The National League will determine its entrant into the 2023 World Series on Tuesday night. The Arizona Diamondbacks and the Philadelphia Phillies will meet in a game that starts just after 6:00 PM ET. This will be Game 7 of the 2023 NLCS, a game that will come from Philadelphia. The winner will join the Texas Rangers in the Fall Classic after they won their own Game 7 on Monday over the Houston Astros. My Diamondbacks vs Phillies prediction is that Philadelphia will win this game and claim the 2023 NLCS.
Starting Pitching: Brandon Pfaadt vs Ranger Suarez
The pitching matchup is going to be Brandon Pfaadt against Ranger Suarez. It is a matchup we've already seen in this series. These two guys went head-to-head in Game 3. At that time, the Diamondbacks were down 0-2 in the series and desperately needed a win. They received 5.2 shutout innings from Pfaadt, in a sparkling outing where he allowed just two hits while striking out nine.
Pfaadt is a rookie. Conventional analysis would hold that this occasion might be too big for a rookie starter.
Philadelphia will counter with Ranger Suarez. Suarez has a 0.64 ERA in 14 innings pitched during the current postseason. If you went by regular season stats, the upcoming game wouldn't exactly be between two aces. Pfaadt, in particular, had regular-season stats that would not make you think he'd be any good in the playoffs. However, both pitchers are in great short-term form, and that creates the potential for a low-scoring Game 7 classic.
Diamondbacks vs Phillies Prediction: Betting Tips
Philadelphia is priced at -165 on the moneyline (bet365). That's a good line to take if you share some skepticism in Arizona as a whole.
In particular, I don't think Brandon Pfaadt will keep riding his hot form. This is a start for him under very difficult circumstances than his previous one. What makes this start a lot different from Game 3 isn't so much the elimination game. Back in Game 3, Arizona was facing the next-worst thing anyway. What makes Game 7 different is two things.
The Philadelphia Phillies had a look at Pfaadt just days ago and they probably won't be fooled again by his pitching. You could say something similar about the D'backs against Suarez except Philadelphia has had more offensive firepower in this series on the whole. Also, Philadelphia will be the home team. If anyone explodes on offense, it will be the Phillies.
It is going to be really hard for Pfaadt to deliver under the current circumstances. I see Suarez as much more comfortable and more likely to deliver a performance that isn't overly affected by nerves. I have Philadelphia at -225 to win this game meaning -165 is a greenlight.
Texas Rangers 2023 World Series Odds
MLB Futures 2023
To Win Outright MLB World Series
Win Only:
TEX Rangers -120
PHI Phillies +200
ARI Diamondbacks +400
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