2026 NL Wild Card Series Preview and Betting Odds

The Major League Baseball Playoffs start on Tuesday with a stacked lineup of four games. The first pitch is at 2 p.m. ET, followed by staggered starts for games across the country and both leagues.

Bettors can find Wild Card Series odds from the top baseball betting sites. For the MLB playoffs you'll have series winner odds, game odds (moneyline, run line, totals), and prop bets for the games and players.

(Photo by Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images)

The MLB Wild Card round is quick, only three games in three days for each team, if needed. That's why you want to find a sportsbook with MLB Playoff odds now, to get bonus offers.

Trends for the Wild Card Series

The Wild Card Series is a best-of-three round with all three games played in the ballpark of the higher seed. That format was introduced in 2022. So far, the road team has been competitive.

• Lower seed (road) teams are 9-7 in the Wild Card Series under the current format.
• The higher seed (home team) is 17-20 in games in the current Wild Card format.
• 11 of the 16 Wild Card Series played in best-of-three format have gone only 2 games.
• 2025 was the first time more than one Wild Card Series went the full three games: three series extended to three games last year.

There isn't enough data to see concrete trends on the advantage of being the home or road team in the wild card round. So far, the road team has a slight edge in games and series won. However, it is worth noting that no decided home field advantage seems to be at play so far.

In baseball, unlike other sports, the home field advantage is less important. Since the expanded 12-team playoff format began in 2022, home teams are 60-64 in the MLB Playoffs.

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NL Wild Card Series: Cubs vs. Padres Odds & Pick

TUE, WED, THU at 10 p.m. ET (Peacock and NBC Sports Network)

SERIES FAVORITE: San Diego Padres -115 vs Chicago Cubs +100 (BetMGM)

These teams will meet in the NL Playoffs for the second straight season, this time with the Padres hosting. Last October, the Cubs won a low-scoring series over the Friars in three tight games at Wrigley Field.

The Padres are hot: 17-3 to finish the season. The franchise is seeking its first-ever World Series title. Oddsmakers price them at +2000 to win the Fall Classic (according to FanDuel).

The Chicago Cubs offense scored the most runs in baseball, sparked by MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong. If the Padres decide to pitch around PCA, the onus will be on Dansby Swanson to set the tone, and Alex Bregman to drive in runs.

This season, Swanson hit .647 (11-for-17) with 5 HR and 13 RBI in only 5 games against the Padres.

Beyond slugging, the Cubs can squeeze opponents with their defense: they posted 77 Total Fielding Runs Above Average, the best mark in MLB. But San Diego also has a good defense, and it has a slight edge in pitching, with depth in the bullpen led by NL saves leader Mason Miller, Adrián Morejón, Bradgley Rodriguez, and Yuki Matsui. The Padres relief crew were third in baseball in Bullpen ERA, and second in WHIP.

The Automatic Balls and Strikes System (ABS) has made an impact on play. Walks are up 5% in 2026, which means you won't see many egregious mistakes with the strike zone in the postseason. Whether that means runs will be up, remains to be seen, but I suspect we will see more base runners, and in the playoffs, managers will play station-to-station more often.

Series Prediction: Padres 2 games to 1

San Diego's bullpen is deeper and better than the Cubs (13th in MLB in Bullpen ERA), which is crucial in the close games we see in the MLB Playoffs.

NL Wild Card Series: Phillies vs. Braves Odds & Pick

TUE, WED, THU at 2 p.m. ET (NBC Sports and Peacock)

SERIES FAVORITE: Atlanta Braves -125 vs Philadelphia Phillies +105 (FanDuel)

The Atlanta Braves returned to the top of the NL East, where they have been so many times, following an absence from the playoffs a year ago. Their opponent for the NL Wild Card Series are the Phillies, who stumbled a bit at the end of the season.

Philly was 10-14 in September, sort of backing into the playoffs. But, the slate is clean when the MLB postseason tournament starts.

The question facing the Phillies is the bullpen: ranked 23rd out of 30 teams in ERA, and 26th in walk rate. Giving away bases on balls late in games won't be ideal. The emphasis for manager Don Mattingly will likely be to squeeze as many innings as possible from his ace starters.

Cristopher Sánchez (8 bWAR), Zack Wheeler (5.9 bWAR), and Aaron Nola (3.0 bWAR), represent the best top three of any NL team in these playoffs. While Wheeler may not be available for this short series, the team has activated Jesús Luzardo (6.3 bWAR) for the playoffs. The Phils will try to get 18 outs from their starters, and lessen the strain on a sketchy bullpen.

Braves Led By Cy Young Candidate

The Braves have Cy Young Award candidate and ace Chris Sale set to start Game 1 at home. This is a team that can stack up solid relievers from the sixth inning on. But, the pen is prone to surrendering the long ball: Atlanta ranks first in bullpen HR's allowed among the playoff teams.

Like the Cubs, the 94-win Braves can bury you in runs: the lineup has six players with 19+ home runs, with Matt Olson leading the way with 41 bombs. That doesn't even count Mike Yastrzemski (12 HR), who is my pick to shine in this series, thanks to his career .389 mark against Nola and superior strike zone awareness.

Series Prediction: Braves 2 games to 1

Great players make great performances on the big stage. The Phillies have three excellent starters lined up for a short series, and the bats of NL home run champion Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper to fuel the offense. But Harper has only two home runs since September 1, and the Phils have many holes in that lineup. Waiting to smack a three-run homer is not a strategy that works in October.

The Braves have arguably baseball's most complete starting pitcher in Sale, and more bats to sustain the scoring rallies needed in the postseason.