The last time the Houston Astros lost a game, it was 3 1/2 weeks ago, on the final day of the regular season, to the team they'll face in the World Series starting tomorrow. The Philadelphia Phillies. The AL champs are a perfect 7-0 in the post-season, while the Phils have hit some speed bumps in eliminating two division champions (St. Louis & Atlanta) before dumping San Diego.
In a word, vindication. The Astros are still being vilified for what happened when they won it all five years ago with the aid of sound effects. Not that many players remain from the 2017 team (i.e. Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman), but the goal of the 2022 Astros is the same as it was last year, to get manager Dusty Baker his first title as a manager. Cy Young candidate Justin Verlander has a poor track record in the Series, but that can all be erased over the next few days.
The last time these two teams met in a postseason series with any real meaning, it was all the way back in 1980, in the NLCS, when the Astros were in the NL West. Philadelphia defeated Houston en route to the title.
The case for Philadelphia:
We wrote a week ago that when Bryce Harper left for Philadelphia three years ago, his former team, the Washington Nationals, won it all, and, coincidentally, like this year's Phillies, the Nats were left for dead before turning their season around. Manager Rob Thomson has already announced that Aaron Nola will be his game one starter, with Zack Wheeler going Saturday in game 2. Harper's bat woke up big time over the last couple of weeks, including the clincher vs. San Diego.
Most folks will root for Philadelphia, still butt-hurt over the 2017 Series. They should get over it.
The bottom line: Houston will finally lose a game. Maybe.
The pick: Houston in 6.
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