2022 MLB World Series Odds and Pick

After a thrilling three rounds of postseason action, the World Series is finally set as the Philadelphia Phillies will take on the Houston Astros. This best-of-seven series will start Friday night in Houston.

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Road To the 2022 World Series

Coming in as a Wild Card team, the Phillies have had a longer road to the World Series than Houston. They swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the Wild Card round before knocking off the defending champions, the Atlanta Braves, three games to one in the Divisional Round.

To win the NL pennant, the Phillies took down the San Diego Padres in five games, culminating with a 4-3 victory in the finale. Bryce Harper won the NLCS MVP after hitting .400 with a couple of home runs, five runs batted in and four runs scored in the series.

For Houston, they come into the World Series undefeated after sweeping the Mariners in the Divisional Round and the Yankees in the ALCS. In the seven games this postseason, they have outscored opponents 31 to 18.

In the ALCS, rookie shortstop Jeremy Pena was awarded the MVP after hitting .353 with two home runs, two doubles, four runs batted in and three runs scored.

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Breaking Down the Team

For the Astros, it starts with their pitching. After ranking second in the majors in staff earned run average at 2.84 this year, they have continued their domination in the postseason. Thus far, their pitching is a perfect 7-0 with a 1.88 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and they have struck out 89 in just 72 innings pitched.

With a rotation that boasts Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez, Christian Javier and Lance McCullers Jr, they will be a tough match-up for the Phillies offense. Closer Ryan Pressly has also been impressive, going a perfect four for four in saves without allowing a run.

At the plate, the Astros are exceptionally deep with players like Jeremy Pena (.303, 3 HR and 5 RBI), Yordan Alvarez (.241, 2 HR and 8 RBI), Alex Bregman (.333, 2 HR and 7 RBI) and Yuli Gurriel (.367 and 2 HR) all swinging a hot bat this postseason.

Houston is hoping to get Jose Altuve (.094 avg and 3 R) and Kyle Tucker (.214 avg and HR) going in the World Series as they have struggled this postseason.

While the Astros have gotten a ton from their pitching, the Phillies offense has been electric this postseason. Bryce Harper, in particular, leads the team hitting .419/.444/.907 with five home runs, 11 runs batted in and ten runs scored in 43 at bats.

Rhys Hoskins is hitting just .182, but he also has five home runs and 11 runs batted in. Others who have hit well include Kyle Schwarber (3 HR and 6 RBI) and J.T. Realmuto (2 HR and 3 RBI).

On the mound, the two main horses for the Phillies are Aaron Nola and Zach Wheeler. In three games, Nola is 2-1 with a 3.12 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 18 strikeouts in 17.1 innings pitched. For Wheeler, he has been even better, going 1-1 with a 1.78 ERA, 0.51 WHIP and has 25 strikeouts in 25.1 innings.

It gets a bit more dicey for the Phillies beyond their top two; however, they have gotten great performances from their bullpen, especially from Seranthony Dominguez (1-0, SV and 1.17 ERA) and Jose Alvarado (1-0, SV and 3.38 ERA).

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2022 World Series Betting Lines

The Astros are the favorites to win the World Series at -190. The Phillies come in at +165 to win it all. In terms of Game 1, it is again the Astros with the advantage, as they are -164 to win versus the Phillies at +138.

2022 MLB World Series Prediction

Like any postseason series, all it takes is for one or two hitters or pitchers to get hot for a team to be able to roll to a win. Still, on paper, the Astros appear to be in good shape for this one.

On the year, Houston ranks first in opponents runs per game (allowing 3.17 per game) and eighth in scoring (4.54 runs per game). For Philadelphia, they ranked seventh in scoring (4.65 runs), but they fell to 12th in runs allowed per game at 4.16.

Looking at the trends, the Phillies are just 2-4 in their last six games against Houston and 1-4 in their last five games at Minute Maid Park. Given that Houston has a home-field advantage, that could become a big factor.

Another factor for Houston is its experience. This is their fourth World Series since 2017 and while they have only won one of the first three, they will be far more prepared for the experience than Philadelphia.

At the end of the day, the Phillies were red hot in the NLCS and if they could overcome the five-day layover, they certainly could make this interesting. Still, with their success during the regular MLB season and during the playoffs thus far, this seems like Houston’s to lose.

Best Bet: Astros to Win the World Series (-190)