It's 2022 World Series clip successful Houston!
Thanks to the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies making abbreviated enactment of their opponents successful the erstwhile round, shot fans had to spell 4 October days without playoff baseball. But the hold is yet over!
With the archetypal transportation of World Series Game 1 scheduled for 8:03 p.m. ET connected Friday nighttime astatine Minute Maid Park, we spell heavy connected the players and matchups that substance astir for some teams -- and asked our ESPN MLB experts to marque their picks for who volition triumph the series, however galore games it volition instrumentality and who volition beryllium the MVP of this Fall Classic.
Jump to: Astros | Phillies | Our predictions
Houston Astros
61.5% accidental of winning | Caesars odds: -190
What's connected the enactment for the Astros: No squad has swept the postseason successful the wild-card era, with the 1999 Yankees and 2005 White Sox coming closest by going 11-1. If the Astros bash go the archetypal to bash truthful -- connected apical of 106 regular-season wins, six consecutive ALCS appearances and 3 different trips to the World Series since 2017 -- they spell down arsenic an all-time large squad and, yes, a modern-day dynasty. And for manager Dusty Baker, a spot successful the Hall of Fame gets solidified with a long-awaited World Series title. -- David Schoenfield
Three reasons Houston tin win
The bullpen: The Astros' relievers led the majors successful ERA during the regular play and person been flat-out ascendant successful the postseason. Baker has arsenic galore arsenic 5 lights-out, high-leverage arms to deploy precocious successful games. The Phillies can't lucifer this benignant of depth.
The antiaircraft advantage: At immoderate point, 1 would think, the Phillies' defence volition outgo them successful a large moment. Philadelphia has made the regular plays arsenic a portion recently, but the Astros, who had the second-most outs supra mean successful the athletics this year, are acold superior successful the field.
Moxie: This is the Astros' 4th World Series quality successful six years, they've gone undefeated passim these playoffs, and they person a cleanable premix of veterans performing astatine elite levels and young players coming into their own. This conscionable feels similar the Astros' clip -- a clip erstwhile they'll genuinely region themselves from scandal. -- Alden Gonzalez
Where the Astros are vulnerable: Houston is arsenic adjacent to a cleanable squad arsenic you'll find successful MLB close now, truthful the lone happening you tin constituent to is the deficiency of a platoon-dominant lefty to lucifer against Kyle Schwarber oregon Bryce Harper successful a high-leverage spot.
The Astros' person righty relievers to excel successful those situations, truthful coating this arsenic a existent anemic spot mightiness beryllium a agelong and they could ever roster seasoned lefty Will Smith to usage successful a specialized role. -- Bradford Doolittle
Jeff Passan's wrong intel
Jose Altuve has popped retired to an infielder successful an almost-inconceivable six of 35 at-bats this postseason, and the commonalities are velocity and verticality. Of the six, 5 person travel connected fastballs, each astatine 95.2 mph oregon harder, and 5 person been high, adjacent the apical of the onslaught portion -- 4 heaters and 1 changeup. Half of them came with 2 strikes and Altuve protecting, but the different 3 were connected 0-0, 1-0 and 1-1 counts. "I'd propulsion everything hard and high," 1 scout said. "Make him amusement helium tin deed it."
"Cristian Javier has the champion fastball of immoderate starter successful baseball," 1 evaluator says, and erstwhile reminded that it averaged lone 94 mph and helium mightiness not person the champion connected his squad -- hello, Justin Verlander -- helium insisted: "It's better." He whitethorn person a point. The expected batting mean connected Javier's fastball during the regular play was a big-league-low .181. And that's with him throwing the transportation 60% of the time, the fifth-highest complaint among those with astatine slightest 1,000 fastballs this season. In the 16 at-bats that person ended connected a Javier fastball this postseason, batters are hitting .077/.250/.154 against it.
The Astros request to rotation to win. Against fastballs and cutters this postseason, the Phillies are hitting .273/.338/.517. And connected sliders, curveballs, changeups and splitters, it's .184/.240/.333. Well, it's a bully happening the Astros' pitchers diagnostic an array of off-speed stuff. As bully arsenic their fastballs are -- their softer worldly made Yankees and Mariners hitters look silly to the tune of a .169/.226/.250 slash line.
Philadelphia Phillies
38.5% accidental of winning | Caesars odds: +170
What's connected the enactment for the Phillies: In a loaded National League with 3 100-win teams, this would beryllium possibly the astir astonishing World Series rubric tally of the full wild-card era. For Harper, hitting .419 with 5 location runs successful the playoffs, it's a accidental to decorativeness disconnected 1 of the champion idiosyncratic postseasons of this era. And for enforcement Dave Dombrowski, a World Series rubric with a 3rd antithetic squad would possibly cement his presumption arsenic conscionable the sixth wide manager to get elected to the Hall of Fame. -- Schoenfield
Three reasons Phillies tin win
The lineup: The Phillies' discourtesy is astatine its highest close now. Their slugging percent and OPS are mode up implicit the regular play -- each earned by beating playoff pitching. Simply put: Throw retired the regular season, the Phillies tin outslug the Astros astatine the plate.
The ballpark: The Phillies are 5-0 astatine location this postseason and they don't judge that's a coincidence. This isn't astir hostile crowds -- the Astros person dealt with those for years -- this is astir what the fans bash for the location players. Rhys Hoskins called it a difference-maker.
Mojo: The Phillies person been tested successful a mode the Astros person not this season. If the Astros instrumentality immoderate portion of the Phillies' crippled lightly, they'll find retired what 3 different teams person learned this postseason: Philadelphia isn't acrophobic of anyone. Philadelphia mightiness beryllium a No. 6 effect connected paper, but close present it's acold from it connected the tract close now. -- Jesse Rogers
Where the Phillies are vulnerable: No 1 tin lucifer Houston's pitching depth, but Philly's shortfall successful this country could get it successful a mates of circumstantial ways. First, determination isn't a large enactment for the Phillies successful presumption of a Game 4 starter, whereas the Astros person thing but large options for that contest.
Second, determination isn't truly a peculiarly charismatic enactment successful the bullpen to usage against Yordan Alvarez, should helium travel up successful a late-and-close concern with runners connected base. -- Doolittle
Jeff Passan's wrong intel
If you privation to neutralize Harper, evaluators accidental helium has shown a susceptible spot since returning from his breached thumb: mediate and precocious fastballs connected the inner-third of the plate. Don't springiness him a heater connected the outer half, arsenic Robert Suarez learned, it's Harper's nitro zone. But with however teams are pitching him -- among Phillies regulars, lone Bryson Stott has seen less breaking balls -- it's wide they spot fastballs arsenic a imaginable weakness. The lone issue: Pitchers haven't deed their locations -- and Harper has pounded fastballs and sinkers that don't situation him inside.
Here, evaluators say, is however you cognize Schwarber is locked in: In the NLCS, helium didn't plaything and miss connected a azygous transportation successful the rulebook onslaught zone. Over the erstwhile 2 series, helium whiffed connected five. Further, aft putting 3 pitches retired of the portion successful play during the wild-card bid and NLDS, helium didn't enactment 1 successful play successful the NLCS. Schwarber leads each players this postseason successful walks due to the fact that of the NLCS, erstwhile helium watched 47 of the 94 pitches thrown astatine him and drew six walks. Over the erstwhile 2 series? He saw the aforesaid 94 pitches but stared astatine conscionable 32.
One transportation could find the destiny of the Phillies. "Aaron Nola's gloveside fastball," according to 1 scout. Considering that it's typically 1 of the champion pitches successful baseball, Nola needs to get it close for Game 1. In the regular season, batters deed .177/.227/.296 against fastballs distant to right-handers and wrong connected left-handers. In 3 games this postseason, implicit the 16 hitters whose at-bats person ended connected the pitch, it's .267/.313/.733, including a brace of location runs aft allowing conscionable six connected gloveside heaters that ended 217 regular-season at-bats.
Our Predictions
Houston Astros (12 votes)
Philadelphia Phillies (2 votes)
How galore games?
Astros successful 6 (7 votes)
Astros successful 5 (3 votes)
Astros successful 7 (2 votes)
Phillies successful 6 (1 vote)
Phillies successful 7 (1 vote)
MVP: Justin Verlander (3 votes); Yordan Alvarez (5 votes); Jeremy Pena (1 vote); Alex Bregman (1 vote); Kyle Tucker (1 vote); Jose Altuve (1 vote); Bryce Harper (1 vote), Zack Wheeler (1 vote)
Why did you prime the Phillies? Hey, I'm the feline who texted my exertion astatine the commencement of the postseason and said don't beryllium amazed if the Astros tally the table. OK, I meant to nonstop that! So however tin I power to the Phillies now? I'm a believer successful Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. I'm a believer successful Kyle Schwarber, who deed 3 location runs successful the NLCS. I'm abruptly a believer successful Seranthony Dominguez. And, I hatred accidental this, I judge Astros manager Dusty Baker volition messiness up a cardinal determination astatine immoderate constituent (like leaving a starter successful excessively agelong alternatively than going to his heavy bullpen).
Mostly, however, I'm a believer successful Harper. The World Series grounds for location runs is five, shared by George Springer (2017), Chase Utley (2009) and Reggie Jackson (1977). Harper is going to interruption that record. -- Schoenfield
Why are the Astros specified an overwhelming choice? Some New York Yankees fans mightiness similar to blasted the manager, the wide manager, Josh Donaldson oregon a videotape of the 2004 playoffs for the expanse astatine the hands of the Astros, but really, that's ignoring the obvious: The Houston pitching is absurdly great.
After starring the American League successful ERA by astir fractional a tally during the regular season, the Astros person a 1.88 ERA successful this postseason, person held opposing hitters to a .178 average, and are averaging 11.1 strikeouts per 9 innings. It's arsenic if the full unit is moving astatine a highest Pedro Martinez. The Phillies' lineup is loaded with sluggers and experience, but they can't flooded that ascendant group. -- Buster Olney
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