Phillies vs. Dodgers: Picks, predictions, how to watch Thursday’s game

The Philadelphia Phillies and LA Dodgers square off on Thursday with first pitch set for 10:10 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. The Phillies will have Zack Wheeler (1-3, 4.10 ERA) on the mound to open up the series, while the Dodgers will go with Tyler Anderson (3-0, 2.78 ERA).

The Phillies (14-17) started off their west coast road trip taking two out of three games from the Seattle Mariners. Philadelphia is now 5-8 away from Citizens Bank Park and have won their first road series after losing their previous three series. The Phillies will need Rhys Hoskins to continue his hot streak as he hit a grand slam in Wednesday’s win. He’s now slugging .222 with five home runs and 16 RBI this season.

The Dodgers (20-9) are looking to get back into the win column after losing two out of three games to the Pirates in Pittsburgh. Los Angeles returns home where they have a record of 10-2 and they haven’t lost a series yet. Freddie Freeman has played well in his first season with the Dodgers, slugging .315 with three home runs and 13 RBI.

Phillies vs. Dodgers

Pitchers: Zack Wheeler vs. Tyler Anderson
First pitch: 10:10 p.m. ET
Phillies local broadcast: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Dodgers local broadcast: SportsNet LA
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)
Moneyline odds: Phillies +120, Dodgers -140

Picks & predictions

Moneyline pick: Dodgers -140

The Phillies’ offense has played to the start the road trip, averaging 5.6 runs per game. Now they will go up against Anderson, who has pitched an ERA of 2.00 at home. The 32-year-old starter has only allowed three earned runs, nine hits, and landed 10 strikeouts in his last 10 innings of work. As for Wheeler, he’s also pitched well in his last two starts against Texas and Colorado.

The 31-year-old pitcher has now allowed an earned run in his last 13.2 innings of work and racked up 14 strikeouts. It should be a good pitchers duel between Wheeler and Anderson, which will not feature a lot of runs. The Dodgers are the better team at home, which gives them the edge.

Player prop pick: Zack Wheeler over 5.5 strikeouts (+110)

If you are looking for a plus-money play, then look no further than Wheeler’s strikeout prop, which is sitting at 5.5. The veteran starting pitcher has 25 strikeouts in 26.1 innings of work this season and pitched better in his last couple of starts.

Wheeler has gone over 5.5 strikeouts in his last two starts and just missed out going over in his third start against Colorado. The Dodgers’ offense is only averaging eight strikeouts per game, which is good for eighth in the majors. It’s going to be a sweat, but if Wheeler can go five or six innings, then he should be able to get this number.

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