On Friday, October 28th the Philadelphia Phillies fly down to Houston to play the Astros at Minute Made Park for Game 1 of the 2022 World Series. Houston remain undefeated this post-season, after sweeping the Mariners in the ALDS 3-0 and the Yankees 4-0 in the ALCS.
If that’s not scary enough for Phillies fans, in the month of October the Astros are 11-1 including regular season and post season. Though, the sole loss came at the hands of the Phillies, 3-0 in Houston in the opening game of the final series of the campaign. A game which saw Philadelphia clinch their first playoff birth in 11 years. The exclamation on the win came from Phillies starter Aaron Nola who allowed 0 runs and just 2 hits through 6.2 innings with 9 strikeouts.
The Astros are clear favourites in the series. Boasting an AL leading team regular season ERA of just 2.90, behind only the Dodgers who managed a 2.80. The Phillies on the other hand struggled to keep runs off the board and found themselves in the lower half of the league with a 3.97.
On the other side of the ball both teams featured eerily similar offensive statistics this season:
| Statistic | Houston Astros | Philadelphia Phillies | Difference |
| Runs | 737 | 747 | 10 |
| Hits | 1,341 | 1,392 | 51 |
| HR | 214 | 205 | 9 |
| RBI | 715 | 719 | 4 |
| AVG | .248 | .253 | .005 |
| OBP | .319 | .317 | .002 |
| SLG | .424 | .422 | .002 |
| OPS | .743 | .739 | .004 |
Based on offensive stats they are… the same… across the board. Now if that doesn’t blow your mind, I’m not sure what will. It’s also notable that both teams narrowly edge the other in half of the categories.
We are bound to see some offence in the series, it will be interesting to see how the Phillies rotation will measure up to the dazzling Astros arms with both staffs poised to face eerily similar foes.
Betting
The Astros open as -185 favourites to win the World Series and -165 to win Game 1. With generational starter Justin Verlander on the mound most wouldn’t dare touch the Phillies in Game 1. Nor should they as the line could open up even more in the Astros favour closer to first pitch.
On the other hand, the Philadelphia Phillies are a team of destiny, riding a local buzz around the city of brotherly love and a palpable energy that’s hard to deny. Once you get into Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies and Bryce Harper have proved that anything can happen.
Picks
- Game 1: Houston Astros -1.5 +135
- To win World Series: Philadelphia Phillies +165
(Photo: AP/David J. Phillip)
[…] Entering the World Series as -185 favourites, it certainly seems like this years 106 win Astros are a different ball club from last years runner ups. Though prior to losing game 1 of the World Series last year, the Astros were favoured -145 and showed little life late in that series with their backs to the wall. […]