Padres vs Phillies prediction: Pick, odds for Game 5 of NLCS in 2022 MLB postseason

The Philadelphia Phillies will look to take the NLCS vs. the San Diego Padres with a win in Game 5 on Sunday afternoon at home. The Phillies lead the series 3-1 with a chance to advance to the World Series for the first time since 2009. The Padres need a win to stay alive but have a lot of work to do to come back in the series. Let's look at the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook and make a pick.

Phillies vs Padres Game 5 moneyline odds

PHI: -135
SD: +115

This is a tough one to pick. In Game 1, we had the same pitching matchup and Wheeler and the Phillies won. That was also on the road. Yu Darvish was great but had two big mistakes in the form on home runs to Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber. Harper's home run was also a bit suspect but thus is baseball. So had Darvish not went and done that, he would have went seven innings of one-hit ball with seven K's. This should be close and shouldn't look anything like Game 4.

The offenses look great but this will come down to the bullpens. Philly used seven pitchers to get through Game 4 and will look to Wheeler to go deep in the game. He's pitched at least six innings in each of three starts this postseason. He also hasn't been stretched too much, throw no more than 83 pitches in each of the past two starts. Expect Rob Thomson to let Wheeler ride so long as he doesn't get in trouble.

So really this game comes down to one thing: can the Padres get to Wheeler? They hit Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer on the road this postseason. Neither pitcher is at the level of Wheeler right now. San Diego may need to rely on the long ball, something Wheeler didn't allow often in the regular season and hasn't allowed in the postseason.

It's hard to find an angle where the Padres win, right? The Phillies have all the momentum and are at home with a trip to the World Series on the line. Philly does not want to go back West after losing Game 5 and have to face Blake Snell with Aaron Nola on the mound. So this feels like a “let's just get it done now” spot for the Phils.

Pick: Phillies -135

  
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