The Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros will finally kick off the 2022 World Series with a Friday night matchup in Houston. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our MLB odds series, which includes a Phillies-Astros prediction and pick, laid out below.

The Philadelphia Phillies ended their regular season at 87-75, sneaking into the playoffs as the final NL Wild Card team. From there, Philadelphia rolled past St. Louis, Atlanta, and now San Diego en route to their first World Series appearance since 2009.

Houston dominated the regular season with a 106-56 record, running away with the AL West crown. Houston continued their dominance in the postseason, sweeping both Seattle and New York before the World Series. Houston was defeated by Atlanta in last year's World Series.

Here are the Phillies-Astros MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

World Series Odds: Phillies-Astros Odds

Philadelphia Phillies: +1.5 (-154)

Houston Astros: -1.5 (+128)

Over: 6.5 (-124)

Under: 6.5 (+102)

Why The Phillies Could Cover The Spread

Aaron Nola will toe the rubber in the series opener, lining up against former LSU roommate Alex Bregman and company. Nola has been great in the postseason, posting a 3.12 ERA in 17.1 innings across his three starts. Nola has struck out eighteen batters against just three walks. Nola's chase rate in the regular season ranked in the 90th percentile in the league. However, Houston is one of the more disciplined lineups and does not strike out often. Philadelphia's bullpen has long been the crux of the team, but things have turned around this season. In the postseason, Philadelphia's bullpen has pitched to a 3.19 ERA in 42.1 innings, striking out 53 batters while walking only thirteen. Seranthony Dominguez has been dominant, with a 1.17 ERA and fifteen strikeouts in 7.2 innings. Dominguez has yet to surrender a walk. Dominguez struck out 29.5 percent of the batters he faced in the regular season.

Offensively, the story has been impressive power streaks from three of the team's stars. Bryce Harper has elevated his play to another atmosphere in the playoffs, slashing .419/.444/.907 with five home runs, six doubles, and eleven RBI. Harper's opposite field two-run home run in the eighth inning of game five secured an NLCS victory for Philadelphia. Rhys Hoskins also has crushed five home runs despite a .182 batting average. Kyle Schwarber has launched three home runs while getting on base at a .375 clip. Jean Segura has enjoyed his first trip to the postseason, hitting .257 with two doubles, a stolen base, and five RBI. Philadelphia has the most home runs in the postseason at sixteen, most doubles at 23, and have hit .237 as a team.

Why The Astros Could Cover The Spread

Justin Verlander has turned back time with a potential Cy Young season coming off Tommy John and will take the ball for Houston in game one. Verlander has turned in one awful start and one dominant start so far in his postseason but has struck out fourteen in ten innings. Verlander's final start of the regular season was against Philadelphia, firing five shutout innings, allowing no hits with ten strikeouts and just one walk. Verlander walked just 4.4 percent of the batters he faced in the regular season. Houston's bullpen dominated in the regular season, and that success has carried over to the postseason. Houston ranks first with a 0.82 ERA, striking out 42 in 33 innings. Five relievers have not allowed a run in their appearances. Closer Ryan Pressley has been filthy, with four saves, striking out eight in 5.1 scoreless innings. Hard-throwing righty Bryan Abreu has struck out ten in 6.1 scoreless innings.

Houston's offense has been carried by an unlikely hero in Jeremy Pena. Pena is hitting .303 with three home runs and three doubles, including a go-ahead home run in the eighteen-inning marathon against Seattle in the ALDS. Yuli Gurriel leads the team with a .367 batting average, launching two home runs. Gurriel has yet to strike out this postseason. Alex Bregman has hit .333 with two home runs, putting up identical numbers in both rounds of the playoffs. Chas McCormick hit fourteen home runs in 119 regular season games and has hit two in six postseason games. Houston has hit twelve home runs as a team and struck out just 61 times in seven games. By comparison, Philadelphia has struck out 94 times in eleven games. There is no break in this lineup, making it hell on the opposing pitching staff. Even the team's “worst” hitter, Martin Maldonado, is hitting .214 in six games.

Final Phillies-Astros Prediction & Pick

This should be a very fun series, but Houston just has too much firepower for Philadelphia to overcome. Verlander can dominate this lineup.

Final Phillies-Astros Prediction & Pick: Houston -1.5 (+128), over 6.5 (-124)