Phillies vs. Cardinals Game 2 Prediction and Odds for NL Wild Card (Philadelphia Ends St. Louis Season)

The Phillies improbable comeback against the Cardinals in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card round was the story of the first day of the postseason on Friday, can the Phils finish the job?

Philadelphia scored six runs in the ninth inning of Game 1 to erase a 2-0 deficit and take control of the series against St. Louis. They remain on the road but turn to stud pitcher Aaron Nola, who has been in fine form over the past several weeks, can he ouduel Miles Mikolas and punch the Phillies tickets to the NLDS?

Here are the odds for Game 2:

Phillies vs. Cardinals Odds, Run Line and Total

Phillis vs. Cardinals Prediction and Pick

Nola has been pitching his best of late, posting a 2.36 ERA over his last six starts, as he helped propel the Phillies into the postseason. He will face a Cardinals lineup that has a ton of talent, but hasn't been producing of late. Since the start of September, the Cards are 15th in wRC+ and tied for 24th in the big leagues in terms of batting average (.227).

Likely MVP front runner Paul Goldschmidt is one of the key names that has cooled off since the start of the final month of the regular season, posting .245/.333/.383 slashes, all season lows.

Nola has the edge on the mound against a struggling Cardinals lineup and also when comparing him to the St. Louis starter, Miles Mikolas. While he got off to a strong start in 2022, 2.54 ERA across his first 19 starts, he has cooled off since the All-Star break, posting a 4.39 ERA with a diminishing strikeout rate.

The Cardinals are also likely down their closer Jonathan Heasley, who collapsed in the ninth inning and left the game with a hand injury.

The blown lead is going to trickle over into today and I like the Phillies to make this a two game sweep and face their NL East rival the Atlanta Braves.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.