Zack Wheeler reveals how natural forces influence his pitching mechanics

Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler is back doing his usual things - putting a quality start and place his team in the best position to win. On Thursday, Wheeler faced the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. He pitched six innings, allowing two hits and one earned run, walking two while striking out eight hitters.

It was a midday game at Nationals Park, and a veteran pitcher like Wheeler knows how to take advantage of the situation. As the shadows creep in between the mound and the hitter's plate, it's almost uncomfortable to hit.

After the game, Zack Wheeler acknowledged that shadows, often a hitter's worst nightmare, can give pitchers a distinct edge. Wheeler explained how he tries to use the conditions to his advantage:

"Yeah, you try to make quick innings so you can try to get back out there as soon as possible and take advantage of those.

"Same thing in the playoffs last year, I was trying to get back out there as soon as I could and just take advantage of those shadows. You hear our guys talking and stuff, so a lot of fastballs and, like I said, just trying to take advantage."

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Zack Wheeler's quality start followed by thrilling extra innings win for Phillies

Despite an impressive outing from Zack Wheeler, the Phillies needed extra innings to get the win. It was a pitching duel at Nationals Park, with MacKenzie Gore delivering a performance for the ages.

Despite facing the likes of Bryce Harper and Trea Turner, Gore pitched six shutout innings, allowing only one hit, striking out 13 hitters. It was only after he had left that the Phillies offense caught some fire.

After Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz homered in the fifth inning, Bryce Harper tied the game with a solo shot to center field in the seventh inning. Kyle Schwarber also pulled one over right center to make it a 2-1 ball game. In the eighth, Max Kepler came around to score on a wild pitch.

The Nationals tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom half of the eighth inning, thanks to CJ Abrams and a RBI single from Luis Garcia Jr.

The game remained tied after the end of regulation. In the 10th, the Phillies offense exploded for four runs, thanks to a two-run RBI double from Alec Bohm and a two-run RBI triple from JT Realmuto to make it 7-3.

There was no coming back for the Nationals from there as Zack Wheeler and Co. took the Opening Day game on the road.