Zack Wheeler will be making his first career postseason start which is always a worry because you never know how these starters will fare. The first surprise of the postseason is Jose Quintana starting Game 1 on three days rest after pitching three innings on Monday. He pitched in four postseason games in 2017 and started three of them. He pitched well in two and got rocked in his third start. The Cardinals have a big bullpen advantage on paper ranked 11th to the Phillies 23rd this season, but the Phillies have a very good backend if they get the lead, so those numbers are a little deceiving. The Phillies are ranked 4th in the league in wOBA against lefties while the Cardinals are ranked 7th against righties. My heart is with the Cardinals on their final run, I want them to win with all their veterans. However, I just don’t think they have the pitching depth to make it deep.

St. Louis starter Jose Quintana has been awesome since being acquired from Pittsburgh, posting a 2.01 ERA in 12 starts, but his peripherals aren't as dominant. I like the Phillies at this price behind Zack Wheeler. He threw 14 scoreless innings versus the Cards this season, fanning 10. Wheeler tuned up for the playoffs by striking out 15 batters in 15 innings since returning from a stint on the injured list. He'll be a backed by a lineup that thrives versus left-handed pitching. The Phils are tied for fourth with an OPS of .770 against southpaws. Back the road dogs in the opener.