Zack Wheeler gives Phillies fans an injury update they will love to hear

Heading into the All-Star break, the Philadelphia Phillies have established themselves as one of the best teams in Major League Baseball. They continued to show their dominance by trouncing the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 10-1 victory on Tuesday.

The drubbing of the Dodgers helped Philadelphia improve to a 59-32 record, best in the MLB. The game came with a scare, however, as their vaunted pitching rotation appeared to take another hit. Phillies ace Zack Wheeler left the game with lower back tightness after pitching five innings.

The Phillies outstanding first half of the season has been assisted by good fortune with injuries. First baseman Bryce Harper, designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, outfielder Brandon Marsh, and third baseman Alec Bohm all suffered injuries but were able to return relatively quickly.

Zack Wheeler doesn't expect to miss time after injury scare

Now, the Phillies seemed to have dodged another bullet. Wheeler is expecting to make his next start, according to The Athletic's Matt Gelb.

Through four innings against the Dodgers, Wheeler allowed just two hits with six strikeouts. After getting the first two outs in the fifth inning, he gave up a solo home run to Cavan Biggio before walking Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith. He finished the inning by getting Freddie Freeman to ground out.

Wheeler was selected to the All-Star Game but he's ineligible to pitch because he's expected to start Sunday against the Oakland A's before the All-Star break. The 34-year-old was just one of seven Phillies players to make the All-Star team, a franchise record.

It would be wise for Philadelphia to be conservative with Wheeler, especially with the All-Star break around the corner. Wheeler is a vital part of Philadelphia's World Series dreams, and risking further injury in their five remaining games before the break could hurt them more than it would help them.

The Phillies struggled without some of their key starters in the lineup. Philadelphia went 14-12 without J.T. Realmuto, who is expected back from the injured list after the All-Star break, and they went just 5-4 in the last 10 days without Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber. Harper, who won National League Player of the Month in June, has the second-best OPS (.981) in the league. Schwarber's on-base percentage ranks seventh in the league.