2026 MLB ALDS & NLDS Previews, Betting Odds & Predictions

The road to the World Series is getting shorter. On Saturday, we'll have four MLB playoff games as the American League Division Series round kicks off. The odds-on favorite and two-time defending champions will begin their title defense. The team with baseball's best record will take the field for the first time this postseason. Let's take a look at all eight teams in the 2026 ALDS and NLDS. The Division Series will begin Saturday, Oct. 3.

(Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)

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2026 MLB ALDS Betting Odds

• New York Yankees: +180
• Tampa Bay Rays: +265
• Cleveland Guardians: +290
• Chicago White Sox: +500

2026 MLB NLDS Betting Odds

• Los Angeles Dodgers: +115
• Milwaukee Brewers: +300
• Atlanta Braves: +425
• San Diego Padres: +500

All odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves

The Braves and Dodgers meet in the playoffs for the first time since 2021, when Freddie Freeman was still wearing an Atlanta uniform. This time, Los Angeles is seeking to make history by becoming the first National League team to win three straight World Series.

Braves fans will be less concerned with whether to cheer or jeer Freeman, and more worried about the challenge of facing four Dodger aces.

The Dodgers' starting rotation will likely be Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow. That quartet is unmatched in the postseason. Yes, the Braves can counter with The Thin Man, Chris Sale, but the depth of the Dodgers' pitching staff is an advantage in this series.

The Braves had success against the Dodgers in the regular season, winning five of six. The Dodgers were outscored 26-15 in those games.

A key factor will be the health of Shohei Ohtani, who missed close to three weeks with leg injuries and back tightness. The Dodgers star hasn't hit a home run since August 18. He hit well in the final days of the regular season. But it remains to be seen if he can provide the left-handed power at the top of the lineup that he normally does.

Michael Harris II seems to be stepping onto the stage this postseason in a big way. His home run in Game 3 against the Phillies set the tone for that win. The Atlanta native is the key player to watch on the Braves side. I'd also pay attention to Ronald Acuña Jr. for a different reason than you may think: he's been aggressive on the base paths. Dodger catcher Will Smith threw out only 20% of base steal attempts.

NLDS Series Odds: Dodgers vs. Braves

• Dodgers -230, Braves +190

Prediction

• The Dodgers have too much starting pitching to lose three times in five games. The Braves lineup will make this interesting, but I like LA to win this NLDS, 3 games to 2.

 New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays

It appears the Yankees could compete without Aaron Judge, who is still sidelined with his calf injury. That leaves a gaping power void for the Bronx Bombers. The other giant slugger in pinstripes will be available: Giancarlo Stanton is active for this ALDS series. Stanton has 18 postseason HR in 48 games.

How did the Rays manage to win more games than any team in the American League? Tampa Bay led the AL in batting average, on-base percentage, contact rate, and was second in OPS. The team struck out the fewest times. This is a lineup that inflicts death by a thousand paper cuts. But they have some pop too: 169 HR and Junior Caminero who had 42 himself.

The Rays also led the league with 164 stolen bases. They scored more runs from second base on a single than any team in baseball, and based on stolen base opportunities, the Rays executed a steal attempt the second most of the 30 MLB teams. This is an aggressive team on the bases, as seen by the 17 times its runners were picked off base.

Statistics: Yankees vs. Rays

Tampa ranked 4th in runs scored and 3rd in runs prevented. But the Yankees were even better: 2nd in runs scored and 1st in preventing runs. That's a recipe for a low-scoring, tight series. Which means the bullpen, defense, and base running will be crucial.

• The Yankees ranked 2nd in MLB in fewest Inherited Runners Scored (21%). The Rays were a little below league average in that stat.
• While the Rays led the AL in steals, the Yankees ranked second, and also rated well at taking extra bases successfully.
• The Rays led the AL in Defensive Efficiency, which measures a team's ability to turn a batted ball into an out. The Yankees ranked third, but well behind: they were as close to league average as they were from Tampa in that category.
• New York holds a slight edge in K rate, but also walked more batters than the Tampa Bay staff.

This should be a closely contested series. But I like Tampa's defense and base running more. Plus, the Rays posted baseball's best home record: 55-26 (67.9% win rate).

ALDS Series Odds: Yankees vs. Rays

• Yankees -120, Rays +100

Prediction

• The Rays have the advantage on offensive capabilities, health, and defense. The question remains: which team will get the best pitching from its bullpen, and which lineup will deliver the key hits most often? The Rays make better contact (fewest strikeouts in MLB with an AL-best batting average), which is why I like the No. 1 seed to win this series, 3 games to 2.

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San Diego Padres vs. Milwaukee Brewers

Call this the cool kids vs. the boring kids. The Padres have many colorful characters. They even have owners who like to dance and celebrate like crazy during games. The Brewers don't care if you know who they are, don't care if you've ever been to Wisconsin, and don't care if they seem dull. They simply win games.

The Brewers won a franchise-record 103 games. Once you get into that rarefied air, you start to draw comparisons to great teams. The Brewers don't have many household names, but they have fantastic performers. Game 1 starter Jacob Misiorowski can throw the ball 102-105 miles per hour. He'll get plenty of swings-and-misses from the eager Padres.

Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Xander Bogaerts lead a lineup that can explode with power or crooked-number rallies. Their offense is flexible: the Padres were one of only three teams in the NL to hit as many as 160 HR and steal as many as 160 bases.

Most daunting for the Brewers: the Padres had one of baseball's best bullpens. The relief corps in brown and yellow led baseball in K rate. Over the last month, as the team has gone 19-4, the bullpen has helped lead the way.

NLDS Series Odds: Padres vs. Brewers

• Brewers -180, Padres +150

Prediction

• Neither the Brewers nor the Padres have ever won a World Series. This is the "feel good" series: both teams have a narrative that would make a wonderful story should they get to the Fall Classic. But only one team can win. The team with the best bullpen, and that's the Padres. I'll take San Diego in 5 games.

Chicago White Sox vs. Cleveland Guardians

There may only be a hairs-width separating the Guardians and White Sox: two teams that have flaws and struggled to win more games than they lost. This series has the best potential to be over quickly because there are more flaws on these rosters. Or it could be an epic five-gamer between Midwest rivals situated on the shore of two of the Great Lakes.

Chicago wins with the home run (211 HR this season) and some sort of "pitching chaos." Manager Will Venable has used as many as eight relief pitchers in games down the stretch, taking a page out of the Tigers' approach in 2024. The Sox may use an opener in two or even three of the games in this series. They also like to use "bulk relievers" who pitch 2+ innings after the opener. Venable will seek any chance to maximize matchups.

The Guardians did not have a player with as many as 20 HR or 70 RBI. The offense ranked 24th in runs and 27th in HR. They do show patience at the plate, however.

The best pitcher in this series may be Cleveland's starter Parker Messick. If it's not him, it could be Guardians closer Cade Smith (41 SV). To win this series against the White Sox, both will need to pitch lights-out.

ALDS Series Odds: Guardians vs. White Sox

• Guardians -140, White Sox +120

Prediction

• Days off won't help the Guardians, who have limped through the playoffs the last few seasons with inconsistent, sloppy play. The White Sox are not a great team. They may not even be a good team. But having to play two games this past week is to their advantage: these are a bunch of players who don't know they have no right to be in these playoffs. I'll take the Sox to smack the Guardians hard with their power bats, winning this series in four games.