SERIES SCHEDULE
(all times PT, all games on Fox/Ch. 11)
Game 1: Friday, at Houston, 5:03 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, at Houston, 5:03 p.m.
Game 3: Monday, at Philadelphia, 5:03 p.m.
Game 4: Tuesday, at Philadelphia, 5:03 p.m.
x-Game 5: Wednesday, at Philadelphia, 5:03 p.m.
x-Game 6: Fri., Nov. 4, at Houston, 5:03 p.m.
x-Game 7: Sat., Nov. 5, at Houston, 5:03 p.m.
x-if necessary
Season Series: Astros won, 2-1
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Record: 87-75 (wild card, third place in NL East)
Manager: Rob Thomson (first season)
Projected Rotation: RHP Aaron Nola (11-13, 3.25 ERA, 235 Ks, 205 IP), RHP Zack Wheeler (12-7, 2.82), LHP Ranger Suárez (10-7, 3.65), RHP Noah Syndergaard (10-10, 3.94 with Angels and Phillies)
Top Hitters: DH Bryce Harper (.286, 18 HRs, 65 RBIs, .877 OPS in 99 games), LF Kyle Schwarber (.218, NL-best 46, 94, 100 runs, .827 OPS), C J.T. Realmuto (.276, 22, 84, 21/22 SBs, .820 OPS), 1B Rhys Hoskins (.246, 30, 79, .794 OPS)
Key Relievers: LHP José Alvarado (4-2, 3.18 ERA, 2 saves, 81 Ks, 2 HRs, 51 IP), RHP Seranthony Domínguez (6-5, 3.00, 9 saves, 61 Ks, 51 IP), RHP David Robertson (4-3, 2.40, 20 saves, 81 Ks, 63-2/3 IP with Cubs and Phillies), RHP Zach Eflin (3-5, 4.04, one save in 20 games, 13 starts)
At a glance: Back in the postseason for the first time in 11 years, the underdog Phillies were the lowest seed in the National League playoffs after clinching their spot with a 3-0 win on Oct. 3 at Houston, of all places. They went 9-2 against St. Louis, Atlanta and San Diego to become the first third-place team in baseball history to reach the World Series. After winning the franchise’s eighth pennant, they are seeking its third championship (1980, 2008). They lost to the New York Yankees in their last World Series appearance (2009). … President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is the only executive to take four organizations to the World Series. He also did it with the then-Florida Marlins (1997), Detroit Tigers (2006, 2012) and Boston Red Sox (2018). He won titles with the Marlins and Red Sox. … Harper makes his World Series debut. He joined the Phillies before the 2019 season on a $330 million, 13-year contract – the largest for a free agent. The two-time NL MVP and seven-time All-Star missed two months this season with a broken thumb but batted .419 with five homers, six doubles and 11 RBIs in the playoffs. He was the NLCS MVP after hitting the go-ahead home run in the eighth inning of their clinching Game 5 victory over the Padres. … Hoskins also has five home runs and 11 RBIs in the postseason, but he is batting .182 with 14 strikeouts. … The Phillies were 21-29 through May. They fired Manager Joe Girardi a few days later and promoted 59-year-old Thomson from bench coach on an interim basis. He was recently given a two-year contract and is trying to join Jack McKeon (2003 Marlins) and Bob Lemon (1978 Yankees) as the only managers hired midseason to win a World Series. … The Phillies were the most recent opponent to defeat the Astros when the teams opened the final series of the regular season on Oct. 3 in Houston. Schwarber homered twice and Nola carried a perfect game into the seventh inning to beat Lance McCullers Jr., 3-0. The next night, Justin Verlander struck out 10 in five innings and Astros pitchers held Philadelphia hitless until the ninth in a 10-0 rout against Suárez. All-Star lefty Framber Valdez whiffed 10 Phillies over five shutout innings in the season finale. … The Phillies edged the Astros in a classic 1980 NL Championship Series before Houston moved to the American League in 2013. Philadelphia leads 297-283 in head-to-head matchups.
HOUSTON ASTROS
Record: 106-56 (won the AL West)
Manager: Dusty Baker (third season)
Projected Rotation: RHP Justin Verlander (18-4, MLB-best 1.75 ERA, 185 Ks, 29 BBs, 116 hits, 175 IP), LHP Framber Valdez (17-6, 2.82, 194 Ks, 166 hits, AL-high 201-1/3 IP and 3 CGs), RHP Cristian Javier (11-9, 2.54, 194 Ks, 89 hits, 148-2/3 IP in 30 games, 25 starts), RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (4-2, 2.27 in eight starts)
Top Hitters: LF Yordan Alvarez (.306, 37 HRs, 97 RBIs, 1.019 OPS), 2B Jose Altuve (.300, 28, 57, 39 doubles, 103 runs, 18/19 SBs, .921 OPS), 3B Alex Bregman (.259, 23, 93, 38 doubles, .820 OPS), RF Kyle Tucker (.257, 30, 107, 25/29 SBs, .808 OPS)
Key Relievers: RHP Ryan Pressly (3-3, 2.98 ERA, 33 saves, 65 Ks, 48-1/3 IP), RHP Rafael Montero (5-2, 2.37, 14 saves, 68-1/3 IP, 3 HRs, 71 games), RHP Bryan Abreu (4-0, 1.94, 2 saves, 88 Ks, 2 HRs, 60-1/3 IP), RHP Hector Neris (6-4, 3.72, 3 saves, 79 Ks, 3 HRs, 65-1/3 IP, 70 games)
At a glance: The Astros are back in the World Series for a second consecutive season and the fourth time in six years. After winning the franchise’s fifth pennant, the scorned Astros are seeking their second championship. The team’s 2017 title (against the Dodgers) was later tarnished by cheating revelations involving illegal sign stealing. The only players remaining from that squad on this year’s AL Championship Series roster were Altuve, Bregman, Verlander, McCullers and first baseman Yuli Gurriel. Still, this chase presents another chance at some form of redemption. … Houston lost the 2021 World Series to Atlanta in six games. Verlander was out while recovering from Tommy John surgery. McCullers was sidelined with a forearm strain. Valdez went 0-1 with a 19.29 ERA in two starts, tagged for 10 runs, 12 hits, four homers and three walks in 4-2/3 forgettable innings. … After a spectacular comeback this season, the 39-year-old Verlander is a favorite to win his third Cy Young Award. But he’s 0-6 with a 5.68 ERA in seven career World Series starts. He went 0-2 with a 5.73 ERA as Houston lost to Washington in 2019, when the road team won all seven games. … Rookie shortstop Jeremy Peña was the MVP of the ALCS as the Astros completed a four-game sweep, knocking the Yankees out of the postseason for the fourth time in eight years. Houston went 7-0 against Seattle and New York in the playoffs. The last two teams to enter a World Series unbeaten in the postseason lost: the 2014 Kansas City Royals (8-0) and the 2007 Colorado Rockies (7-0). … Altuve, a three-time batting champion, is 3 for 32 (.094) in the postseason. Peña has three homers, three doubles and a .990 OPS. Bregman is hitting .333 with seven RBIs and a .975 OPS. Alvarez has eight RBIs and an .889 OPS. Gurriel is hitting .367 with two homers. … The pitching staff compiled a 1.88 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP during the AL playoffs. The dominant bullpen had a 0.82 ERA. … Neris spent 2014-21 with Philadelphia. … The 73-year-old Baker is the oldest manager to reach a World Series. This marks the third trip for him and he is still pursuing his first title in 25 seasons as a major league skipper – though he did win the 1981 Series as a player with the Dodgers.
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PREDICTION
Can the Phillies’ magical momentum really carry them past a consistent Astros team that looks like it has a deeper rotation, a better bullpen and no real weakness? Twice in the last three World Series, the Astros were beaten by underdog NL East teams – the Nationals in 2019, then the Braves last year, so it wouldn’t be the first time. The Phillies have plenty of power, but no team in MLB suppresses home runs better than the Astros and they’ve done that even better during their unbeaten postseason run. ASTROS IN SIX