World Series Game 2: Philadelphia Phillies vs Houston Astros Game Prediction, Odds and Preview - 10/28/2022

by James Q

Saturday, Oct 29, 2022

World Series Game 2: Philadelphia Phillies vs Houston Astros Game Prediction, Odds and Preview - 10/28/2022

Game Time: 8:03 pm ET, Saturday, October 29th, 2022
Venue: Minute Maid Park, Houston, Texas
Where to Watch:  FOX

Opening MLB Odds at USA Sportsbooks

DraftKings: Moneyline:   Phillies +120, Astros -140; O/U 7
William Hill:  Moneyline:   Phillies +125, Astros -135; O/U 7  
 

Season Record

Phillies: 87-75, 3rd place NL East, 1-0 World Series
Astros: 106-56, 1st AL West, 0-1 World Series

Game 2 of the 2022 MLB World Series will go off Friday Saturday Night… but wow how could it live up to the drama of Game 1?!  In Game 1 the Philadelphia Phillies got the largest comeback by a National League team in the World series since 1956.  After accumulating a 5-0 deficit to the Houston Astros… The Phillies dug deep and came back to win in extra innings 6-5.  It was a thrill of a show!  It also was an incredible BAD BEAT.  Anyone betting on Houston in Game 1 (including me) had to swallow the bitter taste of a sure thing falling apart.

The Philadelphia Phillies became the first team of the 2022 MLB postseason to beat the Houston Astros… and they did it at exactly the right time… in the most dramatic fashion. Catcher JT Realmuto was the Philly hero of the night.  JT’s double in the fifth inning scored the two runs the Phillies needed to tie the game at 5-5… Then 5 long scoreless innings later Realmuto hit a home run in the 10th inning that turned out to be the win.  It’s hard to know what was learned about the Phillies in Game 1?… They did go down by 5 runs to start the game.  So was the early tanking the outlier?.. Or was the comeback the outlier?

Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander looked amazing for 3 perfect innings.  During those first three innings Kyle Tucker hit not one, but TWO home runs!  All was great in Houston fans were cheering and banging trash cans to their heart's content.  Then Verlander gave up 3 runs in the fourth innings with two outs on the board… He would give up two more runs in the fifth.  Houston’s amazing line-up scored zero runs in the seven innings that followed the third inning… That’s right… They didn’t score again all the way through the 10th inning and the end of the game.  Justin Verlander is now winless in eight World Series games for his career… That can’t feel good.

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Philadelphia Phillies vs Houston Astros Review and Analysis

Recent Form  

PHI: 96-77, +899 ML, 87-79-7 O/U, 44-43 on the road.
HOU: 113-56, +2538 ML, 63-98-8 O/U, 59-26 at home.

Offensive Analysis

The Phillies finished the season 7th in scoring with 4.61 per game, 8th in batting average with .253, and 11th in OBP with .317

The Astros finished the season 8th in scoring with 4.55 per game, 12th in batting average with .248, and 7th in OBP with .319.

Defensive Analysis

The Phillies pitchers finished the season 18th in ERA with 3.97, 14th in WHIP with 1.26, and the fielder’s finished 3rd best in errors with only 69 on the season.

The Astros pitchers finished the season 2nd in the league in ERA with 2.90, 2nd in WHIP with 1.09, and their fielders finished 6th best in errors with 72 on the season.

Both teams will see an overall improvement in pitching numbers in the postseason with the tightened rotation… but still we have already seen the Phillies give up some big scoring innings to the Padres.  The Phillies will really have to buckle down to stay in these games.

Philadelphia Phillies vs Houston Astros Prediction


Our prediction for Saturday, October 29th is…  Astros 5 - Phillies 3

That is right.  Even after watching the Phillies amazing comeback Friday Night in Houston… Still the numbers say that the bet should be for the Astros on the moneyline.  Plus the Phillies already got what they came for… they got a win in Houston.  Game 2 will see renewed Astros effort… The Astros absolutely do not want to face the Philly fans when the series switches parks being down 0-2.

Bet on the Astros.  Despite what you saw, they still have the better bullpen.


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MLB Betting Trends

Philly is 31-13 after wins by 2 runs or less.
Philly is 90-108 (-22.3 UNITS) in road games the last 3 seasons.
Houston is 38-13 after a win by 2 runs or less.
Houston is 135-69 (+11.4 UNITS) in home games the last 3 seasons.


Players to Watch 

Phillies: RHP Zach Wheeler, 1-1, 1.78 ERA, 25 strikeouts in 25 innings pitched.  0.51 WHIP.  Wheeler has pitched well in this postseason.  He also is on the fun train with the Phillies which should put a bounce in the step of all these guys.  

Astros: LHP Framber Valdez, 1-0, 1.42 ERA, 15 strikeouts in 12 innings pitched.  0.87 WHIP. Framber is having a good postseason, he had a good season, and he is working on really good career numbers. There will be a lot of pressure on his shoulders not to let this team slip to 0-2.

Starting Lineups

Phillies: Castellanos, 3B Alex Bohm, SS Bryson Stott, Phillies: LF Kyle Schwarber, 1B Rhys Hoskins, C JT Realmuto, DH Bryce Harper, RF Nick 2B Jean Segura, CF Brandon Marsh

Astros: 2B Jose Altuve, SS Jeremy Pena, LF Jordan Alvarez, 3B Alex Bregman, 1B Yuli Gurriel, DH Trey Mancini, CF Chas McCormack, C Martin Maldonado

Manager

Phillies: Rob “how bout them ears” Thompson
Astros: Dusty “They aren’t cheating as a far as I know” Baker

Weather Forecast 

100% chance of precipitation as Game 1 of the World Series is expecting rain… Thunderstorms in fact.  Wind 15 mph, 71* for the day’s high.  This one may get delays if not outright postponed.
     



James Q

About the Author:

James Q. has been involved with sports and gambling his entire life. A former division 1 scholarship basketball player, James understands sports (and especially basketball) inside-and-out. Following his basketball playing days, James parlayed his gambling skills into a semi-pro poker career. James resides in Los Angeles, and especially loves the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Rams, and Los Angeles Dodgers. And when he isn't betting on sports (and writing about it), James can be found performing stand-up comedy on the Sunset Strip.

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

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