Raise your hand if you had this series in your bracket. No? OK, all the more reason to take a step back from the surprises of the past two weeks and dive into the matchup that will decide the National League pennant and one World Series berth.
Not that regular-season records hold much sway this month, obviously, but the 90-win Philadelphia Phillies enter as the favorites and the more likely of the two teams to have arrived at the NLCS. Reprising their 2022, in a way, the Phillies started slowly, then proceeded to go 65-42 from June 1 onward, a 98-win pace.