2022 MLB championship series preview, predictions & best bets

The two MLB championship series are set and ready to go, and we have two very different matchups. In one conference, the top two teams will face off, and in the other, the two lowest seeds will duke it out. Let’s take a look at both series and see if we can find some betting value.

New York Yankees (2) vs Houston Astros (1)

This American League matchup between two powerhouses is a rematch of both the 2017 and 2019 ALCS where the Houston Astros won both, but these are two very different teams. In fact, only two players (Aaron Judge and Luis Severino) are still on the Yankees ALCS roster this year that were on it in 2017. This is also a rematch of the series where the Astros were outed for the cheating scandal that resulted in them winning the 2017 World Series. Needless to say, there is bad blood between these two which should make for some intense playoff baseball.

The Yankees, through two separate rain delays, finally advanced Tuesday night after a five game series with the Cleveland Guardians that lasted much longer than it was supposed to. The Guardians despite having over $200 million less payroll than the Yankees were in it to the very end, and if there is one team not playing their best baseball left it is the Yankees.

With that being said, the Yankees advanced past the ALDS on the back’s of Gerritt Cole and Nestor Cortes, and the formula should be the same in this one. It is all but certain that the Yankees will be underdogs in this series and if they have any chance it is with their starting pitching and bullpen neutralizing a potent Astros lineup. Yordan Alverez has been the guy so far this postseason for the Astros and it will likely be Alvarez that the Yankees need to shut down if they plan on playing in the final round.

The Yankees have shown time and time again that they know how to handle business and battle adversity, they got off to the hottest start in all of baseball before slumping after the All Star break and despite all of that, have found themselves one series win away from their first World Series appearance since 2009. However, this Astros team is the toughest test they’ve had to date. Unfortunately for the Yankee fans, we expect the Astros to take this series in five games.

Philadelphia Phillies (6) vs San Diego Padres (5)

Talk about two teams that no one expected to be here. The last two teams to clinch a playoff birth in all of baseball have found themselves topping the Los Angeles Dodgers (111 wins), New York Mets (101 wins), defending World Champion Atlanta Braves (101 wins), and the St. Louis Cardinals (93 wins). The Phillies and Padres both failed to reach the 90 win mark and the Phillies specifically didn’t clinch a playoff birth until game 160.

Despite their regular season records, both of these teams are playing by far their best baseball of the season late into October. Both the Phillies and Padres have similar storylines to how they have gotten this far. They both upset a division rival who had their number in the regular season thanks to incredible starting pitching, lockdown bullpen performances, and timely hits. The Phillies offense has been a bit more explosive, especially at Citizens Bank Park but no one can deny the last two teams battling for the World Series have eerie similarities.

The Phillies have never won a playoff series in franchise history without taking Game 1, so the fact that they were able to steal a game against Yu Darvish in San Diego is a huge momentum swing in this series. The two teams will meet once more Wednesday in San Diego before flying to Philadelphia for three games in three days. If the Phillies are able to get another one in San Diego we may be having an early celebration. By the same token, if the Padres are able to win game 2 and steal one in Philadelphia, it will be advantage Padres.

Regardless, this should be a great series between the league’s two hottest teams. The Phillies behind the starting pitching of Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola as well as the scorching hot Bryce Harper with over a 1.4 OPS this postseason have only lost one game. Ultimately, we think the Phillies will get this one in five games.

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