Astros vs. Phillies 2022 World Series Betting Preview – Odds & Predictions
Looking for a 2022 World Series Betting Preview? We’ve got your back! Both the American and National League Championship Series finished up early this year with the Phillies defeating the Padres in five games and the Astros sweeping the Yankees in four straight.
Houston is back in the World Series for the fourth time in the last six seasons. It has won all seven playoff games it has played thus far and has opened up a large -185 series favorite.
The Phillies wouldn’t have even been in the playoffs without the expanded format MLB implemented this season. They lost just twice on their way to winning series against the Cardinals, Braves, and Padres, however. A winning wager on Philadelphia to take down Houston pays +160.
Play opens up on Friday in Houston. The Astros will host the first two games before the next three move to Philadelphia. If necessary, the Astros will host Games 6 and 7.
Picking a Winner
The Astros don’t offer a huge return on investment but I believe they offer more than the Phillies do.
Houston has lost the last two World Series it has found itself in. Many of the players on this team have experienced World Series heartbreak before.
Meanwhile, the Phillies are riding the momentum of an unseen run to this series. They have very little World Series experience.
The experience of disappointment in the recent past gives Houston a definite advantage. Then there is the business of the players themselves.
Philadelphia’s lineup is for real and its hot. It was able to beat San Diego with the home run, which will be much more difficult to do against the inexhaustible pitching of the Astros.
Houston’s pitching rarely allows home runs and it even more rarely allows runs to be scored any other way.
Conversely, Philadelphia’s pitching is top-heavy. I didn’t expect it to hold up against San Diego but it did because the series finished quickly.
That will almost certainly not happen here, which means the Phillies’ staff will be tested in a way it was not tested in short series against the Braves and Padres.
Then there’s Dusty Baker, the long-time manager who has won 840 games and the Manager of the Year Award three different times but is still chasing the elusive World Series Title.
These Astros love playing for him and they have even more motivation to win it for their 73-year-old manager in what well may be his last opportunity to get one.
Don’t expect it to be easy, though. Philadelphia is playing way too well to flame out and go down easy.
The Astros won’t sweep this one. In fact, it’s going to go the distance with Houston winning fairly decisively in the final game of what should be a war of attrition between these two clubs.
At DraftKings, you can get a +210 payout for this series going seven games, regardless of which team wins the series.
Play: Houston (-185) and Over 6.5 Games (+210)
Prop Bets: Series MVP Honors
Yordan Alvarez is listed on DraftKings Sportsbook as the +600 favorite to win Series MVP with Bryce Harper of the Phillies a close second at +650.
But there are two guys who have been around for Houston throughout the course of its dynasty that includes six straight appearances to the American League Championship Series and four World Series appearances.
Those two guys are Jose Altuve (+1400) and Alex Bregman (+1200). Both offer some value as MVP considerations here.
Altuve finally snapped his dreadful slump in Games 3 and 4 of the series victory over the Yankees.
His manager stayed steadfast in his faith in him all along, however, and Altuve may well pay him back for it with a hot World Series, where he is no stranger.
Alvarez may have started out the hottest but Bregman has been Houston’s most consistent bat all postseason. He’s quietly put together a phenomenal career and he could really punctuate all he’s done in Houston with MVP honors this year.
Play: Altuve (+1200) and Bregman (+1400)