Zach Wheeler Will Start for Phillies vs. Dodgers Thursday

The Philadelphia Phillies will have one of their top starting pitchers back on the mound when they open up a four-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night.

Zack Wheeler will get the ball at Dodger Stadium after a short stint on the COVID-19 list. On Sunday, Wheeler was given that specific injured list designation, so it’s safe to assume the soon-to-be 32-year-old did not test positive for the virus. The more likely scenario is he potentially came into some kind of contact with someone who tested positive or was around someone that did.

The ultimate result is that Wheeler ended up getting a few extra days off to work out his slow start to the season, which he seemed to be coming out of before this IL placement.

In his last start, the Georgia native tossed 7.2 innings of shutout ball and allowed just six hits with seven strikeouts. His gem against the Texas Rangers was Wheeler’s second straight game, where he kept his opponent off the scoreboard. This pair of dominant performances came after the former New York Met saw his ERA balloon to 8.53 after his first three starts.

Through three and a half innings, Wheeler’s squad is holding a 4-1 lead in Seattle. Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook for a live line on the game and look for odds for Wheeler’s start against LA later tonight.