Henry Roldán
The 2022 MLB World Series kicks off next Friday, October 28 with Game 1 between the Phillies vs Astros, deserving representatives of their respective leagues who will face off in a best-of-seven series as usual.
Philadelphia advanced to the postseason as the third wild card in the National League and eliminated the Cardinals, Braves and Padres to reach the postseason. For its part, Houston was the leader of the West Division and the team with the most wins in the American League before leaving the Mariners and Yankees in the dust.
Without further ado, we bring you the best preview of the amazing Game 1 of the 2022 MLB World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies vs Houston Astros at JefeBet.
Predictions and Betting Preview for the Phillies vs Astros MLB World Series Game 1 on October 28, 2022
- Where: Minute Maid Park – Houston, Texas.
- When: Friday, October 28, 2022, 8:03 PM E.T.
Odds provided by BetMGM.
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Betting on the Philadelphia Phillies
- Season record: 96-77 (3rd LN wild card).
- Regular round vs. Astros: 1-2.
- World Series: 0-0.
- Runline: (+1.5, -165).
- BetMGM Moneyline: (+140).
- Over/Under: 6.5
No doubt, the Phillies’ presence in the World Series is a pleasant surprise after the roller coaster ride that was their season from start to finish.
After firing Joe Girardi nearly two months into the season and being long out of the standings, the Phillies’ second half of the season was one of the best in the Major Leagues: they battled until the final weekend to become the third wild card on the senior circuit..
Nobody expected much from them, being faced against the Cardinals, but they swept them in the Wild Card series. From then on, they beat the champion Braves in four games and in five games they defeated the Padres.
With a blazing home run hitting, signature of the season, and spearheaded by the Bryce Harper, Rhys Hoskins, and Kyle Schwarber trio,, the Philadelphia team fixed their pitching troubles and left their opponents with no room to react in the games.
Of course, this time things are different. The Astros are arguably the best team in all of baseball and their pitching staff is in the Top-3. However, Philadelphia’s offense has already demonstrated its skills and is on a roll.
To start the series, manager Rob Thomson will send to the mound the experienced Aaron Nola, who before getting beaten in his last start against San Diego pitched 12.2 shutout innings against St. Louis and Atlanta. This year, the right-hander opened a game against Houston and worked 6.2 innings in which he allowed no runs, struck out nine and only gave up two hits.
Starting Pitcher: Aaron Nola (11-13, 3.25 ERA at RR / 2-1. 3.12 ERA at Post.)
Injured: Awaiting report.
Betting on the Houston Astros
- Season record: 113-56 (West LA Division Leader).
- Regular round vs Phillies: 2-1.
- World Series: 0-0.
- Runline: (-1.5, +140).
- BetMGM Moneyline: (-165).
- Over/Under: 6.5
As expected after a spectacular season, the Astros are the junior circuit’s representatives in the World Series, and deservedly so.
From start to finish, the Houston team led the AL West despite a great season by the Mariners, who finished in second place and entered the postseason as the second wild card.
It was Seattle that hosted Dusty Baker’s team in the Division Series, and they had no chance, being swept in three games. The Astros next faced the Yankees in the Championship Series and won the first four games to advance to the next round.
Led by Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez, the Astros’ collective pitching is considered one of the best three in the Major Leagues and their numbers bear that out. Throughout the season, they remained at the top of the most important categories, and both starters and relievers supported the advantage that the offense gave them.
The Astros are not all about pitching. They also feature one of baseball’s most feared lineups, capable of delivering home runs, extra-base hits, speed in the field, and timely scoring. They are a full firepower led by Cuban Yordan Álvarez, Venezuelan José Altuve and Alex Bregman.
The Astros’ starter is, unsurprisingly, Justin Verlander, the frontrunner for the American Cy Young Award. While his start against the Mariners this postseason was ineffective, against the Yankees he worked six one-run innings with 11 strikeouts. As for his work against Philadelphia, in one start this year he worked five shutout innings with 10 strikeouts.
Starting pitcher: Justin Verlander (18-4, 1.75 ERA at RR / 1-0, 6.30 ERA at Post.).
Injured: Awaiting report.
JefeBet Prediction
How should you deal with Verlander? The Phillies’ offense has been a disaster this postseason, scoring more than four runs in five games, while Nola was unhittable against the Cardinals and Braves.
However, the Astros starter posted a 1.64 ERA in 88 innings of work this year, pitching at home. Opponents hit just .201 and gave him only four home runs; moreover, he gave 12 walks and struck out 109. To that we can add that only Yankees and Dodgers won more games than Houston at home.
Prediction: Astros to win (PHI 2 – HOU 4).
