Peter Lewis
The Major League postseason has arrived and the hunt for the World Series is heating up. To get things started, we’ve got Wild Card Weekend on the way, with four teams hoping to punch their tickets to the Divisional Round. In both leagues, there’s sure to be plenty of drama in the coming days. In this article, we have our MLB NL Wild Card picks for the 2022 season. Which teams will keep their campaigns rocking?
Mets are favored over the Padres at Citi Field
In what’s sure to be a fun matchup, the Mets are favored over the Padres at Citi Field. New York had a bit of a rough stretch to end the campaign, which has the fanbase a bit worried about what’s to come in this series with San Diego. Both of these teams have what it takes to move on, with star players all over the field and on the bump. That’s why there’s so much intrigue leading up to Game 1.
With the Mets, it’s all going to come down to how their sluggers perform. They have strong pitching, of course led by star hurlers Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer. Scherzer is getting the start in Game 1 vs. the Padres, with the folks at Citi Field hoping that he delivers in a big way. The pressure is on for Scherzer, but when he’s in the zone, he’s 100 percent one of the best starters out there.
| NL Wild Card |  |  |  |  |
| Mets to win | -194 | -194 | -194 | -194 |
| Padres to win | +164 | +164 | +164 | +164 |
| Cardinals to win | -134 | -134 | -134 | -134 |
| Phillies to win | +114 | +114 | +114 | +114 |
This is bad news for the Padres, who won’t have a fun time going up against the man known as ‘Mad Max.’ However, San Diego has a ton of talent with its sluggers, which includes the one and only Juan Soto. Soto is one of the most exciting players in the game, as he has unreal power. There’s a reason people all over San Diego were so fired up when the club pulled off the blockbuster deal to land him.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, the Mets hold -194 MLB betting odds, while the Padres have been set at +164. New York is the favorite here and rightfully so, especially with each game of this series being played in Queens. While San Diego will be ready to try and record an upset here, we just don’t see it happening. We’re indeed going with the Mets as our pick to win this series.
Keeping it 💯
We’ve hit the 100-win mark for the fourth time in franchise history! pic.twitter.com/KqdbBFbMwt
— New York Mets (@Mets) October 5, 2022
Cardinals vs. Phillies will be a memorable matchup
In the other NL Wild Card meeting, the Cardinals vs. Phillies will be a memorable matchup. In this case, you’ve got the Cardinals hosting the action at Busch Stadium, which is only going to make things quite difficult for Philly. However, the Phillies also have a ton of talent themselves, which has people jacked up for what’s to come during this Wild Card series. Will it be Philly or St. Louis to come away with the victory?
With the Cardinals, the home-field advantage sure will be massive. This is also special for St. Louis, as both Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina will be retiring at the end of this season, Pujols, who reached 700 career home runs earlier this year, is an MLB legend. The exact same can be said for Molina, one of the best catchers we’ve seen this generation. No one wants to see their careers come to a close.
Regular season ✅
🔜 Postseason#STLCards x @MattressFirm pic.twitter.com/woxsNyQTIp
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) October 6, 2022
For the Phillies, this team ended its postseason drought and now people are hoping that slugger Bryce Harper can live up to his massive contract and deliver for this squad. Harper, the reigning NL MVP, has missed a large portion of the year due to an injury, but he’s all set to remind people of how great he can be, especially in the postseason. He’ll need to step up and hit some big homers this weekend.
Per the oddsmakers, the Cardinals hold -134 betting odds for this matchup. As for the Phillies, they’ve been set at +114. This is a series that really feels like a coin flip, which is why the odds numbers are pretty darn similar. At the end of the day, we think the good times will keep rocking for Pujols and Molina. We’re going with the Cardinals as our pick for this one.
Dodgers remain the top dogs in the National League
Leading up to the playoffs, remember that the Dodgers remain the top dogs in the National League as things stand. LA, which won the title two years ago, is hoping to get back to the Fall Classic and they hold the top World Series betting odds. This has their fans pumped up and understandably so. It will be on Clayton Kershaw, Mookie Betts, Justin Turner and others to make things happen.
There’s other teams ready to try and silence them, of course including the Mets, Cardinals and more. Over in the American League, the Astros hold the top AL odds to win it all. Either way, the postseason will be one to remember and folks can’t wait for the action to get started. Get your popcorn ready for what should be a fun ride.
