MLB Playoff Schedule 2013: Complete Breakdown of All 4 Division Series

The 2013 MLB postseason is here, and after two dramatic winner-take-all Wild Card Games in Pittsburgh and Cleveland, the division series are officially under way.

Eight teams remain in the hunt for the World Series title this October. But the best-of-five league division series will cut that number in half.

Below, we'll break down the schedule for all four division series this fall and highlight each matchup. 

*Watch postseason baseball live on TBS.com or your mobile device.

National League Division Series - Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Game	Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV
Game 1	Pittsburgh @ St. Louis	Thu, Oct. 3	5:00 p.m.	TBS
Game 2	Pittsburgh @ St. Louis	Fri, Oct. 4	1:00 p.m.	MLBN
Game 3	St. Louis @ Pittsburgh	Sun, Oct. 6	TBD	TBS
Game 4*	St. Louis @ Pittsburgh	Mon, Oct. 7	TBD	TBS/MLBN
Game 5*	Pittsburgh @ St. Louis	Wed, Oct. 9	TBD	TBS

 

National League Division Series - LA Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves

Game	Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV
Game 1	LA Dodgers @ Atlanta	Thu, Oct. 3	8:30 p.m.	TBS
Game 2	LA Dodgers @ Atlanta	Fri, Oct. 4	6:00 p.m.	TBS
Game 3	Atlanta @ LA Dodgers	Sun, Oct. 6	TBD	TBS
Game 4*	Atlanta @ LA Dodgers	Mon, Oct. 7	TBD	TBS/MLBN
Game 5*	LA Dodgers @ Atlanta	Wed, Oct. 9	TBD	TBS

 

American League Division Series - Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox

Game	Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV
Game 1	Tampa Bay @ Boston	Fri, Oct. 4	3:00 p.m.	TBS
Game 2	Tampa Bay @ Boston	Sat, Oct. 5	5:30 p.m.	TBS
Game 3	Boston @ Tampa Bay	Mon, Oct. 7	TBD	TBS/MLBN
Game 4*	Boston @ Tampa Bay	Tue, Oct. 8	TBD	TBS
Game 5*	Tampa Bay @ Boston	Thu, Oct. 10	TBD	TBS

 

American League Division Series - Detroit Tigers vs. Oakland Athletics

Game	Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV
Game 1	Detroit @ Oakland	Fri, Oct. 4	9:30 p.m.	TBS
Game 2	Detroit @ Oakland	Sat, Oct. 5	9:00 p.m.	TBS
Game 3	Oakland @ Detroit	Mon, Oct. 7	TBD	TBS/MLBN
Game 4*	Oakland @ Detroit	Tue, Oct. 8	TBD	TBS
Game 5*	Detroit @ Oakland	Thu, Oct. 10	TBD	TBS

*Schedule information according to MLB.com.

 

NLDS: Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Expect an awesome back-and-forth series between these two NL Central rivals. The two teams met 19 times during the regular season, with Pittsburgh winning 10 of those games and St. Louis taking the other nine.

But despite their even past, the Cardinals appear to be the slight favorite, boasting home-field advantage and having beaten the Pirates in each of their last four regular-season meetings coming in. 

Pittsburgh was unable to cool St. Louis' bats in their last four regular-season matchups, allowing more than eight runs per game over that time. The Pirates will have to get better pitching from their starters in this series in order to advance.

 

NLDS: LA Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves

At this point in the year, very little separates the remaining teams. And that's the case with these two World Series contenders. 

The Dodgers and Braves only met seven times during the regular season, with Atlanta taking five of those matchups, including all three at Turner Field. The fact that the Dodgers haven't won in Atlanta in 2013 isn't all that telling, but it doesn't hurt the Braves' confidence either.

Keep in mind that LA was only able to churn out eight runs total in three losses in Atlanta earlier this season. The Dodgers ranked seventh in the National League in runs scored in 2013, which could come back to haunt them in this series.

 

ALDS: Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox

Like Pittsburgh vs. St. Louis in the National League, this ALDS matchup pits two bitter AL East rivals against each other.

The Red Sox won the regular-season series with the Rays, taking 12 of 19 meetings. But make no mistake—Tampa Bay is a dangerous team at the moment. The Rays beat Toronto on the road to force a play-in game against Texas. And after beating the Rangers on the road to stave off elimination, Tampa qualified for the ALDS with a 4-0 shutout win in Cleveland.

The Red Sox are the favorite, but the Rays have been in playoff mode for the past 27 innings and will be ready to go the distance against Boston. 

 

ALDS: Detroit Tigers vs. Oakland Athletics 

In a highly anticipated rematch of last year's ALDS matchup that went all five games, the reigning American League champion Detroit Tigers will face off against the Oakland Athletics. 

Oakland won the regular-season series 4-3 but hasn't seen Miguel Cabrera and Detroit since the end of August. Both clubs are right behind Boston in runs scored in the American League this season and right behind Kansas City in fewest runs allowed. Therefore, this series is about as even as it gets.

Picking a winner won't be easy, but finding a reason to watch will be.

 

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