MLB Playoff Bracket 2018: Viewing Schedule and Latest Postseason Picture

Thirty-one regular-season games separate baseball fans from the postseason, which is set to begin on Tuesday with the National League Wild Card Game.

Although the American League playoff bracket is set, the National League side may need the entire weekend (and perhaps an extra day for tiebreakers) to figure things out.

Here are the latest playoff brackets, in addition to a look at the MLB playoff viewing schedule and some notes.

American League Playoff Bracket (Confirmed)

1. Boston Red Sox (107-53, AL East winner)

2. Houston Astros (101-58, AL West winner)

3. Cleveland Indians (90-70, AL Central winner)

4. New York Yankees (99-61, first wild card)

5. Oakland Athletics (96-64, second wild card)

The American League playoff seeding is officially confirmed after the New York Yankees earned the junior circuit's first wild-card berth with an 11-6 win over the Boston Red Sox Friday night. They'll host the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET to determine who faces the Red Sox in the AL Divisional Series.

The Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros know they'll be playing each other in the ALDS already, with the latter holding homefield advantage. That series gets going October 5.

National League Playoff Bracket (through Friday, September 28)

1. Chicago Cubs (94-66, NL Central winner)

2. Colorado Rockies (90-70, NL West winner)

3. Atlanta Braves (90-70, NL East winner)

4. Milwaukee Brewers (93-67, first wild card)

5. Los Angeles Dodgers (89-71, second wild card)

The National League playoff situation is still fluid. We know the only teams who can get the No. 1 seed are the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers, who are fighting for the NL Central crown. Whoever wins that battle will get the top seed, while the loser will host the NL Wild Card Game.

The Cubs are one game ahead in the standings. If the two teams tie, the Cubs would host a one-game playoff Monday at Wrigley Field thanks to winning their season series with the Brewers.

The Atlanta Braves will either be No. 2 or No. 3. They need to finish with a better record than the NL West winner in order to get the No. 2 seed, as they don't have the season-series tiebreaker against the Colorado Rockies or Los Angeles Dodgers. Still, they are a confirmed NLDS participant by virtue of winning the East.

The Rockies are the front-runners for the No. 2 seed and will get it with wins in their final two games. Their worst-case scenario is a trip to the NL Central runners-up's home park for the NL Wild Card Game.

The Dodgers can still win the West and get the No. 2 seed, but they are staring at a wild-card berth right now. If they tie the Rockies in the standings, the Dodgers would host Colorado in a one-game playoff on Monday to determine the West champion.

The St. Louis Cardinals are still alive at 87-73 but need two wins at the Cubs and two Dodger losses to the San Francisco Giants. That would force a one-game playoff in St. Louis for the second wild-card berth.

Wild-Card Game Schedule

Tuesday, October 2: NL Second Wild Card at NL First Wild Card, 8 p.m. on ESPN

Wednesday, October 3: Oakland Athletics at New York Yankees, 8 p.m. on TBS

Notes: We know that Chicago or Milwaukee will be in that first wild-card slot. Colorado, Milwaukee, L.A. or St. Louis will get the other. If the season ended today, L.A. would be heading to Milwaukee. The Dodgers beat the Brewers in their season series, 4-3. The Yankees and A's tied their season series at three games apiece.

Divisional Series

Dates: Thursday, October 4 through Thursday, October 11 (if necessary)

Television: MLB Network, FS1 and TBS

Notes: The National League Divisional Series starts Thursday, while the American League kicks off Friday. The Cleveland Indians vs. Houston Astros matchup has already been confirmed, with Game 1 taking place in Houston on Friday (time to be determined).

Game 2 is in Houston on October 6 before the series goes to Cleveland for Game 3 the following Monday. If necessary, Game 4 will be in Cleveland on the Tuesday, and the series-decider will be in Houston on October 11.

All divisional-round series are best-of-five, with the higher seed hosting Games 1 and 2 (and 5 if necessary). If the season ended today, the No. 2 Rockies and No. 3 Braves would face off, while the No. 1 Red Sox and No. 1 Cubs would await the winners of their respective leagues' wild-card matchups.

National League Championship Series Dates

Dates: Friday, October 12 through Saturday, October 20 (if necessary)

Television: Fox and FS1

Notes: Homefield advantage in the championship-series round is determined by seeding, not regular-season record. That may set up an interesting scenario in the senior circuit.

For example, we already know that the Cubs and Brewers will finish with the NL's two best records. However, one of them will be in the NL Wild Card Game as the two teams reside in the same division. If the NL Central runner-up wins that matchup, it will face its division champion in the NLDS.

But if the wild-card team wins there, it will not have home-field advantage in the NLCS despite having a better win-loss record than any other playoff team.

It's a bizarre quirk, but it's a far better way to determine home-field advantage in the championship series than previous years, when it alternated between divisions.

American League Championship Series Dates

Dates: Saturday, October 13 through Sunday, October 21 (if necessary)

Television: TBS

Notes: Somehow, two 100-win teams haven't faced each other in a league championship series since 1977, when the 100-62 Yankees beat the 102-60 Kansas City Royals. That could change this year if the Yankees win one of their final two games, take down the A's and Red Sox and face the Astros, who need to beat the Indians.

The Astros are no stranger to being part of a series with 100-win teams playing each other, as that happened last year in the World Series against the 104-58 Dodgers. Before then, two 100-win teams hadn't faced each other in the Fall Classic since 1970.

World Series Dates

Dates: Tuesday, October 23 through Wednesday, October 31 (if necessary)

Television: Fox

All five American League teams have better win-loss records than the NL's current No. 1 seed (the Chicago Cubs). Regular-season win-loss record is the determining factor for World Series home-field advantage.

The only circumstance in which the American League pennant winner will not have home-field advantage is if the Cubs and Oakland Athletics both finish 96-66 and meet in the World Series. In that case, the Cubs would be the home side thanks to the intradivision tiebreaker, which the Cubs are guaranteed to have in hand.