Starting Friday night, the Houston Astros will host the Philadelphia Phillies for a three-game interleague series. That’s notable because each team is an aspiring contender in 2023, and it’s even more notable because it’s a rematch of last year’s World Series.
In that World Series, the 106-win Astros affirmed their juggernaut status by besting Philadelphia in six games. The Phillies, meantime, failed to achieve their desired capstone to a season that saw them barge back from eight games under .500 following a managerial change, claim a wild-card berth, and pull off upset after upset in the playoffs before running into Dusty Baker’s squad.
As for the rematch before us, let’s set the scene for this Fall Classic redo in Minute Maid Park with some things to know. Let us commence identifying things and knowing them.
Both teams started off slowly this season but have been faring better
The champion Astros were 3-6 through the first nine games of the season and as recently as April 16 were 7-9 following a 9-1 blowout loss to the division-rival Rangers. Then Houston flipped the switch. Not only have the Astros gone 7-2 since that loss to their in-state rivals, but they’ve gone 7-2 against the mighty likes of the Blue Jays, Braves, and Rays. All three were playoff teams in 2022, and all three have legit designs on the World Series this season. At this writing, the Astros stand at a more customary 14-11 and boast a run differential of plus-28 (good for third-best in the AL at the moment). In related matters, the SportsLine Projection System presently tabs Houston for 98 wins this season and gives them a 91.9% chance of making the postseason. (Projected records and playoff odds for all 30 teams are available on our standings page.) The Astros have found that level despite playing what’s been the fifth-toughest schedule in MLB.
On the Philly side of things, Rob Thomson’s club started off 1-5 this season, and a 13-0 thumping at the hands of the lowly Reds dropped them to a season-worst five games under .500 on April 15. Around the same time the Astros leveled up, however, the Phils did the same. Since that nadir, the Phillies have gone 8-3, and Thursday’s 1-0 win over the Mariners pulled them to .500 (13-13) for the first time in 2023. On the downside, the Phillies are still lugging around a negative run differential (minus-10), and they’ve been outscored by their opponents…
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