The Mets have known all along that at some point this season, they would have to limit pitcher Zack Wheeler’s innings in deference to his right elbow, after Wheeler had Tommy John surgery in 2015 and took nearly two years to recover.
Manager Terry Collins has said several times this season that exactly how and when those limits would be enacted had yet to be determined.
But on Tuesday, the Chicago Cubs did their part to help Wheeler limit his innings.
The Cubs shot out to an 8-1 lead — mostly behind a seven-run second inning that lasted more than 30 minutes — before Wheeler could get six outs.