In the article below, you’ll find our analysts’ favorite MLB playoff predictions for the Wild Card round and beyond. These best bets include a World Series pick, National League champ, and two series winners in the AL Wild Card battles.
MLB Playoff Predictions: Wild Card & Beyond
These MLB playoff predictions were compiled earlier in the week, so there’s a chance the lines have shifted since publishing this article. Always double-check the odds and shop around for the best available price before submitting your bet slip!
Here we go with our top MLB playoff predictions ahead of the postseason.
All odds as of noon ET on Wednesday, Oct. 5.
LA Dodgers To Win World Series (+350)
Analyst: John Supowitz
Where to bet: +350 at DraftKings Sportsbook
The Dodgers fell short of the World Series last year. Having to play a one-game playoff, followed by a hard-fought five-game series against Giants, left them drained for the NLCS against Atlanta. With the new playoff system, they get a week off and home-field advantage, with their opponents coming off a possible three-game series.
What makes the Dodgers so dangerous is how good they are on all fronts – offense and pitching as they scored the most runs and allowed the fewest. They’re a team where if the lineup goes cold, then they have a starter and bullpen that could keep the score low, and on a day with bad pitching, they’ll stay in it with a slugfest.
Having a dependable rotation is a big part of winning these series. They have a few guys in the Cy Young talks, including Julio Urias and Tony Gonsolin, then, of course, you have Clayton Kershaw. Even the back end is incredible with Tyler Anderson and Andrew Heaney both having a sub-3.00 ERA and could be used for a long relief appearance. They didn’t get lucky being the top team. They’re that good.
Wild Card Series: Guardians (-120) Over Rays
Analyst: John Supowitz
Where to bet: -120 at FanDuel Sportsbook
The Guardians are getting hot at the right time. With the American League Central close in the last month of the season, they beat their division rivals while going 21-8 in September.
The rotation had some trouble early in the season but drastically improved with the third-best ERA in the league (2.86) since August 1st. Shane Bieber, Cal Quantrill, and Triston McKenzie were all spectacular in the second half of the season and will be tough to knockoff in the three-game series.
That’s where the problem lies with Tampa Bay. At the beginning of the month, we were talking about them moving over the Yankees for first place in the American League East. They were 3.5 games out and set to play three games. After they lost that series against the Yankees, it all went downhill. They quickly faded from the AL East race with Toronto and Seattle overtaking them in the Wild Card.
The pitching staff (that was so good throughout the year) started to struggle, especially Shane McClanahan, who was considered a Cy Young front-runner at one point.
Playing all three games on the road will be tough for the Rays, and they should find an early exit.
National League Winner: Dodgers (+170) or Braves (+260)
Analyst: Spencer Limbach
Where to bet: Dodgers NL Winner | +170 at DraftKings Sportsbook
Where to bet: Braves NL Winner | +260 at Caesars Sportsbook
Take note: this betting strategy is not for everyone. I couldn’t find an “NLCS Exacta” that let me pick the Dodgers and Braves to meet for the NL pennant. So this is the next best thing.
The thought here is to place a small plus-money wager on both the Braves and the Dodgers to win the National League. I’m hoping they’ll meet up in the NLCS, and this bet will turn a profit regardless of which team wins. In that event, of course the Braves will be of rooting interest with a higher payout.
However, we have several outs (no pun intended) if one of these teams falls victim to an upset in the NLDS and the other advances.
I was able to find the best price on the Dodgers to win the National League (+170) at DraftKings Sportsbook. That beats +140 at PointsBet. Always shop around!
The Braves will meet the winner of the Cardinals vs. Phillies three-game series, and having the advantage of a fresh pitching staff could be extremely beneficial. Of course, the Dodgers will have that benefit as well.
The best price for the Braves to win the National League (+260) is at Caesars Sportsbook. That’s better than +225 at DraftKings and +230 at PointsBet.
Wild Card Series: Mariners (+140) over Blue Jays
Analyst: Spencer Limbach
Where to bet: +140 at DraftKings Sportsbook
Baseball is a volatile sport. We are embracing that volatility with this MLB playoff prediction.
This is a “price play” with a hedging opportunity, depending on what happens in Game 1. Let me explain:
- If Seattle wins Game 1, then Toronto will likely be plus-money to win this three-game series.
- If that happens, you can hedge the original bet by taking Toronto to win the series and lock in a profit.
But what happens if the Blue Jays win Game 1?
You still have a live bet with this gritty Mariners team that has come up with clutch hits through the second half of the season.
Game 1 will feature Blue Jays RHP Alek Manoah against Mariners RHP Luis Castillo. That should make for an extremely tight battle with a legitimate chance for Seattle to pull off the upset.
You can find Seattle to win the series at +140 on DraftKings Sportsbook. That’s better than +120 at Caesars.