If anybody had the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres battling for the NL pennant they made a fortune at the betting window. Now, after putting down the two best teams in the senior circuit, the clubs battle in Game 2 of the NLCS from Petco Park in downtown San Diego on Wednesday afternoon.
The playoffs aren’t about the best team rather the hottest. The Padres were on a roll after knocking off the favored Mets in the wild card round and after losing 14 of 19 regular season meetings to the Dodgers they won three straight to advance. The Phils did the same to the defending champion Braves setting up an improbable matchup.
Game 2 of the NLCS between the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres takes place on Wednesday, October 19, 2022 at 4:35 p.m. ET from Petco Park. The game will air live on FS1 with betting options for every 2022 MLB postseason game available at BookMaker.eu.
Phillies vs Padres Game 2 Odds
Philadelphia Phillies (Check Back Later)
San Diego Padres (Check Back Later)
Total (Check Back Later)
Odds Analysis
Last year it was the Atlanta Braves riding a second-half surge into the postseason and emerging as champs They had the fewest wins of any playoff team avoiding the wild card round by winning the NL East. They then went 11-5 beating Milwaukee, the Dodgers and Houston to claim the World Series title. So I guess it’s no surprise that they were given a dose of their medicine by the Phillies in the NLDS. Using an explosive offense, the Phils scored 17 runs in the last two games and 24 in their three wins to take the best-of-five 3-1.
Bryce Harper is making some of that huge paycheck he was given by the Phils a few years ago. In six playoff games he’s batting .435 with three home runs and six RBIs with the club cashing the OVER in four of those games. The Phils finished the regular season below .500 on the road with a 40-41 mark, but they won three of four in San Diego during the regular season outscoring the Padres 18-10. While the offense has been on a tear don’t overlook what the staff has done. The group has posted a 2.55 ERA after that number was near 4.00 during the regular season.
If any team is feeling invincible it’s San Diego. It obviously wasn’t the regular season most expected with the lofty payroll and experienced manager Bob Melvin at the helm. But I guess it’s how you finish rather than how you start. Reduced to a wild card contender about midway through the season the club fought for the highest seed through bouts of inconsistent play and a shaky offense. There were points in the final month where they could have fallen out of contention but the Phillies and Brewers helped out. It didn’t seem like much at the time, but finishing as the fifth seed earned them home field advantage for this series.
It looks like we’re seeing this postseason what most anticipated. Timely hitting and good pitching earned wins over the Mets and Dodgers, who combined for 212 wins during the regular season. Beating the Dodgers was especially satisfying since the Pads have played in the shadow of their SoCal rival since joining the NL in 1969 and they went 5-23 in the last 28 regular season games. The Pads dropped four of seven regular season meetings to the Phils getting outscored 21-15. The teams cashed the UNDER in five of those seven games.
Probable Pitchers
The Phillies are expected to give the ball to Aaron Nola in Game 2. While he’s two games below .500 over the past three regular seasons, he’s the veteran and ace of the staff. Nola tossed a gem in San Diego in June allowing seven hits and one run with 10 strikeouts over seven innings but came away with the 1-0 loss. Pitching in the postseason for the first time Nola has been dominant. He blanked St. Louis on four hits over 6.2 innings in the Wild Card round and yielded an unearned run and five hits in six innings in a 9-1 Game 3 NLDS win over the Braves. He fanned 12 with a 0.95 WHIP in 12.2 playoff innings.
The likely Game 2 starter for San Diego, Blake Snell has plenty of postseason experience going 3-3 with a 2.89 ERA in 11 games with nine starts. He struggled against the Phils losing both starts allowing nine hits with a 6.75 ERA over 9.1 innings. The lefty found a groove later in the season after those starts so those number are a little deceiving. Over his final four regular season starts with the team fighting for a wild card spot, Snell posted a 0.72 ERA and 0.64 WHIP over 25 innings with a 3-1 record.
Phillies vs Padres Game 2 Predictions
Both teams worked magic to get here but the Padres’ road has been a bit more convincing. They put a stranglehold on the potent LA offense with strong pitching and a lights out bullpen. With Josh Hader looking like his dominant self everything else falls into place and I like the Padres to ride the momentum after lifting a huge burden with a win over the Dodgers.
Prediction: San Diego Padres and UNDER
