2022 World Series: Ben Verlander's keys to Phillies-Astros Game 2

By Ben Verlander
Published

The Philadelphia Phillies defied the odds and roared back after falling behind by five runs to pull off a stunning come-from-behind victory over the favored Houston Astros, 6-5, in 10 innings in Game 1 of the 2022 World Series on Friday.

The Phillies hold a 1-0 series lead heading into Saturday's action in Houston.

Here are my keys to victory for both teams in Game 2 (8:03 p.m., FOX and the FOX Sports App):

Astros

Yordan Álvarez needs to show up

Houston goes as its lefty slugger goes. Álvarez has been one of the best hitters in baseball this season, especially when the Astros win — and they win a lot. Through the playoffs, he's hitting .349 with a .450 OBP, .718 slugging and 1.168 OPS. But in losses, including Friday night, Álvarez's rate stats are dramatically down across the board: .195 average, .297 OBP, .352 SLG, .649 OPS. 

After opening the postseason on fire, homering in Houston's first two games while driving in seven runs, Álvarez has gone 3-for-25 with 10 strikeouts.

Framber Valdez continues quality starts

The Astros pitcher led the American League with 26 quality starts, including a streak of 25 to set an MLB record. The previous MLB record of 24 consecutive quality starts was set by New York Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom in 2018. Valdez also led baseball in quality start percentage (83.9%, minimum 10 starts).

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Ben Verlander and Alex Curry break down the keys to Game 2 of the World Series. The Astros' keys involve big contributions from Yordan Alvarez and Framber Valdez, the Phillies' include a workhorse start from Zack Wheeler and capitalizing in the top of the strike zone.

Phillies

Zack Wheeler goes deeper than Aaron Nola

Wheeler is 9-3 when his start goes longer than six innings this season for the Phillies, including the postseason and the regular season. He is 2-0 in the playoffs.

Wheeler is 8-10 when his start goes six innings or fewer, including the postseason and the regular season. He is 1-1 in the playoffs.

Force Valdez to throw his curve up in the zone

Valdez set the MLB record for most curveball whiffs in a game with 16 in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series. During the regular season, Valdez had the fourth-best curveball in baseball in terms of run value, with a whiff rate of 45.5% on the pitch. When Valdez sits at the top of the zone, batters have an exit velocity of 96.5, the highest of any part of the strike zone for him.