Star Pitchers Meet in Houston Astros vs. Philadelphia Phillies Tuesday Night

The Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies begin their series Tuesday night with a star-studded starting pitching matchup.

Aug 26, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) slides safely into home as Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz (21) reaches for the throw during the tenth inning at Citizens Bank Park. / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

On Monday night, the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies began a highly-anticipated three-game series that could be a World Series preview.

Both teams are projected to be safely in the 2024 MLB postseason field. The Astros have an 87.8 percent chance of advancing, while the Phillies have a 99.6 percent chance, per ESPN.

The opener was as exciting as people would have expected, with Philadelphia coming away with a 3-2 victory in extra innings. Bryce Harper provided the game-winning hit off of Josh Hader in the bottom of the 10th, knocking in Kyle Schwarber.

Game 1 provided fans with a nice opening dish as Ronel Blanco faced off against Zack Wheeler. Game 2 of the series is the main course with another star-studded pitching matchup that fans will be treated to.

Future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander will be taking the mound for Houston against the Phillies stalwart, Aaron Nola.

Verlander, who is 3-3 with a 3.92 ERA this season, will be making his second start since returning from a 2+ month stint on the disabled list. He pitched five innings in his return last week against the Boston Red Sox, a 4-1 loss.

Nola enters tonight’s game with an 11-6 record, sporting a 3.45 ERA across 159.1 innings. He is coming off a 5.2-inning performance against the rival Atlanta Braves, which Philadelphia won 3-2.

The Astros are entering the game as a sizable underdog. They are listed at +121, while the Phillies are the favorite at -143. The over/under for runs scored in the game has been set at nine runs.

It has been a rare occurrence for Houston to be listed as underdogs this season. Tuesday night will be only the 38th time it has happened in 2024, and they have gone 18-19 in those contests.

When listed as +121 or larger underdogs, Houston has been able to rise to the occasion, going 5-4. With a win probability of 46 percent, there would seemingly be some slight value on the Astros, as the money line implies they have only a 45.2 percent chance of winning.

Philadelphia is used to favorites at this point, as it will be the 104th time this season. They have gone 63-40 to this point, going a stellar 49-25 in games that they are listed as favorites of at least -143.