Updated MLB postseason bracket with ALDS, NLDS predictions after Wild Card Round

The Wild Card Round saw three of the four series wrap up in two games, putting a ton of spotlight on the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies, who played a winner-take-all Game 3 on Thursday. Atlanta punched its ticket to the NLDS in convincing fashion despite a suboptimal pitching plan, locking up a matchup against the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

But what about the rest of the bracket? Here’s a look at all four matchups as we move to the Division Series, including our predictions for what’ll happen and how the games can be watched.

American League playoff bracket and ALDS predictions

The Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians already secured themselves spots in the ALDS by earning the top two seeds in the American League, but their opponents were far from certain. Here’s how it played out.

• (1) Tampa Bay Rays vs. (4) New York Yankees
• (2) Cleveland Guardians vs. (6) Chicago White Sox

Boy, these matchups are juicy. In fact, both of them feature division rivalries, with the Rays and Yankees playing in the AL East and the Guardians and White Sox calling the AL Central home. It feels like rivalry matchups are when the best baseball gets played, so these series are extra intriguing.

American League Division Series: Tampa Bay Rays vs. New York Yankees

I can’t help but feel bad for the Tampa Bay Rays. They were the best team in the American League all year long, only to get stuck facing the second-best team by a wide margin, the New York Yankees, to begin their playoff run. In a sense, this feels like the ALCS, and it’s hard to pick a victor. I love what the Rays have done, and Aaron Judge’s status remains a mystery, but the Yankees’ rotation looks pretty unbeatable right now, and they’re coming off a dominant showing in the Wild Card series. The Rays will give the Yankees a much harder time than Boston did, but if the Yankees can find a way to steal one of the first two games at Tropicana Field (which admittedly won’t be easy), I have doubts that the series will get back to Tampa Bay.

Prediction: Yankees advance to ALCS

American League Division Series: Cleveland Guardians vs. Chicago White Sox

This is another matchup that’s tough to pick. I love the Cleveland Guardians‘ pitching, and their lineup, especially if Jose Ramirez can be Jose Ramirez, is as deep as it’s been in quite some time, thanks to the likes of Chase DeLauter, Steven Kwan and Travis Bazzana. But I just can’t pick against the White Sox: Chicago is playing with supreme confidence after eliminating the Houston Astros, and while they have rotation concerns, their bullpen is better than you’d think, and their lineup can beat you in so many different ways. Give me the hot hand playing with house money to keep the dream season alive.

Prediction: White Sox advance to ALCS

National League playoff bracket and NLDS predictions

As fun as the ALDS matchups project to be, the NLDS features the ones MLB fans really want to see. The Braves and Padres moving on only emphasizes that.

• (1) Milwaukee Brewers vs. (4) San Diego Padres
• (2) Los Angeles Dodgers vs. (3) Atlanta Braves

The Brewers, the best team in the Majors in the regular season, have to face the Padres, the team that’s played the best baseball over the last couple of months. For the Dodgers to get to another NLCS, they’ll need to beat a Braves team headlined by Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson and Chris Sale. Both of these series should be absolutely electric.

National League Division Series: Milwaukee Brewers vs. San Diego Padres

It’s hard to bet against the Milwaukee Brewers, a team that consistently exceeds expectations year after year, but I’m going to do just that. I have concerns about their rotation beyond Jacob Misiorowski, and I have concerns about how many home runs their lineup can hit (they hit the fewest in the National League in the regular season). On the flip side, while I have rotation concerns about the San Diego Padres too, guys like Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill and Manny Machado are swinging hot bats, and their bullpen is as good as any. Sometimes, it’s about getting hot at the right time, and the Padres are hot at the right time.

Prediction: Padres advance to NLCS

National League Division Series: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves

This is where the Braves‘ run ends. This offense has been far too inconsistent for far too long to give me any confidence that they can score enough runs against the Dodgers‘ super rotation. Sure, L.A. might have some trouble scoring too, but there isn’t a starter I can fully trust other than Chris Sale (as good as Tyler Mahle has been), and Atlanta’s bullpen didn’t look great in the Wild Card series. Give me the experienced, hungry and loaded Dodgers to move on.

Predictions: Dodgers advance to NLCS

Full MLB Division Series schedule and where to watch

Here’s how every Division Series game can be watched. TLDR: the American League games are on TBS and truTV, while the NL games are on FOX and FS1.

Tampa Bay Rays vs. New York Yankees

Cleveland Guardians vs. Chicago White Sox

Milwaukee Brewers vs. San Diego Padres

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves