Astros-Phillies World Series Game 3 Postponed for Tuesday

Conservative News DailyNovember 2, 2022

A rainout on Monday night has altered the outlook for Game 3 and the rest of the World Series. Instead of Noah Syndergaard, the Philadelphia Phillies will now start Ranger Suarez on Tuesday night, Aaron Nola in Games 4 and 7, and shift Syndergaard (or Kyle Gibson) to Game 5. Zack Wheeler is still slated for a possible Game 6.

Houston’s gameplan doesn’t change, with Lance McCullers still penciled in to pitch on Tuesday night. The only Mother Nature-induced change for Houston is that its bullpen gets another rest day.

The Astros were a -135 favorite for the originally scheduled Game 3. Still, the rainout has shifted this line down to -125, with the market seemingly more confident in Suarez than in a Syndergaard-started bullpen game for the Phils.

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Ranger Suarez #55 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates

Houston Astros vs. Philadelphia Phillies odds (FanDuel)

Astros: -126
Phillies: +108
Over/Under: 7.5

Astros vs. Phillies Game 3 prediction

It does seem like the market may be overreacting a little bit to the postponement. The delay certainly does help the Phillies overall since Nola can leapfrog into Game 4, and the bullpen game gets delayed until Game 5. Still, it remains to be seen if there’s a material difference between Suarez and a bullpen game.

The 27-year-old native of Venezuela was steady in 2022, posting a 3.65 ERA over 155.1 innings of work. Suarez’s expected indicators were pretty much on par with his back-of-the-card numbers, as he logged a 3.78 xERA and 3.82 xFIP.

Suarez does a good job of limiting hard contact — he ranks in the 73rd percentile in average exit velocity and hard-hit rate — but he does not get many whiffs and walks too many batters. Suarez will also have to deal with an Astros lineup that buried lefties this season. Houston ranked second in the MLB in OPS, wOBA and wRC+ against southpaws in 2022.

Lance McCullers Jr. missed most of the regular season with a forearm injury, but the 29-year-old found his form down the stretch, posting a 2.27 ERA in eight starts. McCullers’ 3.57 xERA and 3.58 xFIP suggested he was over-performing, but those are still strong marks for a pitcher who missed more than half the season.

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McCullers has made two starts in the postseason with varying results. He held the Mariners scoreless over six innings, but he got touched up for four runs on eight hits against the Yankees. The Phillies offense has been terrific during the postseason, but McCullers should have some wiggle room with a well-rested, elite bullpen behind him and a terrific lineup providing support.

Although the pitching matchup projects to be close to a wash, the bullpen advantage still rests with the Astros and the Houston lineup should find success against a pitcher who struggles to keep traffic down on the basepaths.