The Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres were massive underdogs in the NLDS, but each prevailed in four games to set up a surprising NLCS matchup. Read on for our Phillies-Padres picks.
The Phillies finished 14 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East this season, while the Padres finished 22 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the West. That didn't matter last week, as two teams with 212 combined wins were sent packing.
With the Braves eliminated, no defending World Series champion has reached the following World Series since the Phillies did it in 2009, according to Sarah Langs. The 13-year stretch without a defending champion at least making it back to the World Series is the longest since its inception in 1903.
Here are my MLB picks and predictions for Tuesday's Game 1 between the Phillies and Padres (odds via Caesars Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook, and DraftKings Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).