It's time for the postseason in the MLB, and over in the National League the wildcard matches are starting this weekend. Here we look ahead to the game between the Mets and the Padres, and the Cardinals and the Phillies, and we bring you our MLB betting picks on who we think will win the NLWC matches.
The LA Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves are the two teams with byes into the NLDS. The winner of the Mets v Padres will face the Dodgers, with the Braves waiting for whoever is victorious between the Cardinals and the Phillies.
The wildcard matches both start today, Friday, October 7th.
- St Louis Cardinals v Philadelphia Phillies 12.07 pm ET
- New York Mets v San Diego Padres 8.07 pm ET
They are both a best of three series, with the second matches on Saturday, and the third matches on Sunday (if required). Before we move on to preview the matches, let’s take a quick look at the betting to win the National League Pennant, and also the betting to win the 2022 World Series.
National League Pennant Betting
No prizes for guessing who the favorites are to win the National League Pennant, it's the LA Dodgers at +150. The Dodgers are followed by the Atlanta Braves at +220, and then it’s the New York Mets at +450.
The rest of the betting is made up of the St Louis Cardinals (+750), the Philadelphia Phillies (+1200), and the San Diego Padres at +1400.
| MLB Betting Odds to win National League |  |
|---|---|
| LA Dodgers | +150 |
| Atlanta Braves | +220 |
| New York Mets | +450 |
| St Louis Cardinals | +750 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | +1200 |
| San Diego Padres | +1400 |
The National League Pennant betting odds are supplied by BetOnline, who you can read more about at our BetOnline review.
Dodgers still lead the World Series betting odds
In the latest MLB World Series betting odds, it’s again the LA Dodgers who are the favorites. This time they are just +285. The Dodgers are followed by the Houston Astros at +425, and the Atlanta Braves at +475.
Next is the two New York teams. The Yankees are +550, with the Mets at +1000. The drift on the Mets has been quite alarming. Back in August, they were +700. This shows they have been steadily drifting over the past few weeks.
Cardinals v Phillies
The first wildcard match in the National League sees the Cardinals (3) host the Phillies (6). The higher ranking for the Cardinals gives them home advantage for all three matches, which is why they are the -140 favorites to win the series (the Phillies are +120).
St Louis finished the season top of the NL Central with 93 wins, but that wasn’t enough to secure them a bye. As for the Phillies, they managed 87 wins.
In their last ten matches, both sides recorded a 4-6 record.
- What; St Louis Cardinals v Philadelphia Phillies
- Where; Busch Stadium, St Louis, Missouri
- Date; October 7th, 2022
- Time; 2.07 pm ET
On the moneyline the best MLB betting sites can’t separate the two teams. Both are -110. The handicap has gone to the Phillies, and they are -210 with a +1.5 points start. The Cardinals are +175 from a -1.5 points start.
On the total points spread, the marker is set at 7. Over 7 is +100, with under 7 at -120.
This does have the feel of a match that could go either way, as demonstrated by the MLB betting odds. Different bookmakers have the Cardinals as favorites, but on the whole, the two teams are very close.
For a pick, I’m going to go with the value bet. The Cardinals are at home, and should they win, I can see it being by two points or more, which would see them win on the handicap at +175. I think that has to be the best bet for this match.
Mets v Padres
This is the fixture that stands out the most to me. Can the Mets recover from throwing away a 10 points lead in the NL East division? If they can’t, the Padres might end their season this weekend. This would be a major set back from a team who were running away with NL East in June.
As recently as August, they had a 5.5 games lead over the Braves.
After a doubleheader sweep, the @Mets lead the NL East by 5.5 games. 👀 pic.twitter.com/89sDGvdXEW
— MLB (@MLB) August 7, 2022
The Mets finished the season with a 5-5 run in, the same as the Padres. Over the course of the regular season, the Mets won 101 matches, the Padres 89. The Padres also finished a huge 22 wins behind the Dodgers.
- What; New York Mets v San Diego Padres
- Where; Citi Field, New York City, New York
- Date; October 7th, 2022
- Time; 8.07 pm ET
On the moneyline, the Mets are -145, with the Padres at +134. Moving onto the handicap market, the Mets (-1.5) are +170, with the Padres (+1.5) at -195.
To complete the match betting, the total points spread is 6. Over 6 is -119, with under 6 coming in at -101.
Even though the Mets lost the crucial series with the Brave 3-0, they still finished the season with three wins over the Nationals. Yes, not the strongest of opposition, but it means the Mets can go into the wildcard match with a bit of confidence.
I think those wins will have done them good, and I like the look of the Mets to win on the handicap at +170, and make that my betting pick for this match.
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