Only 8 teams remain as the ALDS and NLDS start Saturday
After a wild week where the underdog won three out of four series, now it’s time for the top seeds to enter the picture. Action in the American League and National League Division Series begins Saturday. The best-of-five series could do through Oct. 12 if needed before the League Championship series arrives. While the Rockies were eliminated from the postseason months ago, many former Rockies will be in action on the eight teams still standing.
The Mets are riding high after Pete Alonso’s ninth-inning homer in Game 3 vs. the Brewers. The Royals and Tigers will continue their underdog bids and the Dodgers and Padres face off in an NL West showdown. More exciting baseball in on deck.
Here’s a guide to each of the Wild Card series this week:
ALDS #1: No. 1 New York Yankees vs. No. 5 Kansas City Royals
- Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 5 in New York, 4:30 p.m. MT (TBS, Max)
- Game 2: Monday, Oct. 6 in N.Y., 5:30 p.m. (TBS, truTV, Max)
- Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 9 in K.C., TBD (TBS, truTV, Max)
- Game 4 (if needed): Thursday, Oct. 10 in K.C., TBD (TBS, truTV, Max)
- Game 5 (if needed): Saturday, Oct. 12 in N.Y., TBD (TBS, Max)
The Yankees won 94 games this season, the most in the AL. With the bats of Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton, and the arms of Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, and Luis Gil, New York will be hard to beat. The Royals offer a model the Rockies would be wise to follow going from 100-plus losses to the playoffs behind the generational talent of Bobby Witt Jr. and a stellar pitching staff.
Old Friend Alert: Garrett Hampson (KC); Tommy Kahnle (NYY) Note: DJ Lemahieu (NYY) is on the IL with a hip injury.
ALDS #2: No. 2 Cleveland Guardians vs. No. 6 Detroit Tigers
- Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 5 in Cleveland, 11 a.m. MT (TBS, TruTV, Max)
- Game 2: Monday, Oct. 6 in Cleveland, 2 p.m. MT (TBS, truTV, Max)
- Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 9 in Detroit, TBD (TBS, truTV, Max)
- Game 4 (if needed): Thursday, Oct. 10 in Detroit., TBD (TBS, truTV, Max)
- Game 5 (if needed): Saturday, Oct. 12 in Cleveland, TBD (TBS, Max)
Both of these teams make a lot out of not much. In this AL Central matchup, the Guardians won the season series by one game, but these two teams also have not played each other since June 30 when the Tigers were 52-57, 14 games back in the division and 7.5 games out of the Wild Card. The Guardians are a team that prevents runs, while the Tigers are on some kind of magical run. The schedule might allow Tarik Skubal to start twice, if it goes to five games, which could bode well for the Tigers.
NLDS #1: No. 1 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. No. 4 San Diego Padres
- Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 5 in L.A., 6:30 p.m. MT (FS1)
- Game 2: Sunday, Oct. 6 in L.A., 6 p.m. MT (FS1)
- Game 3: Tuesday, Oct. 8 in S.D., TBD (FOX/FS1)
- Game 4 (if needed): Wednesday, Oct. 9 in S.D., TBD (FOX/FS1)
- Game 5 (if needed): Friday, Oct. 11 in L.A., TBD (FOX/FS1)
In another heated divisional matchup, the Padres and Dodgers meet for the first time since the Padres took the Dodgers to a Game-159 division clinch last week. It’s also the third time in the past five years that the Padres and Dodgers have met in the NLDS, and they are tied at one series win apiece (Dodgers in 2020, Padres in 2022). The Padres won the season series and have a high-powered offense on a hot streak. The Dodgers have Shohei Ohtani, who will be making his postseason debut after a historic 2024 regular season, but their pitching has struggled. Either way, this is a series to watch closely.
Old Friend Alert: Jurickson Profar (SD); Elias Díaz (SD)
NLDS #2: No. 2 Philadelphia Phillies vs. No. 6 New York Mets
- Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 5 in Philadelphia, 2 p.m. MT (FOX)
- Game 2: Sunday, Oct. 6 in Philadelphia, 2 p.m. MT (FS1)
- Game 3: Tuesday, Oct. 8 in N.Y., TBD (FOX/FS1)
- Game 4 (if needed): Wednesday, Oct. 9 in N.Y., TBD (FOX/FS1)
- Game 5 (if needed): Friday, Oct. 11 in N.Y., TBD (FOX/FS1)
In the final divisional matchup of the Divisional Series, the Mets and Phillies will meet in an NL East clash. The Mets got into the postseason via a doubleheader win on Monday, and then beat the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 in the NL Wild Card in a wild late-inning win on Thursday. These two teams have never faced each other in the playoffs, but the Phillies won the 2024 season series. Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber will face Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor, so it will be a battle of the offenses to take this one.
Old Friend Alert: Adam Ottavino (NYM); Jose Iglesias (NYM); Jeff Hoffman (PHI)
Predictions and Final Thoughts
Here are my predictions for the 2024 Division Series week:
- Yankees over Royals, 3-2
- Guardians over Tigers, 3-1
- Padres over Dodgers, 3-2
- Phillies over Mets, 3-2
Who will prevail? Will the OMGMets keep going? Will the Tigers keep their magic alive? Will the Dodgers collapse in the first round of the playoffs again?
Sound off on your 2024 MLB Playoff predictions below!
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