Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals: NL Wild Card Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 10/7/2022

National League Wild Card: Game 1

Time: 2:07 p.m. ET

Venue: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO

Where to watch: ABC

DraftKings: NL

FanDuel: Even

BetMGM: Even

Caesars: NL

The last hurrah for Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina isn’t done just yet. And if it were up to me to determine how the landscape of the National League playoffs would go, it would end in a Game 7 win in the World Series with Pujols hitting a walk-off home run in the ninth while Adam Wainwright pitched a complete game shutout with Molina.

In order for the Cardinals to reach that complete fantasy, they have to advance through the NL Wild Card with a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies to kick things off on Friday in St. Louis. Which means the home crowd will get at least two more chances to revel in the glory that is Pujols and Molina.

I can’t speak directly on the impact Molina had from a catcher’s standpoint, other than he was one of the best at both ends of the plate that we will ever see. And maybe it’s much easier to appreciate greatness with a number: 703. But what Albert Pujols accomplished in his final year is absolute cause for the Cardinals to win it all this year and send him off in style.

“We still have a long way to go,” Pujols said. “We took one step. At the end of the day, we took a huge step. Everyone here it’s a great group of guys. This is huge. At the end of the day, you make all the money, you make all the memories. But there’s nothing better than playing in October.”

In his final season, Pujols ended up hitting 24 home runs and driving in 68 RBI. All of that to join the 700 home run club, and pass Babe Ruth on the all-time RBI list. When he arrived in St. Louis for his final tour, getting to 690 would’ve been an unreal accomplishment. You would’ve never thought this man with all the complete skill in the world would find a way to get back to the playoffs and still hit 700 home runs.

On the other end, while Pujols is back with the Cardinals in the playoffs for the first time since 2011, the Phillies are also in the dance for the first time since 2011 after what was a tumultuous start for Philadelphia. Firing Joe Girardi, all the talent at their disposal, there’s no reason why the Phillies should have gotten educated and figured out how to win this season. All the talent in the world came together with interim manager Rob Thomson, and they did by going 65-46 to close the season.

“He’s been outstanding,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said of Thomson. “You're very hopeful that we could get back into this thing, but there by no means were definite expectations. We expected him to do well on the job, but he’s exceeded those expectations. He’s been fantastic. He led a season turnaround for us. We were seven games under .500. We’re 20 games above since he’s managed. Great communication with the players, staff members -- I really tip my cap to the job that he’s done for us.”

Bryce Harper has been an MVP candidate all year long. He’ll go against St. Louis’ MVP candidate Paul Goldschmidt in a battle of efficient batters. Kyle Schwarber, fresh off a 46-homer season, brings the pop for an exceptional team.

“He’s our leader at the top,” Harper said about Thomson. “He’s done a great job making sure that we all stay even-keeled each day [and] that when you go on a winning streak or losing streak, you just keep going. You flush the day before and you understand that you have more and more each day.”

Zack Wheeler will get the call for the Phillies, as expected for the ace of the club. The Cardinals, at time of publishing, have not named a starter.

It’s very difficult to pick a road team in these series’ unless everything favors that group. Right now, for as feel-good as this is, winning twice in St. Louis seems like a farfetched effort. The Cardinals should at least handle Game 1. Cardinals win 7-2

Phillies:

Kyle Schwarber (L) LF
Rhys Hoskins (R) 1B
J.T. Realmuto (R) DH
Nick Castellanos (R) RF
Jean Segura (R) 2B
Matt Vierling (R) CF
Dalton Guthrie (R) 3B
Nick Maton (L) SS
Garrett Stubbs (L) C

Cardinals:

Brendan Donovan (L) 2B
Lars Nootbaar (L) RF
Paul Goldschmidt (R) DH
Albert Pujols (R) 1B
Alec Burleson (L) LF
Juan Yepez (R) 3B
Dylan Carlson (S) CF
Andrew Knizner (R) C
Paul DeJong (R) SS