Finally The Phillies and Astros Open the 2022 MLB World Series
By Charles Jay
It is time of the 2022 MLB World Series. The Houston Astros have been a truly dominant organization – if we’re talking about the American League, that is. They appeared in the ALCS for six straight seasons, and they have won 100 games or more in four of the last five full seasons in Major League Baseball.
But they have only won the World Series title once (2017), while falling short on two subsequent occasions. The word “dynasty” is tossed around a lot, and this franchise does not qualify for it…..yet. They were built to last, however, and BetOnline customers have seen them win 113 games, including postseason action.
But the Philadelphia Phillies are the textbook example of a team that has come together at precisely the right time. They were the third place team in the NL East, having won just 87 games. And for them to do that, they had to stage a second-half comeback, which came after jettisoning manager Joe Girardi and hiring baseball lifer Rob Thompson.
The Phillies have won nine of their 11 playoff contests, and so they are taking a head of steam into the World Series, which starts on Friday night at 8 PM ET at Minute Maid Park in Houston.
In the opener, aces oppose each other, as Justin Verlander of the Astros, who has already punched his ticket to the Hall of Fame, faces off against Aaron Nola of the Phillies, who was a hot hand until betting banged around in an NLCS game against Atlanta.
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World Series Betting — Here are the numbers for Game 1……
…. as they are posted by the folks at BetOnline:
Houston Astros -165
Philadelphia Phillies +132
Over 6.5 Runs -120
Under 6.5 Runs +100
Phillies +1.5 Runs -159
Astros -1.5 Runs +139
World Series Betting — Astros pitching depth is impressive
If the Astros wanted to take an “all hands on deck” approach in Game 1, they would have a lot of arms ready to come in and cross up the Phillies’ hitters. We’re not sure how long they are going to keep Verlander in the game, but they have an entire staff to put out there, including Ryne Stanek (1.15 ERA), Rafael Montero (1.02 WHIP), Bryan Abreu (13.1 K’s per 9) and Ryan Pressly (0.89 WHIP). There are also starters such as Jose Urquidy and Luis Garcia who have the ability to shut hitters down, although perhaps that isn’t always the case.
Ideally, the Astros would like to get a lot of mileage out of Verlander – who is fully capable of it – and then Framber Valdez, who led the American League in innings pitched. That way, their bullpen can be extremely fresh coming into Game 3, which would make them really dangerous.
World Series Betting — The duel between aces
Verlander is on his way to a third Cy Young Award. In the regular season, he had a 1.75 ERA and a sizzling 0.83 WHIP, and his arm was preserved rather well, as he threw just 175 innings, after topping 200 a dozen times in his career. He was roughed up a bit against Seattle, as he gave up four runs and ten hits in just six innings, but he put in a great effort in the ALCS, giving up a run and three hits over six innings with eleven K’s vs. the Yankees.
Nola took a string of 19-1/3 innings of scoreless baseball coming into his NLCS start against San Diego nine days ago. But he had to exit with two outs in the fifth inning after giving up six runs.
Interestingly he was just 11-13 during the regular season, and the Phillies were just 15-17 in the games he started. They scored more than four runs for him in just ten of those 32 starts.
World Series Betting — Our conclusion
There has been so much time off. Imagine having to face a HOFer on one side, an All-Star on the other, and a bunch of guys throwing 95 out of the bullpen. These managers probably wouldn’t hesitate going to the ‘pen either, if their guy is in big trouble. We’re leaning heavily toward the UNDER.
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