In the unlikeliest of matchups, the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres will battle it out starting on Tuesday in a best-of-seven matchup with a trip to the World Series on the line. The Padres will host Game 1 at Petco Park with first pitch scheduled for 8:03 pm ET.
After sweeping the Cardinals in the Wild Card series, the Phillies took down their division rivals, the Atlanta Braves, three games to one to win the Divisional series. In the series win, the Phillies outscored the Braves 24 to 13.
The Padres got here by beating two teams that combined for 212 wins during the regular season. After sweeping the Mets in the Wild Card series, they beat their NL West rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in the Divisional series.
The Padres are the favorites playing at home in the opener. They are -126 to win, while the Phillies’ moneyline sits at +108. The runline features Philadelphia +1.5 (-205), and the over/under for total runs is seven.
Phillies Look To Stay Solid On The Road
With five wins already this postseason, the Phillies have found success on the road as they have gone 3-1 thus far away from Citizens Bank Park thus far. Despite going just 40-41 on the road during the regular season, they will look to keep their strong play going as they travel to Petco Park Tuesday.
On the mound for the Phillies in the opener will be righty Zack Wheeler. In 26 games this regular season, he went 12-7 with a 2.82 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and he had 163 strikeouts in 153 innings.
In two postseason starts this year, he is 0-1, but he sports a 2.19 ERA, 0.65 WHIP, and he has struck out nine in 12.1 innings.
Offensively, Bryce Harper has been electric this postseason. In 23 at-bats, he is hitting .435/.480/.957 with three home runs, six runs batted in, and six runs scored.
Padres Look To Keep Momentum Going In Championship Series
The San Diego Padres had one of their most emotional series ever as they took down the vaunted Los Angeles Dodgers, their biggest rivals, in the Divisional round. After such an emotional win, their challenge now is to regroup as they take on a red hot Phillies team.
Trying to pick up the win at Petco Park, where the Padres were 44-37 this season, will be righty Yu Darvish. In 30 games, Darvish went 16-8 this season with a 3.10 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and he had 197 strikeouts in 194.2 innings.
Darvish has continued his success in the postseason. He is 2-0 in two starts with a 3.00 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and he has 11 strikeouts in 12 innings.
Offensively, Trent Grisham has been the Padres’ hottest hitter this postseason. He is hitting .381/.519/.810 with three home runs and five runs batted in.
Manny Machado has also been hitting well at .296 with a couple home runs, but he has also struck out a team-high 11 times in 27 at bats.
Take Phillies To Win Opener On The Road
With two teams that have been rolling this postseason and having two electric pitchers on the mound, truly either of these teams could win this opener.
Still, there is a lot of value in Philadelphia. They are 5-1 in their last six games, 4-2 in their last six against the Padres, and they are 7-2 in their last nine at Petco Park.
Given that the underdogs have won every series in the National League to this point, it seems fitting that the pick here is Philadelphia.
Take the Phillies to win straight up at +108.
