Phillies vs. Diamondbacks 2023 NLCS preview: Odds, how to watch, breakdown, more

Big-market teams can complain about the postseason format all they’d like, but the NLCS provides another reminder that parity in Major League Baseball isn’t such a bad thing. 

The Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks dispatched two of the game’s very best regular-season squads in the NLDS — the Phillies taking care of the Atlanta Braves in four games while Arizona swept the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

In no way are these two clubs traditional winners. The Phillies have just two World Series titles in their 140-year existence while the Arizona Diamondbacks, who were established 115 years after Philadelphia, haven’t challenged for a championship since winning one in their third year of existence in 2001. 

This is just the Diamondbacks’ fourth playoff appearance in the last 21 years and their first time in the NLCS since 2007.

After missing the playoffs for 10 straight seasons, the Phillies won the National League pennant last year before losing to the Houston Astros in the World Series.

Here’s how you can watch the 2023 NLCS.

2023 NLCS viewing information

• Game 1 @ Phillies: Monday, Oct. 16, 8:07 p.m. ET, TBS
• Game 2 @ Phillies: Tuesday, Oct. 17, 8:07 p.m., TBS
• Game 3 @ Diamondbacks: Thursday, Oct. 19, 5:07 p.m., TBS
• Game 4 @ Diamondbacks: Friday, Oct. 20, 8:07 p.m., TBS
• Game 5* @ Diamondbacks: Saturday, Oct. 21, 8:07 p.m., TBS
• Game 6* @ Phillies: Monday, Oct. 23, 5:07 p.m., TBS
• Game 7* @ Phillies: Tuesday, Oct. 24, 8:07 p.m., TBS

* If necessary

2023 NLCS odds

• Game 1 spread: Phillies -1.5 
• Game 1 Over/Under: 7.5
• Phillies Game 1 Moneyline: -170
• Diamondbacks Game 1 Moneyline: +142
• Phillies to win NLCS: -175
• Diamondbacks to win NLCS: +150

Odds courtesy of DraftKings. For more, click here.

Who has the edge?

Pitching: Push

Arizona has an imposing 1-2 punch of Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly who will start the first two games of the NLCS. It creates a gargantuan matchup against Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola to start things off, but the latter has battled inconsistency issues over the years, so there is a notion that you won’t know which version of Nola you’ll get. The Diamondbacks as a team held the high-powered Dodgers to just six runs in three games but the Phillies held a historic Braves offense to two or fewer runs in three of the four games in the NLDS.

Offense: Phillies

Philadelphia’s deep lineup will test the limits of Arizona’s plus staff and improving bullpen. Bryce Harper is made for the postseason, batting .368 with a 1.380 OPS, three home runs, and five RBI in the postseason, but it was the heroics of Nick Castellanos that propelled the Phillies over the Braves, becoming the first player in MLB history to record multiple home runs in consecutive games. Trea Turner is leading all of baseball in the postseason with a .500 average (12-for-24) with two home runs and four stolen bases while JT Realmuto has six RBI in six games. 

They have the edge over the Corbin Carroll-led Diamondbacks — the surefire NL Rookie of the Year batting .412 in the postseason so far. 

For more on the NLCS and MLB, visit AMNY.com