One dominant team, the Houston Astros, and one underdog, the Philadelphia Phillies, will compete in the 2022 World Series. The Phillies advanced through the National League playoffs via the Wild Card route, defeating the Cardinals in the first round, the Braves in the divisional round, and the Padres in the NLCS. The Astros had a lot simpler experience, as they defeated the Mariners in the divisional round (although it wasn’t as simple as it seemed), and then thrashed the Yankees in the American League Championship Series in four straight games. The Astros concluded the regular season with 106 victories, which placed them second in league behind only the Dodgers’ 111 victories. Even though they only won 87 games, the Phillies got hot at the right time and might provide the Astros with an entertaining test. The 2022 World Series starts on Friday, October 28 in Houston, with the Astros listed as almost a 2-1 favorite in World Series odds.

2022 World Series Odds at BetRivers

Philadelphia Phillies +160

Houston Astros -186

There are numerous plotlines for the 2022 World Series. With their own superstars, the Phillies may make some noise when playing the Astros. With the best of them, Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber are capable of hitting home runs, and the Phillies have a number of strong starting pitchers, including Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. The Astros, on the other hand, are stacked from top to bottom with a lineup that is incredibly deep and skilled, headlined by Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman, and a solid pitching staff anchored by Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez. Manager Dusty Baker, who is attempting to win the World Series for the first time as a manager, should not be overlooked.

The Astros have advanced to the World Series four times in six years, but throughout that time, they have only won one championship, and that one was marred by a scandal involving illegal sign-stealing in 2017. The Astros were defeated by the underdog Atlanta Braves in the World Series last year in six games. Houston pitcher Justin Verlander is the likely AL Cy Young winner, but he is 0-6 in his seven World Series starts.

When the Phillies dismissed Joe Girardi in June and replaced him with bench coach Rob Thomson, they were 21-29 and looked like they had no chance of making the playoffs. The managerial change was successful, and the Phillies exploded. The Phillies defeated the Brewers to claim the last Wild Card position and then they beat the Cardinals, Braves, and Padres to advance to the World Series.

This season, the Phillies’ 4.61 runs per game average ranked them seventh in the league. With a team ERA of 3.97, their pitching was a problem. The Phillies’ ranking as the fourth-best team in the league for quality starts is one pitching bright spot.

The Astros’ 4.55 runs scored per game ranked them eighth in the league, and they had superb pitching, finishing second in the league with an ERA of 2.90. During the regular season, the Astros also had the most quality starts in the league.

Given that the Astros enter the 2022 World Series undefeated in the playoffs, the Astros are a 2-1 favorite in World Series odds, and it is difficult to contest that. The Phillies, on the other hand, appear to be a team of destiny, and they have more than enough star power to defeat the Astros in what could be a very close World Series.

2022 World Series Schedule (All Games on FOX)

Friday, Oct. 28                Phillies at Astros, Game 1

Saturday, Oct. 29            Phillies at Astros, Game 2

Monday, Oct. 31             Astros at Phillies, Game 3

Tuesday, Nov. 1              Astros at Phillies, Game 4

Wednesday, Nov. 2         Astros at Phillies, Game 5*

Friday, Nov. 4                 Phillies at Astros, Game 6*

Saturday, Nov. 5             Phillies at Astros, Game 7*

*if necessary

World Series Pick

The Astros are definitely a good team but they benefited from playing a Seattle team with no playoff experience and a Yankees team that had almost their entire lineup go cold at the wrong time. Philadelphia looks a lot like the Mariners and if you look back at the Seattle series, the Mariners could have won all three of those games and we wouldn’t even be talking about Houston right now. The Phillies can definitely score runs and they have three quality starting pitchers in Wheeler, Nola and Suarez who can match up with the Houston studs. There is definite value on taking the Phillies at the plus price.

Check out the latest World Series odds at BetRivers