Peter Lewis
• Houston Astros vs. Philadelphia Phillies
• Saturday, April 29 at 5:10 PM ET
• Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas
While the Houston Astros haven’t had the start to the 2023 campaign that people have expected of them, there’s no question that they’re still one of the top teams in the bigs. The same can be said for the Philadelphia Phillies, as the NL East side is hoping to make a major splash the rest of the way. This week, the two clubs are facing off in what should be a fun series. And for Saturday’s showdown, the Astros are favored to beat the Phillies with Christian Javier on the mound.
When it was announced that Justin Verlander was going to be leaving the AL West to sign with the New York Mets, a lot of fans were worried about who would be able to step up in the rotation moving forward. Enter Javier. The hard-throwing righty has been fantastic this year, as he’s 2-0 thus far in his starts. While his ERA of 3.21 isn’t the best out there, it’s still impressive in its own right.
| Astros vs. Phillies odds |  |  |  |  |
| Astros to win | -115 | -115 | -115 | -115 |
| Phillies to win | +125 | +125 | +125 | +125 |
| Over to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
During Saturday’s matchup, Javier is going to have a tough time trying to silence the Philly bats, as this team has power throughout. They’re of course going to be led this season by Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, two of the best home-run hitters in the game. Schwarber is a beast at the plate and he’ll be ready to keep making a splash moving forward. What does he have in store?
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, the Astros hold -115 MLB betting odds to post a win, while the Phillies are underdogs at +125. Philly would love to record an upset here, but the fans at Minute Maid Park are going to be fired up to try and rattle them. With how strong Houston is, we’re going to have to go with the home team in this case. The Astros are our pick.
Coming to @MinuteMaidPark this weekend.
🗓: https://t.co/JKVVoyRSnA pic.twitter.com/McPZD1nnDJ
— Houston Astros (@astros) April 27, 2023
The over should hit between the Astros and Phillies
With how great both of these squads are on offense, the over should hit between the Astros and Phillies. While we already touched base a bit on Philadelphia, Houston is stacked too. There’s no denying that Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez are monsters at the dish. All three of these guys have the kind of power to go yard whenever they have a bat in their hands.
They’re also a big reason why Astros fans think that this team can not only win the AL West this year, but potentially go back-to -back in capturing the World Series title – right now, they hold impressive World Series betting odds. That’s not going to change the rest of the way. Come Saturday, those three studs will be facing off against pitcher Zack Wheeler, who holds a 4.73 ERA. He could be in for a long day.
Another game-winner for Yordan Alvarez.
Add it to the list. pic.twitter.com/iOcZaXwiIo
— MLB (@MLB) April 22, 2023
“At the end of the day, we realize that Altuve loves playing here,” Astros GM Dana Brown said via Bleacher Report on Altuve and Bregman. “He’ll love to continue his career, finish his career here in Houston. Bregman pretty much has his whole family here. His family doesn’t live too far away; his immediate family is from the area. At the end of the day, I think we’ll get both guys done.”
Altuve, Bregman and Alvarez are beloved all over the city and Brown knows it. We think they’re all ready to have a big series vs. Philly. On Saturday, the over/under has been set at seven runs. With Wheeler on the bump for Philadelphia, Houston will be ready to try and make plenty of noise. We think they’re going to be able to do just that. Because of this, we’re going with the over as our pick.
Houston is no longer the favorite to win the World Series
In a bit of a stunner, Houston is no longer the favorite to win the World Series. As of this writing, the Astros are 14-11 on the year, which not a lot of people thought would be the case. Meanwhile in the NL East, the Atlanta Braves have been red hot, which has led to them now holding the top MLB betting odds to win the Fall Classic. Who in the heck saw this coming?
As good as the Braves have been, with Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, Ronald Acuna and others stepping up, don’t even think about doubting this Houston side. The Astros have proven countless times in recent years that they’re ready to silence their haters at the drop of a hat.
Some people might be ready to write them off already, but they’re always going to have a great chance to post a big win in the playoffs. Atlanta holds +550 odds to win it all, while the Astros are at +700. A World Series battle between Atlanta and Houston could end up going down. If that’s how things shape out, it would surely be a matchup to remember for fans.
