Phillies, Astros Set to Face Off in World Series

The Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros are set to face off in the World Series, kicking off at 8:03 p.m. on Friday night.

The Philadelphia Phillies play a World Series game tonight. It almost doesn't feel real, right?

Of the 30 organizations in Major League Baseball, against all odds, this 2022 Phillies team is one of two to remain standing. 

The problem? The other team standing across from them is the best, most complete squad in the sport.

It's not going to be easy. To this point, the Phillies have cruised through their postseason with ease. They needed a total of 11 games to dispatch the Cardinals, Braves, and Padres in quick succession, and have slugged and pitched their way to brisk Wild Card, Division Series, and Championship Series wins.

Unfortunately, the Astros were quicker. They've yet to lose a game this postseason, and it took them just seven games to sweep through the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees respectively.

A David versus Goliath story is set to unfold, so let's check out the slated pitching matchups that will kick off the 2022 World Series:

Game 1: Phillies @ Astros, 8:03 p.m. | FOX: RHP Aaron Nola vs. RHP Justin Verlander

Justin Verlander is one of this generations all-time great pitchers. He uses filthy movement and overpowering velocity to shut down offenses, and has done so for nearly two decades.

And yet, Verlander is famous for never having won a single World Series game. In fact, for such a domineering force on the mound, Verlander has been mostly mediocre in the postseason.

That trend has held true in 2022, the 39-year-old right-hander boasts a 6.30 ERA across two starts this October. The Phillies will hope to take advantage of his tepid postseason pedigree.

Nola addresses the media ahead of his Game 1 start / © Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

On the other hand, Aaron Nola has been stellar in both the postseason, and in October as a whole.

Prior to his last start versus the Padres where he scuffled, the 29-year-old had gone 19 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run, which included pivotal starts in both NLWCS and NLDS games.

Nola is notorious for finding success on days where he's received extra rest, and the right-hander hasn't pitched in eight days. He's sure to be refreshed and ready to go for Friday night's crucial Game 1 start.

Game 2: Phillies @ Astros, 8:03 p.m. | FOX: RHP Zack Wheeler vs. LHP Framber Valdez*

(* indicates the starter has yet to be officially named)

Easily one of the most underappreciated pitchers in all of baseball, Framber Valdez has carried a strong regular season into the postseason, boasting a 1.42 ERA across 12.2 playoff innings.

The southpaw carved up the Phillies when last he faced them, striking out 10 in just five innings of work. However, it should be said that that team celebrated heavily the previous night after clinching their first playoff berth in over a decade.

Wheeler exits to a standing ovation from Phillies fans after a stellar Game 5 start versus San Diego in the NLCS / © Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Zack Wheeler has been as advertised in the postseason thus far. He's dominated his way to a 1.78 ERA across 25.1 innings, but saw a major velocity spike his last time out.

Peculiarly, as his start went on that velocity began to decrease, and the right-hander disclosed that his knee had been bothering him during the team's celebration later that night. It's something to monitor heading into his start on Saturday.

Game 3: Astros @ Phillies, 8:03 p.m. | FOX: LHP Ranger Suárez* vs. RHP Lance McCullers Jr.*

(* indicates the starter has yet to be officially named)

As the series heads back to Philadelphia, Lance McCullers Jr. will take to the bump for Houston.

McCullers was late to join the Astros in 2022 due to injury, but didn't miss a beat upon his return. He logged eight starts of a 2.27 ERA during the regular season, and has been effective in two postseason appearances. He features some filthy breaking pitches, but the Phillies had the advantage of seeing him in their final series of the season.

McCullers celebrates after a strikeout during Game 4 of the ALCS / © Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

When Ranger Suárez's command is on, he's right up there with some of the best groundball pitchers in the game. He'll need to bring his A-game on Monday, as he's set to face a Houston lineup which feasts on left-handed pitching.

Suárez has had himself a strong postseason, despite a nail-biter of a first start versus Atlanta in which he walked five batters. The cool, calm, and collected left-hander will hope to begin his team's homestand with a strong start.

Game 4: Astros @ Phillies, 8:03 p.m. | FOX: TBD vs. TBD

As is the case with most seven-game series, Game 4 is where pitching matchups begin to get murky.

Should a team find themselves in dire straits, they could send out their Game 1 starter on short rest in a last-ditch effort to salvage a win.

As things currently stand, for the Astros, right-hander Christian Javier looks to be the go-to Game 4 starter. He had a fabulous regular season.

For the Phillies, they appear set on some combination of a bullpen game, featuring Noah Syndergaard and others.

Should a Game 5, 6, or 7 prove necessary, one can assume that these pitching matchups will repeat themselves.

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The stage is set for a fabulous World Series. The underdog Phillies are laden with positive energy, they feel like a 'Team of Destiny', and have been red hot of late. The Astros, who are probably the best team in baseball, have been in this exact scenario before. They lost to the Washington Nationals in the 2019 World Series, as well as the Atlanta Braves in the 2021 World Series. 

In fact, it appears as though they've had quite a weakness versus teams with "magic" from the National League East. Could history repeat itself in 2022?

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