Dan Gelston, The Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Phillies will bring in right-handed pitcher Aaron Nola for Game 1 of the World Series against the Houston Astros, followed by Zack Wheeler.
The first two games will take place Friday and Saturday in Houston.
“Any time you have Nola and Wheeler, two pitchers who are top-10 right now in baseball, you feel like you can win this game,” Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins said.
Nola is 2-1 with a 3.12 ERA and 18 strikeouts in three starts since the start of the playoffs.
On Oct. 3, Nola retired the Astros batters in order for almost seven full innings, en route to a 3-0 win that secured the Phillies a playoff spot.
Nola, who was 11-13 with a 3.25 ERA in the regular season, had nine strikeouts and lost his perfect game when Yordan Alvarez singled after two outs in the seventh.
“You can’t go wrong with the starter that’s going to come to the mound in this first game,” Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber said. “(Our starters) have been so good to us all season.”
Since that Oct. 3 game, the Astros haven’t suffered a single loss, and are a perfect 7-0 since the start of the playoffs.
Astros manager Dusty Baker hasn’t released the names of his starters, although Justin Verlander will most likely be called into the fray in Game 1, possibly followed by Framber Valdez.
Verlander had 11 strikeouts and allowed one run in six innings in his only start against the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series. Valdez shut out the Yankees for seven innings in his only start against them.
The 39-year-old Verlander has shown no signs of slowing down in 2022. He went 18-4 with a major league-leading 1.75 ERA. He also recorded 185 strikeouts.
“When a player is able to do that for such a long time, it’s a testament to his work ethic and his competitive side,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said.
“Of course, he always had a lot of substance in his shots.”
Wheeler is 1-1 with a 1.78 ERA in four starts since the start of the playoffs. He scored 25 strikeouts and conceded only three walks.
Wheeler was not involved in the decision in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series against the San Diego Padres. The Phillies won that game 4-3 and eliminated the Padres.
Thomson didn’t say who his pitchers will be in Games 3 and 4, but did say he’ll be sticking to a rotation of four gunners.
The Astros have won 19 more games than the Phillies in the regular season and have been established favorites to win the World Series, according to FanDuel.
