NLCS Game 1: Phillies send Zack Wheeler to the mound against Yu Darvish and the Padres

We have finally arrived at the National League Championship Series in a matchup that literally NO ONE in the baseball world could have predicted. The two of the final remaining NL Wild Card teams in the San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies will look to be the first team to four wins and advance to the 2022 World Series.

The journey to the NLCS for the Phillies and Padres has definitely been similar. The Cardinals won the NL Central, the Phillies swept them out of the playoffs in “Baseball Heaven.” The NL East division-winning Braves, who finished with 14 more wins than the Phillies were up next, and the Fightins split in Atlanta before knocking them out at home in Citizens Bank Park over the weekend.

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On the other side of the NL Playoff Bracket, the San Diego Padres beat up on Max Scherzer and the New York Mets in the Wild Card round, before going back to California and taking down the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team that won 111 games in the regular season.

Phillies – Padres NLCS Schedule

• Game 1: Phillies at Padres, Tuesday at 8:03 p.m. ET, FS1
• Game 2: Phillies at Padres, Wednesday at 4:35 p.m. ET, Fox/FS1
• Game 3: Padres at Phillies, Friday at 7:37 p.m. ET, FS1
• Game 4: Padres at Phillies, Saturday at 7:45 p.m. ET, FOX
• Game 5: Padres at Phillies, Sunday at 2:37 p.m. ET, FS1 (if necessary)
• Game 6: Phillies at Padres, Oct. 24 at 8:03 p.m. ET, FS1 (if necessary)
• Game 7: Phillies at Padres, Oct. 25 at 8:03 p.m. ET, Fox/FS1 (if necessary)

Game 1: Zack Wheeler vs Yu Darvish

Rob Thomson and the Phillies secured a very important Game 4 win last Saturday in Philly, which allowed them to set their pitching rotation for the NLCS exactly how they wanted it. Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola will be the first two pitchers for the Phillies, and will now be able to appear in four out of the seven games of the NLCS series.

Wheeler has pitched twice for the Phillies this postseason. In St. Louis, he threw 6.1 innings, allowing just two hits while striking out four. In Atlanta, he threw 6.0 innings, allowing four hits and three earned runs while striking out five.  

Darvish has success against the Phillies this season, facing them twice. In May, he struck out five over seven scoreless innings, earning a win in Philadelphia. In June, he struck out nine over six innings in San Diego and was handed a no-decision and a Padres loss.

NLCS Game 1: Phillies – Padres Odds

TEAM	SPREAD	MONEY	TOTAL
Philadelphia Phillies	+1.5 (-210)	+108	O 7 (+100)
San Diego Padres	-1.5 (+172)	-126	U 7 (-122)

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Phillies vs Darvish (2022)

• Kyle Schwarber: 1-6, RBI
• Rhys Hoskins: 3-6
• JT Realmuto: 0-3
• Nick Castellanos: 3-6, RBI
• Alec Bohm: 1-6
• Bryson Stott: 1-4, RBI

Prediction: Much like Citizens Bank Park over the weekend, the fans and the atmosphere in San Diego is incredible. The Phillies just need to win one game and force a split before heading back to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Friday. Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola in Game 2 set themselves up perfectly to do just that and I think it happens tonight.

Prediction: Phillies ML +108 | Over 7 (+100)