The 2022 World Series matchup is set.
Starting Friday, the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies volition clash for the Commissioner's Trophy successful a gathering of 1 league's favourite and the different league's biggest underdog.
Under MLB's caller playoff format, the Phillies entered arsenic the sixth and last effect successful the National League but precocious each the mode to the Fall Classic, portion the American League's No. 1 seed, the Astros, rolled implicit the remainder of the Junior Circuit.
What has October taught america astir each of these teams? What bash they request to bash to travel retired connected top? And which players could beryllium the difference-makers connected some sides? ESPN MLB experts Jeff Passan, Joon Lee, Jesse Rogers and David Schoenfield interruption it down.
What's the astir awesome happening astir the Astros this postseason?
Passan: Everything is simply a thing, right? Fine. If a azygous happening defines the Astros, it's their pitching depth. They person Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez, some frontline starters, astatine the apical of their rotation. They travel with Cristian Javier and Lance McCullers Jr., each of whom would beryllium a frontline starter connected astir teams. As bully arsenic their starting pitching is, the sheer magnitude of alleviation endowment successful their bullpen -- from person Ryan Pressly to Rafael Montero to Ryne Stanek to Bryan Abreu to Hector Neris to Hunter Brown -- makes immoderate pb consciousness comfortable. The Astros are fantabulous astatine everything, but their pitching is wherefore they stay undefeated this postseason.
Lee: The extent crossed Houston's roster. If you had told the Yankees heading into the American League Championship Series that done 3 games, Yordan Alvarez and Jose Altuve would person conscionable 1 deed apiece, New York would person been ecstatic. Instead, the remainder of the Astros person led the way, from Yuli Gurriel to Alex Bregman to Chas McCormick to Jeremy Pena to Martin Maldonado. This Houston squad tin bushed you successful truthful galore antithetic ways, from its incredibly heavy pitching unit to its lineup, which tin sound you retired with the agelong shot oregon bushed you into the crushed with singles and doubles. On apical of that, it's the consistency. Depth and consistency usually play good successful October, and Houston has proved that against some the Mariners, successful the ALDS, and the Yankees.
Why volition it (or won't it) enactment against the Phillies successful the World Series?
Passan: Certainly the Phillies' lineup, the mode it's hitting close now, poses a greater situation than the Mariners oregon Yankees did for Houston. But arsenic agelong arsenic Dusty Baker manages with due urgency and uses his bullpen arsenic helium tin -- premix and lucifer and bash not let Kyle Schwarber, Rhys Hoskins, J.T. Realmuto and Bryce Harper 3rd looks unless the starter is genuinely cruising -- Houston has the goods to neutralize Philadelphia's discourtesy likewise to however it did Seattle's and New York's.
Lee: The Astros are the amended squad connected paper, but being underdogs hasn't stopped the Phillies truthful acold successful the postseason, aft coming successful arsenic a third-place squad from the NL East and beating the Cardinals, Braves and Padres connected their way to the World Series. There's besides thing to beryllium said astir that October magic, and getting blistery astatine the close time. We've seen this tally retired for teams successful the past, but Philadelphia has taken a cue from past year's Braves and gotten scorching blistery erstwhile it counts the most. Harper's go-ahead homer successful the NLCS clincher was a sports infinitesimal excessively on-the-nose for the movies, but felt written successful the stars by the shot gods.
Who is the 1 subordinate who indispensable present for the Astros to beryllium champs from here?
Passan: Considering the Astros person gotten to the World Series with him practically nonexistent, possibly Jose Altuve is simply a foolish answer. But to derail a blistery and assured Phillies team, Houston needs accumulation from the apical of its order, and an Astros lineup with Altuve getting connected basal takes an motor that's already spitting retired plentifulness of horses and turbocharges it
Lee: Pena has been Houston's X-factor truthful acold successful October. When Altuve and Alvarez person struggled, the antecedently unheralded rookie has travel done and been a prima for the Astros. If Altuve and Alvarez proceed to struggle, guys similar Pena, McCormick, Trey Mancini and Gurriel volition request to assistance transportation Houston to a World Series title.
What's the astir awesome happening astir the Phillies this postseason?
Rogers: They instantly became the squad everyone successful the enactment thought they could be, 1 with large starting pitching and monolithic powerfulness -- capable successful some areas to flooded immoderate antiaircraft flaws oregon bullpen unevenness. Harper, Schwarber and Hoskins aren't missing mistakes and are playing with the astir assurance they've had each year.
Schoenfield: The stars are blistery -- not conscionable the sluggers, but besides Zack Wheeler, who has a 1.78 ERA successful his 4 starts. He could commencement Game 1 connected afloat rest, but it mightiness marque consciousness for the Phillies to spell with Aaron Nola and past Wheeler successful Game 2 fixed that Wheeler started to tyre astir the 80-pitch people successful some of his starts against the Padres. An other time of remainder mightiness help. But let's notation thing else: The Phillies bullpen has benignant of figured things retired a small bit, and manager Rob Thomson has done a large occupation adjusting connected the alert and going with the blistery hand. Seranthony Dominguez has allowed conscionable 1 tally successful 7 2/3 postseason innings with 15 strikeouts and nary walks -- and that 1 tally was successful portion a effect of the bedewed conditions connected Sunday. Jose Alvarado is throwing vigor from the near broadside and David Robertson has plentifulness of postseason experience. Thomson was adjacent consenting to usage starter Ranger Suarez to adjacent retired Game 5 of the NLCS.
Why volition it (or won't it) enactment against the Astros successful the World Series?
Rogers: The Phillies' mojo volition support the Astros from winning successful a abbreviated bid but yet each that pitching volition triumph retired for them. The longer it goes, the amended it is for Houston, arsenic Philadelphia can't lucifer them arm-for-arm. A best-of-seven usually isn't won astatine the sheet but connected the mound. That's wherever Houston prevails.
Schoenfield: The bullpen extent is inactive a small questionable -- though Connor Brogdon had a clutch seven-out effort against the Padres successful Game 4 and Andrew Bellatti has pitched good capable successful his 5 appearances and could beryllium a bully matchup against Houston's righty-heavy lineup (he allowed a .608 OPS against righties, but .866 to lefties). But what if Brad Hand has to look the Alvarez/Bregman/Kyle Tucker portion of the order? And Thomson has been cautious successful his usage with Dominguez, who is successful his archetypal afloat play backmost from Tommy John surgery. He pitched conscionable 11 times connected back-to-back days successful the regular play and has had days disconnected betwixt each six of his postseason appearances -- astatine slightest 2 days successful 5 of those. At immoderate point, he's going to person to spell back-to-back days and possibly for a longer agelong of pitches.
Who is the 1 subordinate who indispensable present for the Phillies to beryllium champs from here?
Rogers: It mightiness beryllium cliche to prime Harper but he's the guy. The Phillies' heartbeat runs done him. They'll beryllium underdogs, deservingly, and they'll request an other peculiar bid to bushed Houston. Who amended to energize them erstwhile again than Bryce Harper? He's already having a large postseason. As helium goes, truthful goes the Phillies offense, which could daze the satellite by getting to a ascendant Astros staff. It starts with Harper.
Schoenfield: I'm banking connected different large bid from Harper, but my cardinal feline is Nola. Wheeler has the imaginable to predominate successful his outings. The Astros are going to person the starting pitching borderline successful the games Suarez oregon Bailey Falter (or Noah Syndergaard) start. Nola had 2 large postseason starts -- 6 2/3 scoreless innings against the Cardinals and past 1 unearned tally against the Braves. Against the Padres, however, helium had a 4-0 lead, but allowed back-to-back location runs successful the 2nd and past 4 runs successful the fifth. Nola is besides other captious due to the fact that if helium tin spell deep, that means much caller arms for the Suarez and No. 4 starter games. Oh, 1 crushed to commencement Nola successful Game 2 alternatively of Game 1: He had a 3.84 ERA successful the regular play connected 4 days of remainder (14 starts), but 2.79 connected 5 days (13 starts). If helium starts Game 1, helium would spell again successful Game 5 connected 4 days of rest, but if helium goes successful Games 2 and 6, helium gets 5 days of rest. The Phillies person an absorbing determination connected however to align their rotation.
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