Astros vs. Phillies World Series Game 3 odds, trends: Bettors backing Philadelphia, Alex Bregman is new MVP favorite

It's Halloween night in Philadelphia, which will host its first World Series game since 2009. It might be a bit wild at Citizens Bank Park for Game 3 of the 2022 Fall Classic with the Phillies and Astros tied 1-1. Houston is a -130 favorite at BetMGM but only taking 35% of the tickets and 33% of the money. The total has risen from 7.5 to 8, with 57% of bets and 53% of money on the Under. Click here for model picks. 

Philadelphia's Bryce Harper had been the betting favorite entering the series for World Series MVP but that's now Houston's Alex Bregman at +550. The Astros second baseman had a double and run scored in Game 1 and had a homer and two RBI in Game 2. Bregman's 15 postseason homers rank fourth in Astros history behind Jose Altuve (23), George Springer (19) and Carlos Correa (18), and his six World Series homers rank second in Astros history behind Springer (seven).

Harper is still getting the most bets (26%) and money (32%) for MVP. The two-time NL MVP had two hits in the opener but was 0-for-4 in Saturday's loss. That snapped his 11-game hitting streak, which tied for the second-longest in Phillies postseason history behind Greg Luzinski's 13 in a row from 1976-80.

Right-hander Lance McCullers starts for the Astros tonight. He only made eight regular-season starts off injury and was 4-2 with a 2.27 ERA. He lost to the Phillies on Oct. 3 at home, allowing one run over six innings. The 29-year-old doesn't have a decision in two playoff outings, allowing three earned runs in 11 innings. This is his first start in the World Series since 2017, when he started Game 7 against the Dodgers and lasted 2 1/3 innings in Houston's title clincher.

It's righty Noah Syndergaard for the Phillies, but he'll probably only be allowed one turn through the lineup before being replaced – for example, you can't wager on how many outs he will record or to record a win. He was 10-10 with a 3.94 ERA during the regular season with the Angels and Phillies and has pitched three times in these playoffs but only 5 1/3 innings with one run allowed. It's his first World Series start since 2015.

The Fall Classic has now been tied 1-1 in 62 of 118 World Series (including 1912 which was 1-1 with a tie through Game 3). In the previous 61, the Game 2 winner has won the World Series 50.8% (31 of 61) of the time. However, the Game 2 winner has gone on to win the title on just four of 14 occasions since 1993. The Phillies are 1-3 in Game 2s this postseason and 9-0 in all other games. 

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