The month-long journey to become World Series champions begins Tuesday night in Pittsburgh, where the Pirates will host the rival Cincinnati Reds in the National League Wild Card Game. The winner advances to a best-of-five National League Divisional Series while the loser goes home.
The action continues on Wednesday with the American League Wild Card Game, which will pit the Tampa Bay Rays up against the Cleveland Indians.
Four weeks later, a champion will be crowned.
Below, we’ll get you set for playoff baseball with key dates and television info for every postseason game as well as some bold predictions.
Schedule information according to MLB.com.
* if necessary
Wild Card
| Game | Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NL Wild Card | Cincinnati at Pittsburgh | Tue, Oct 1 | 8 p.m. | TBS |
| Game | Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AL Wild Card | Tampa Bay at Cleveland | Wed, Oct 2 | 8 p.m. | TBS |
League Divisional Series
| Game | Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | NL Wild Card at St. Louis | Thu, Oct 3 | 5 p.m. | TBS |
| Game 2 | NL Wild Card at St. Louis | Fri, Oct 4 | 1 p.m. | MLBN |
| Game 3 | St. Louis at NL Wild Card | Sun, Oct 6 | TBD | TBS |
| Game 4* | St. Louis at NL Wild Card | Mon, Oct 7 | TBD | TBS/MLBN |
| Game 5* | NL Wild Card at St. Louis | Wed, Oct 9 | TBD | TBS |
| Game | Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | LA Dodgers at Atlanta | Thu, Oct 3 | 8:30 p.m. | TBS |
| Game 2 | LA Dodgers at Atlanta | Fri, Oct 4 | 6:00 p.m. | TBS |
| Game 3 | Atlanta at LA Dodgers | Sun, Oct 6 | TBD | TBS |
| Game 4* | Atlanta at LA Dodgers | Mon, Oct 7 | TBD | TBS/MLBN |
| Game 5* | LA Dodgers at Atlanta | Wed, Oct 9 | TBD | TBS |
| Game | Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | AL Wild Card at Boston | Fri, Oct 4 | 3 p.m. | TBS |
| Game 2 | AL Wild Card at Boston | Sat, Oct 5 | 5:30 p.m. | TBS |
| Game 3 | Boston at AL Wild Card | Mon, Oct 7 | TBD | TBS/MLBN |
| Game 4* | Boston at AL Wild Card | Tue, Oct 8 | TBD | TBS |
| Game 5* | AL Wild Card at Boston | Thu, Oct 10 | TBD | TBS |
| Game | Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | Detroit at Oakland | Fri, Oct 4 | 9:30 p.m. | TBS |
| Game 2 | Detroit at Oakland | Sat, Oct 5 | 9 p.m. | TBS |
| Game 3 | Oakland at Detroit | Mon, Oct 7 | TBD | TBS/MLBN |
| Game 4* | Oakland at Detroit | Tue, Oct 8 | TBD | TBS |
| Game 5* | Detroit at Oakland | Thu, Oct 10 | TBD | TBS |
League Championship Series
| Game | Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | TBD at TBD | Fri, Oct 11 | TBD | TBS |
| Game 2 | TBD at TBD | Sat, Oct 12 | TBD | TBS |
| Game 3 | TBD at TBD | Mon, Oct 14 | TBD | TBS |
| Game 4 | TBD at TBD | Tue, Oct 15 | TBD | TBS |
| Game 5* | TBD at TBD | Wed, Oct 16 | TBD | TBS |
| Game 6* | TBD at TBD | Fri, Oct 18 | TBD | TBS |
| Game 7* | TBD at TBD | Sat, Oct 19 | TBD | TBS |
| Game | Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | TBD at TBD | Sat, Oct 12 | TBD | FOX |
| Game 2 | TBD at TBD | Sun, Oct 13 | TBD | FOX |
| Game 3 | TBD at TBD | Tue, Oct 15 | TBD | FOX |
| Game 4 | TBD at TBD | Wed, Oct 16 | TBD | FOX |
| Game 5* | TBD at TBD | Thu, Oct 17 | TBD | FOX |
| Game 6* | TBD at TBD | Sat, Oct 19 | TBD | FOX |
| Game 7* | TBD at TBD | Sun, Oct 20 | TBD | FOX |
World Series
| Game | Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | NL Champion at AL Champion | Wed, Oct 23 | TBD | FOX |
| Game 2 | NL Champion at AL Champion | Thu, Oct 24 | TBD | FOX |
| Game 3 | AL Champion at NL Champion | Sat, Oct 26 | TBD | FOX |
| Game 4 | AL Champion at NL Champion | Sun, Oct 27 | TBD | FOX |
| Game 5* | AL Champion at NL Champion | Mon, Oct 28 | TBD | FOX |
| Game 6* | NL Champion at AL Champion | Wed, Oct 30 | TBD | FOX |
| Game 7* | NL Champion at AL Champion | Thu, Oct 31 | TBD | FOX |
Wild Card Predictions
Pittsburgh Pirates over Cincinnati Reds
The Pirates have won seven of their last 10 coming into the postseason, including three straight against the Reds. Look for them to overcome Cincinnati again inside a raucous PNC Park on Tuesday.
Cleveland Indians over Tampa Bay Rays
There isn’t a team hotter than the Cleveland Indians right now. Winners of 10 straight games to end the regular season, watch for the Indians to send the Rays home early on Wednesday. Tampa Bay has been on a crazy two-game run, beating Toronto and Texas on the road just to get into the playoffs, but pulling out three straight must-wins on the road is awfully tough.
Divisional Series Predictions
Atlanta Braves over Los Angeles Dodgers
Neither team is particular hot coming in, but the Braves have been the more dominant of the two teams, sporting a plus-140 run differential this season. That mark is the fifth-best in baseball and the second-best in the National League.
Plus, the Braves have home-field advantage in this series and no team won more at home this season than Atlanta.
St. Louis Cardinals over Pittsburgh Pirates
The scorching-hot Cardinals will have trouble winning in the Steel City, but they don’t need to win on the road in order to advance. Look for the highest-scoring team in the National League to cruise into the championship series.
Detroit Tigers over Oakland A’s
These are two evenly matched teams, but I give the slight edge to Detroit. The Tigers topped the A’s in five games in the ALDS a year ago and will have the psychological edge in addition to baseball’s best player in Miguel Cabrera on their side.
Boston Red Sox over Cleveland Indians
Don’t bet on Cleveland’s pitching staff being able to cool off Boston’s bats. The Red Sox led the majors in runs this season and will have the advantage of playing three out of five games at home if necessary. There’s a reason this team wrapped up a playoff berth a while back.
Championship Series
St. Louis Cardinals over Atlanta Braves
Not only are the Cardinals the most explosive team in the National League, but they are also playing the best baseball of any team in the league coming into the postseason. They’ll have home-field advantage all the way to the World Series, and it’s difficult to imagine them squandering it.
Detroit Tigers over Boston Red Sox
The Detroit Tigers have unfinished business after reaching the World Series a year ago, only to be swept by the San Francisco Giants. With Cabrera leading the way, I like the Tigers to upend the Red Sox, who will find runs much harder to come by against one of the league’s most talented pitching staffs.
World Series
St. Louis Cardinals over Detroit Tigers
St. Louis has the look of a World Series champion. The Cardinals are playing their best baseball at the right time and have the championship pedigree that sets them apart from most other clubs.
While it is difficult to see the Tigers suffering back-to-back World Series defeats, keep in mind that the Cardinals have won two championships since 2006. That year, they beat the Tigers in five games to take the crown.
Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com