Diamondbacks vs. Phillies odds opened with the defending National League champions favored over Cinderella Arizona.
The Diamondbacks limped to the finish line with losses to the Astros, but they secured their playoff spot by virtue of losses by both the Cubs and Reds. However, in the NL Wild Card Round, they were able to defeat the favored Milwaukee Brewers in two games. They then stunned the NL West champion and rival Dodgers with a three-game sweep and are now 5-0 this postseason.
The Phillies, who will host Games 1, 2 and potentially 6 and 7, opened as -152 favorites to advance to the World Series at FanDuel. The visiting Diamondbacks are +128 underdogs.
Below, you'll find the full schedule for this series, as well as a breakdown of both teams and how they got to this point.
All odds cited below via FanDuel, which you can pair with our FanDuel promo code for bonus bets.
For updated odds on every series throughout the postseason, be sure to visit our MLB futures page. For individual game odds throughout the postseason at a variety of sportsbooks, visit our MLB odds page.
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Diamondbacks vs. Phillies NLCS Schedule
- Game 1 at Philadelphia: Monday, October 16, 8:07 p.m. ET, TBS
- Game 2 at Philadelphia: Tuesday, October 17, 8:07 p.m. ET, TBS
- Game 3 at Arizona: Thursday, October 19, 5:07 p.m. ET, TBS
- Game 4 at Arizona: Friday, October 20, 8:07 p.m. ET, TBS
- Game 5 at Arizona: Saturday, October 21, 8:07 p.m. ET, TBS (if necessary)
- Game 6 at Philadelphia: Monday, October 23, 5:07 p.m. ET, TBS (if necessary)
- Game 7 at Philadelphia: Tuesday, October 24, 8:07 p.m. ET, TBS (if necessary)
Arizona Diamondbacks
- World Series Odds: +420
- Pennant Odds: +116
- Regular Season Record: 84-78
- Team wRC+ (Rank): 98 (18th)
- Starting Pitching xFIP (Rank): 4.36 (18th)
- Bullpen xFIP (Rank): 4.27 (16th)
How They Got Here
The Arizona Diamondbacks played well down the final stretch of the season after getting out to one of the hottest starts in baseball, which helped keep them in the race. Outside of the Baltimore Orioles, there is probably not another team in the playoff race with a more stacked supply of young players at their disposal. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is one of the veteran regulars, and he is not even 30 years old.
This team will not necessarily get by in the playoffs with luck. They may look like underdogs, but having two aces at the top of the rotation with two go-to arms in the bullpen helps. They could cause some chaos if they manage to get some consistency from the lineup and ‘pen.
In the NL Wild Card Round, the Diamondbacks beat the Brewers in two games. In the NLDS, they defeated the Dodgers in a three-game sweep.
Offense
Arizona has worked its way around some pretty bad expected numbers. The Diamondbacks do not hit the ball all too hard. They rank in the bottom 10 in Hard Hit Rate and the bottom half of the league in wRC+ and OPS.
They have some stars, like Corbin Carroll and Christian Walker, who are dangerous threats against any pitcher, but the lineup drops off from there when it comes to consistency.
Rotation
The D'backs have arguably the best 1-2 punch at the top of the starting pitching rotation in the playoff field. Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly are great pitchers and can be among the most reliable starters in the league.
However, Arizona ranks in the bottom 10 in starting pitcher xFIP this season. Since August 1, on the other hand, they rank in the top 10, and this is basically because the rest of the rotation has not been as bad.
Since they have a couple of great starters, they can get by in a shortened series with just that and a bullpen. They might have some trouble after the Wild Card Round.
Bullpen
The Snakes added Paul Sewald at the deadline to help supplement Miguel Castro at the back end of the bullpen. This was a savvy move, as on the season they rank in the bottom half in bullpen xFIP.
Since August 1, they are pretty much in the same spot, but having those two at their disposal will make the decisions easier for manager Torey Lovullo.
—D.J. James
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Philadelphia Phillies
- World Series Odds: +220
- Pennant Odds: -136
- Regular Season Record: 90-72
- Team wRC+ (Rank): 105 (11th)
- Starting Pitching xFIP (Rank): 4.03 (5th)
- Bullpen xFIP (Rank): 4.06 (7th)
How They Got Here
The Phillies are almost a carbon copy of last year’s team, but they are now equipped with more pitching depth and better defense. They played below .500 for the first two months of the season, but were one of baseball’s elite from June forward.
Unlike last year, the Phillies didn’t have to grind through September to secure a final playoff spot in the final days of the season. Instead, the Phillies cruised to the No. 4 seed and secured home field advantage for the Wild Card Round.
After sweeping the Miami Marlins, the Phillies had a rematch with the rival Atlanta Braves and beat them in the NLDS to advance to the NLCS for the second straight year.
Offense
It’s been a roller coaster for the Phillies lineup in 2023. Trea Turner had an OPS below .700 for the first 100 games of the season but transformed into an elite player in August and September. Despite the early struggle, he still finished with north of 25 homers and an above-league-average wRC+. Nick Castellanos has been the Phillies' most consistent slugger from start to finish, though he had a major post-All-Star slump. Castellanos is hitting lower in the order now, behind youngsters Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott, who have excellent hit tools and are tough to strike out.
The Phillies will go as far as Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber can take them. Harper went more than a month without a homer as he struggled to lift the ball and find his power stroke. Even despite the poor stretch by his standards post-elbow surgery, Harper will still finish the season with a strong slash line. Schwarber is an unconventional leadoff hitter because of his low batting average, but his elite plate discipline means only Juan Soto walked more in MLB. Schwarber’s power and patience is daunting in front of Turner and Harper at the top of the lineup.
Rotation
Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola will be expected to carry the Phillies in the playoffs. Wheeler has been as good as ever with a 3.18 xERA and a 21.9 K-BB%. Nola has seen a drop in his strikeout rate and has also struggled to keep the ball in the yard. Nola’s 4.46 ERA and 3.74 xERA are both a full run worse than last season.
One benefit for Nola is that he’ll make his first two starts at Citizens Bank Park, where he’s been considerably better in his career. He’ll also be on extra rest. Behind the two aces, I’d expect Ranger Suarez to fill the role as the No. 3 starter, but to have a short leash because of the Phillies bullpen depth.
Bullpen
The Phillies entered last year with three reliable relievers – Jose Alvarado, Seranthony Dominguez and starter Zach Eflin. Now, there’s no bullpen in MLB with better versatility and pure stuff than the Phillies.
There’s questions if they’ll throw enough strikes — Craig Kimbrel, Gregory Soto, Alvarado and Dominguez have concerns — but three decently reliable lefties and the emergence of Jeff Hoffman and Orion Kerkering (elite Stuff+ metrics) provide manager Rob Thomson with a ton of options to shorten games.
—Anthony Dabbundo
