The Philadelphia Phillies will hand the ball over to Zack Wheeler for Game 6 of the World Series against the Houston Astros. Regardless of the outcome of Game 5, Wheeler will make the biggest start of his career in Game 6, as he will either have an opportunity to help Philadelphia clinch a World Series win or be in need of a potent outing to force a winner-take-all matchup on Sunday.

Due to the postponement of Game 3 on Monday, Wheeler will have an extra day to prepare to once again face the Astros. Not much went his way in Game 2 last Saturday, as he allowed four earned runs in 5.0 innings pitched.

From J.T. Realmuto’s standpoint, as he touched on during a press conference on Thursday, that extra day of rest will be quite vital for the right-hander.

“I think quite a bit honestly,” Realmuto said. “I think the numbers kind of speak for themselves with how well he's pitched, not just this season, but his entire career with that extra day. I think it helps most starting pitchers, just that extra day of rest.

“I don't know I've never been a starting pitcher, so I don't know exactly how to define it, but they always seem to do a lot better and feel a lot better with that extra day.”

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Wheeler has been a much more effective pitcher when provided with more rest in between starts. Over the regular season this year, he made five starts with six or more days of rest, and he posted a 1.67 ERA in those appearances.

In the big picture, Realmuto has plenty of confidence in the one-time All-Star heading into Saturday’s contest, even as the veteran hurler has had velocity issues as of late.

“Zack's a competitor,” Realmuto said. “Even in his starts this season, when his velo hasn't necessarily been as high as it always is, he always competes for us. He's got the stuff to get the job done. Whether his velo is at 98 or not, he's got, as long as he's got his command and then he's able to attack the strike zone and work ahead of hitters, I'm not too worried about the velo.”

For now, the Phillies are looking to take a 3-2 series lead over the Astros in Game 5.