelly had just struck out Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. He was at 90 pitches and believed he had another inning left. Instead, Lovullo waited to shake his hand when the pitcher returned to the dugout after finishing the inning.

“I just don’t like ever coming out of a game. That’s partly just me being stubborn. Also partly just the situation,” Kelly said. “... And in that situation in LCS Game 6, I want to be out there and help my team win. And that’s kind of my mentality. We had a conversation after that inning. He kind of broke down why it was that he took me out and the reason behind it, and at the end of the day, I trust my bullpen. It’s not about me not trusting who is coming in behind me. It’s just me trusting myself, I think.”

The decision worked, just as it did in Game 3 when Lovullo pulled Brandon Pfaadt — Arizona’s Game 7 starter — after just 70 pitches. Lovullo made both quick hooks knowing that he would be the target if the bullpens faltered.

“I feel like he’s done it all postseason, during the season as well,” said D’backs outfielder Corbin Carroll. “You have to give him credit. He’s going with how he feels. That hasn’t come back to bite us yet. I think some of the guys who have played in the postseason a little longer than me have talked about the momentum of the postseason and how it’s important to not kill that by maybe taking a pitcher out who is doing well, but I think he’s threaded that needle pretty well and we have to give him a lot of credit.”

Thomson’s bullpen usage was critiqued in Game 4 when he lifted Cristopher Sánchez in the third inning and went back to Craig Kimbrel and Orion Kerkering despite their struggles a night earlier.

But his management was praised in Game 1 of the NLDS against Atlanta when he lifted Sánchez after 53 pitches. He used six relievers for 16 outs. The bullpen didn’t allow a run. Every decision that night carried so much weight. And those decisions will be even more important on Tuesday. This time, Thompson will have an ace in his hand. So will the D’backs.

“Anything can happen in Game 7. It’s wide open. It’s a crapshoot,” Lovullo said before Game 6. “Getting there is really important, so we have that all-in mentality. We didn’t come cross-country to get our ass kicked.”