Philadelphia Phillies record vs. San Diego Padres

Now that the National League Championship Series is set between the Philadelphia Phillies and the San Diego Padres, it's time to see who might have the advantage over the other.

Both teams have had dramatic roads to the NLCS, and after overcoming the odds, one of these teams will find themselves in the World Series.

San Diego is coming off an emotional and monumental upset victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. They entered the NLDS as a major underdog, and against all odds, Manny Machado and the Friars eliminated their in-state rivals, en route to their first NLCS since 1998.

"New Series Starts Tomorrow. #RedOctober" - Philadelphia Phillies

Philadelphia, on the other hand, eliminated the 2021 World Series Champion Atlanta Braves 3-1 in the NLDS. After battling the Milwaukee Brewers for the final National League playoff spot, the Phillies will now play in their first NLCS since 2010.

Fans of both teams will be looking at their opponents' roster for any weaknesses, as well as any edge they may have over the other team. Examining the playoff history between the clubs is not helpful as this is the first time Philadelphia and San Diego will meet in the postseason.

Thus, we will need to take a deeper look at both rosters, as well as their head-to-head matchups during the regular season.

How did the Phillies and Padres stack up during the 2022 regular season?

During the 2022 regular season, Philadelphia won four of the seven matchups against San Diego. Throughout seven games, the Phillies outscored the Padres 21-15, yet San Diego shutout Philly on three different occasions.

Though the numbers are tight, Philadelphia has a slight edge based on regular season matchups, but a 4-3 split is not massive. This suggests both teams are evenly matched.

Who are the key players for San Diego in the NLCS?

While both teams are quite evenly matched, there are a few players who will play key roles during the series. Manny Machado and Yu Darvish may be the most important players in this series for the Padres.

Darvish is set to start Game 1 and will look to take control of the series early. The San Diego ace has faced the Phillies twice this season, allowing three runs in 13 innings. He will need to shut down Nick Castellanos and Rhys Hoskins, who have had the most success against him this season. Both have gone 3-6 against the Japanese star.

Machado has been excellent against the Phillies this season. The star third baseman had a batting average of .308 with four hits in three games against Philadelphia this season.

"Congratulations to Manny Machado on being named a 2022 Hank Aaron Award Finalist! Vote for Manny" - San Diego Padres

Bryce Harper may hold the key for Philadelphia

The Phillies superstar might be the key to success in the NLCS. While others have performed better than Harper against the Padres this season, it's the former MVP who will need to step up for the team.

In three games against San Diego this season, Bryce has a batting average of .111 with a hit and a run scored. He will need to play closer to his career averages if he wants to make his first World Series appearance.

"Bryce Harper was born to play here" - Absolutely Hammered

Game 1 is set for Tuesday night in San Diego, and no matter how many stats are analyzed, postseason baseball is a different, unpredictable beast.