Roundtable: Inside the Astros and Phillies Writers Predict World Series Outcome
In this story:
Welcome to a special edition of an Inside the Astros roundtable where we discuss the upcoming World Series between the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies!
The best-of-seven series will begin on Friday, Oct. 28 at Minute Maid Park at 7:03 p.m. CDT.
The writers at Inside the Astros and Inside the Phillies got together to talk about each team's strengths, weaknesses and our predictions for the series. Who will be crowned World Series champions?
Here's what we had to say:
Kade Kistner (Publisher): Alright, welcome to another round table between Inside the Phillies and Astros. World Series edition! Pretty cool. How’s everyone feeling?
Leo Morgenstern (Phillies): Maybe a little too cocky right now…
Lauren Amour (Phillies): I'm feeling strangely calm, but also excited!
Alex Carr (Phillies): Just happy to be talking about meaningful baseball in almost-November!
Ben Silver (Phillies): Oddly calm. Obviously, the Phillies weren't expected to be here, so I'm going to enjoy myself as much as possible regardless of happens.
Kenny Van Doren (Astros): Pretty calm on the Astros front. Just another matchup with an NL East opponent in the World Series. What could go wrong?
Kade: I feel the same way. It’s almost odd considering the Phillies “weren’t supposed to be here” and the Astros are just so damn good. So Kenny, what do you think the keys for the Astros are for winning against this NL East team?
Kenny: Stop the hot hands/bats. The Astros couldn’t stop the Nationals in 2019 although only a few outs away from the World Series, and they couldn’t match up well against the Braves two years later. The power-hitting lefties the Phillies roster will be the Astros’ biggest test of the postseason.
Kade: Phillies folks, how do we feel about the Astros, their strengths, and do they have what it takes to neutralize them?
Leo: My biggest concern is the Astros defense. The Phillies won’t be able to count on squeaking out hits, if they want to get on base they’ll need to earn it. Hopefully the lineup can draw their walks and keep hitting home runs.
Ben: Well I think the Phillies at their best have a more potent offense than the Astros, especially with Hoskins as hot as he is right now.
I think Wheeler and Nola can match up with the Astros' Verlander and Valdez so it's gonna come down to bullpen. Alvarado, Dominguez, Eflin, Robertson and Bellatti are gonna have to come up really big in this series.
We've already seen it from Alvarado and Dominguez the whole postseason but the rest of that group is really going to have to step up.
Lauren: The Phillies have magic on their side right now, and that might be the only thing that can take down a REALLY good Astros team. But, the bats are hot, I think they have what it takes to defeat a tough Astros' pitching staff. And hey, the Astros have a daunting task as well. it's hard to beat a one-two punch of Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola.
Alex: I’ve said this so many times at this point, but the Astros are probably the most complete team I’ve ever seen constructed. It’s truly amazing what they’ve been able to build. Fabulous rotation, elite defense, a shutdown bullpen and a conveyor belt offense.
I think the biggest advantages the Phillies have are chemistry and momentum — so they should play to those strengths. Try and keep the hot hands hot, hopefully get some extra help from bats like Nick Castellanos and the bottom of the lineup, and hope that the pitching staff can continue to dominate.
The Astros also just don’t make a lot of mistakes, both on the base paths and in the field. The Phillies will need to play flawlessly to have the best chance at winning.
Kade: I kinda of err on the side of good pitching beats good hitting. The Astros have that on their side. Couple that with their defense and it’s a potent combo. Houston is undefeated this postseason, so it plays well.
But I think people forget about Wheeler and Nola on the Phillies too. I’d put those against any of the Astros starters right now. So like Leo said, the Phillies need to continue the momentum they have gained this postseason at the plate. And I think it’s going to take another miracle similar to Harper’s in Game 5. But it’s possible.
***Breaking news: Phillies Manager Rob Thomson announces that Aaron Nola will start World Series Game 1.***
Kade: Breaking news in the middle of all of this. Thoughts from everyone on Nola taking the ball Game 1 and Wheeler Game 2?
Leo: That’s really interesting. It’s definitely what I was expecting, but I thought there was a chance Thomson could surprise us. Wheeler matches up really well with the Astros offense, and I’m slightly more confident in his arm right now — even on less rest.
Ben: Good, I don't think the Phillies are losing this series in five games and Wheeler needs the extra rest. He's pitching significantly better on five days rest than four days, and after taking the ball off the knee in Game 5 of the NLCS, that extra day is even more vital.
Alex: Just as Leo predicted in his piece this week. Personally, I think I would’ve liked to see Wheeler take game one to give the Phillies their best chance to begin things on a good note. Wheeler has been unbelievable in the postseason thus far.
Lauren: Aaron Nola had a perfect game going against the Astros until the 7th inning earlier this month. I'm not totally surprised by it. I know he's coming off of a shaky outing in the NLCS, but I think something mental could've been playing into that.
Leo: Thankfully, I don’t think it makes a huge difference either way. Wheeler and Nola are 1A and 1B and they both need to be awesome in order for the Phils to win.
Alex: I definitely agree with Leo there.
Ben: For anyone that didn't watch the FOX postgame show on Sunday, Wheeler apparently had to put numbing agent on that knee and apparently it was bothering him during the celebration. I'd imagine that's a little insight into why his velocity dipped too.
Kade: Kenny, does this change anything for Astros here?
Kenny: I would also throw in to not dissect those games against the Astros-Phillies at the end of the year. They were glorified spring training games with a hangover game thrown into the mix. I don’t think it changes much for the Astros. I don’t have the splits in front of me, but I’d assume Mancini would still be DHing.
Kade: That’s a fair point Kenny. The Astros didn’t play their starters a full nine innings and already had everything clinched.
Lauren: The first game wasn't a glorified spring training game for the Phillies though. Nola gave up his first hit to Alvarez in the 7th.\
Kenny: I’m saying that because a few of the regulars were pulled after two at-bats.
Lauren: Not saying there's not a difference between then and now, but Nola still handled the Astros lineup for most of the game with ease. There's still something to be said about that.
Kenny: I agree, and I think Nola is a top-three pitcher in the series. Just throwing it out there that the latter half doesn’t have much value to how the teams will play this series.
Kade: Alright, let’s wrap this up. What’s everyone’s predictions and why?
Kenny: I said on the podcast, Phillies in seven. And I’m sticking with that. It’s hard to stop momentum in the postseason, especially hot bats on the Phillies' end. I think Philly is built for October.
Alex: I think the Astros take it. I think it will be close-ish, and the Phillies definitely have that magic about them, but the Astros have been here so many times before as a unit, and have been stifled by teams clearly worse than them. I don’t think they let that happen this year, unfortunately. Astros in 6 I’ll say.
Ben: I'm going Astros in 7. I don't think it's a guarantee by any means but I think, given even odds, the smart money is on the Astros. The Phillies probably win one of the Nola/Wheeler games in Houston then win two at home. That said, if the Phillies are going to win this series, I think they'll take it in five. When the "Team of Destiny" vibes are this strong, the Phillies have the potential to just entirely out-slug the Astros.
Lauren: Phillies in 6 because as Bryce Harper says "we ain't losing," and I just don't think they come home without a championship.
Alex: That being said, and this is such a cliche, but I really am just hoping for an exciting series. This is a true David vs. Goliath, and I’m pumped to see all the National support that the Phillies will receive. Regardless of the outcome, them making it this far is huge for their players, their franchise, and their fanbase.
Kade: I’m going Phillies in 6. I think Aaron Nola and Wheeler each potentially getting the ball twice each during this series is huge. I think that “magic” plays a factor and the “miracle” needed that I had mentioned is a Game 4 win by the Phillies with a guy like Syndergaard taking the mound. It’ll be a dogfight.
Leo: I was going to say the exact same thing Kade. Phillies have something special right now, and with Wheeler and Nola on they are a high-caliber team.
Kade: Well everyone, thanks for taking the time to sit down and chat about the World Series! It’ll be a good one!
For more on the Philadelphia Phillies, go check out our coverage over at Inside the Phillies!
More From SI's Inside The Astros:
- Could Mike Trout Request a Trade to the Houston Astros?
- Report: Former Astros Pitcher Fiers' Contract Terminated By CPBL Club
- Can the Houston Astros Handle the Loss of Yordan Álvarez?
- Is There Any Hope for an Aging Yuli Gurriel?
- Grading the Houston Astros MLB Trade Deadline Transactions
- Jeremy Peña isn't Competing for Rookie of the Year, And That's a Good Thing
- Houston Astros Poised to Make Another World Series Run
- Mancini Mania: Behind the Houston Astros' Latest Streak of History
- Trey Mancini Gives Houston Astros a Much Deeper Lineup
- Yordan Álvarez Stopped Striking Out and Became the Best Hitter in Baseball
Make sure to follow Inside the Astros on Twitter @InsideAstrosSI!
