Several sportsbooks are now offering +170 odds on the San Diego Padres to win the National League Championship Series, following their 2-0 loss in Game 1 on Tuesday.
The Phillies are now -185 to win the NLCS from DraftKings, with BetMGM, Caesars, and FanDuel listing the Padres at +170. The second game is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon at Petco Park in San Diego.
Oddsmakers have the Padres at -118 to win Game 2 (odds via FanDuel). The same book lists the Phillies at +100 for Game 2, which means a winning bet on Philadelphia would net you $200, including your original wager.
The Padres will start Blake Snell in Game 2, and the visiting Phillies hand the ball to Aaron Nola, the winner of two games this postseason. In Game 1, the Padres managed only one single against Zack Wheeler and two relievers as the Phillies won the opener of their third consecutive playoff series.
The winner of the NLCS will face either the Houston Astros or New York Yankees in the World Series, which begins Oct. 28 in the park of the AL champion. The Phillies last won the Fall Classic in 2008, and the Padres have never won the World Series.
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Phillies vs. Padres, Game 2 NLCS Odds
NLCS Schedule: Phillies at Padres
The schedule for the 2022 National League Championship Series.
- Game 1: Tuesday, Oct. 18 at San Diego
- Game 2: Wednesday, Oct. 19 at San Diego
- Game 3: Friday, Oct. 21 at Philadelphia
- Game 4: Saturday, Oct. 22 at Philadelphia
- Game 5: Sunday, Oct. 23 at Philadelphia
- Game 2: Monday, Oct. 24 at San Diego
- Game 2: Tuesday, Oct. 25 at San Diego
The ALCS will be televised by FS1, and you can hear it on ESPN Radio.
Wheeler Shuts Down the Padres to Lead Phillies to Game 1 win
The Phillies have now won six of their seven playoff games this October. The team has scored 34 runs, or 4.86 per game, the most of any team remaining in the MLB postseason tournament. That lineup hasn’t even needed to be that efficient, as the pitching staff has been brilliant.
In Game 1, Zack Wheeler allowed a scratch single up the middle in seven excellent innings. He turned the game over to Seranthony Domínguez and José Alvarado, who allowed only one walk between them. The Padres’ lineup was manhandled all night, and the No. 2 through No. 6 batters struck out eight times. Overall, Phils pitchers fanned 11 and faced only two batters over the minimum.
Kyle Schwarber’s massive 480-foot home run (the longest at Petco this year) was twice as much as the Phils needed to win the opener. Earlier, Bryce Harper hit an opposite field homer, his fourth of the playoffs. It appears that The Bearded One has resolved to carry this team where he’s never been before: the Fall Classic.
The homers were two of the three hits for the Phillies. The combined four hits is the second-lowest total in any League Championship Series game since 1969.
Phillies vs. Padres Pitching Matchup, Game 2 NLCS
Aaron Nola (2-0, 0.00 ERA in postseason) vs. Blake Snell (1-0, 3.12 ERA in postseason)
The Phillies send out the second of their two bookend aces for Game 2. Aaron Nola features more off-speed pitches than Game 1 starter Wheeler, but still gets his share of strikeouts. In his only start against the Padres in 2022, Nola struck out 10 batters in seven innings while allowing one run.
A fun feature of the second game will be the anticipated matchup between Aaron and his older brother Austin, a catcher for the Padres. In five previous plate appearances, Austin is 1-for-5 against his younger bro. This will be the first time opposing brothers meet as pitcher/catcher in an MLB postseason game.
Zack Wheeler and the Philadelphia Phillies are the now favorites to advance past the San Diego Padres, per updated NLCS series odds (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
If you’re the Padres you have to harbor concerns about Snell vs. the Phillies. In a pair of starts against Philly in 2022, Snell was roughed up to the tune of a 6.75 ERA in 9 1/3 innings. In those games, Snell allowed homers to J.T. Realmuto and Rhys Hoskins.
Will Snell have a long hangover from his two poor games against the Phillies? Will the pressure of needing a win at home in Game 2 wear on the lefthander? If it does, Bob Melvin has a bullpen to turn to that’s had a fantastic postseason: 34 2/3 innings and only two earned runs allowed. That’s a 0.52 ERA, or as Larry David would say, “Prettttty, prettttty good.”
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Padres, Phillies NLCS Game 2 Pick
We can’t see the Padres letting Game 2 get away from them: it’s nearly must-win territory in SoCal on Wednesday. It will be important for the Friars to get an early lead, as Nola can be indignant when it comes to allowing runs once he settles in on the mound. We like Josh Bell and Jake Cronenworth to be the best bats to bust out for the Padres in Game 2.
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