MLB Playoff Bracket 2014: Full Postseason Schedule and World Series Prediction
After a grueling regular season, only 10 MLB teams remain standing. Although, that number will be reduced in short order, as single-elimination games on Tuesday and Wednesday will quickly send two wild-card teams packing—and that's only the beginning.
Four ensuing best-of-five series games will cut the remaining teams in half—from eight to four—and those squads will face off to determine which two will represent the league in this year's World Series. Be sure to catch every moment possible, because we'll see a new champion crowned by the end of October.
While we await the enthralling postseason to begin, let's first take a look at the MLB playoff bracket, full schedule and predict which two teams will be facing off in the big dance.
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Playoff Bracket
Here's a great look at the ensuing playoff matchups, via Cork Gaines of BusinessInsider.com:
"For the fans of the other 20 MLB teams, here is the bracket for the playoffs most of you wont watch pic.twitter.com/oUyXxLkwrZ
— Cork Gaines (@CorkGaines) September 29, 2014"
Playoff Schedule
| American | OAK at KC | Tues., Sept. 30 | 8:07 p.m. | TBS |
| National | SF at PIT | Wed., Oct. 1 | 8:07 p.m. | ESPN |
| 1 | AL Wild Card at LAA | Thurs., Oct. 2 | TBD | TBS |
| 2 | AL Wild Card at LAA | Fri., Oct. 3 | TBD | TBS |
| 3 | LAA at AL Wild Card | Sun., Oct. 5 | TBD | TBS |
| 4* | LAA at AL Wild Card | Mon., Oct. 6 | TBD | TBS |
| 5* | AL Wild Card at LAA | Wed., Oct. 8 | TBD | TBS |
| 1 | DET at BAL | Thurs., Oct. 2 | TBD | TBS |
| 2 | DET at BAL | Fri., Oct. 3 | TBD | TBS |
| 3 | BAL at DET | Sun., Oct. 5 | TBD | TBS |
| 4* | BAL at DET | Mon., Oct. 6 | TBD | TBS |
| 5* | DET at BAL | Wed., Oct. 8 | TBD | TBS |
| 1 | NL Wild Card at WSH | Fri., Oct. 3 | TBA | FS1 |
| 2 | NL Wild Card at WSH | Sat., Oct. 4 | TBA | FS1 or MLBN |
| 3 | WSH at NL Wild Card | Mon., Oct. 6 | TBA | FS1 or MLBN |
| 4* | WSH at NL Wild Card | Tues., Oct. 7 | TBA | FS1 |
| 5* | NL Wild Card at WSH | Thurs., Oct. 9 | TBA | FS1 |
| 1 | STL at LAD | Fri., Oct. 3 | TBA | FS1 |
| 2 | STL at LAD | Sat., Oct. 4 | TBA | FS1 or MLBN |
| 3 | LAD at STL | Mon., Oct. 6 | TBA | FS1 or MLBN |
| 4* | LAD at STL | Tues., Oct. 7 | TBA | FS1 |
| 5* | STL at LAD | Thurs., Oct. 9 | TBA | FS1 |
| 1 | TBD vs. TBD | Fri., Oct. 10 | TBA | TBS |
| 2 | TBD vs. TBD | Sat., Oct. 11 | TBA | TBS |
| 3 | TBD vs. TBD | Mon., Oct. 13 | TBA | TBS |
| 4 | TBD vs. TBD | Tues., Oct. 14 | TBA | TBS |
| 5* | TBD vs. TBD | Wed., Oct. 15 | TBA | TBS |
| 6* | TBD vs. TBD | Fri., Oct. 17 | TBA | TBS |
| 7* | TBD vs. TBD | Sat., Oct. 18 | TBA | TBS |
| 1 | TBD vs. TBD | Sat., Oct. 11 | TBA | Fox |
| 2 | TBD vs. TBD | Sun., Oct. 12 | TBA | FS1 |
| 3 | TBD vs. TBD | Tues., Oct. 14 | TBA | FS1 |
| 4 | TBD vs. TBD | Wed., Oct. 15 | TBA | FS1 |
| 5* | TBD vs. TBD | Thurs., Oct. 16 | TBA | FS1 |
| 6* | TBD vs. TBD | Sat., Oct. 18 | TBA | Fox |
| 7* | TBD vs. TBD | Sun., Oct. 19 | TBA | FS1 |
| 1 | NL Champion vs. AL Champion | Tues., Oct. 21 | TBA | Fox |
| 2 | NL Champion vs. AL Champion | Wed., Oct. 22 | TBA | Fox |
| 3 | AL Champion vs. NL Champion | Fri., Oct. 24 | TBA | Fox |
| 4 | AL Champion vs. NL Champion | Sat., Oct. 25 | TBA | Fox |
| 5* | AL Champion vs. NL Champion | Sun., Oct. 26 | TBA | Fox |
| 6* | NL Champion vs. AL Champion | Tues., Oct. 28 | TBA | Fox |
| 7* | NL Champion vs. AL Champion | Wed., Oct. 29 | TBA | Fox |
*Denotes game may not be necessary.
The full playoff schedule can also be viewed at MLB.com.
World Series Prediction
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Los Angeles Angels
Get ready for the latest edition of the Freeway Series. The Angels hold the best record in baseball, finishing the regular season with a record of 98-64, while the Dodgers have been riding the brilliant pitching of Clayton Kershaw to a 94-68 record.
The Dodgers are riding a hot streak entering the postseason, having won five consecutive games and finishing the regular season with a 10-5 rout over the Colorado Rockies. This team wasn't in need of a confidence boost, but it got one anyway.
One of the most well-rounded teams in the league this season, the Dodgers finished the regular season ranked in the top 10 of most major statistical categories. Take a look:
| 6th (718) | 3rd (.265) | 1st (.333) | 6th (.406) |
| 6th (3.40) | 6th (100) | 5th (1.21) | 9th (.242) |
On the offensive side, the Dodgers have plenty of talented bats. Yasiel Puig continues to shine, leading all teammates who qualified for the batting title with a .296 batting average, not to mention his .382 on-base percentage. Adrian Gonzalez is a master of the deep ball, notching 27 home runs and accumulating 116 RBI this season. The speedy Dee Gordon has manufactured runs all year long, racking up 176 hits and 64 stolen bases.
We also can't count out Juan Uribe, whose son may be doing some more dancing in the near future:
As far as pitching goes, it doesn't get much better than Kershaw. With 21 wins, a 1.77 ERA and 239 strikeouts this season, he's easily the most dominant pitcher in the majors. Zack Greinke, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Dan Haren round out a nice rotation, while J.P. Howell has been great in relief and closer Kenley Jansen earned 44 saves.
USA Today Sports noted how dominant Kershaw has been over the last four seasons:
The Angels have a quality roster with plenty of depth at the plate. One of the best hitting teams in the league, their ability to create runs in various ways—but mostly off the bat of Mike Trout—led them to the best record in the majors this season.
They may not be as deep in the pitching department, but strong bats make up for that nicely. Here's a look at the team's ranks through the regular season:
| 1st (773) | 6th (.259) | 7th (.322) | 5th (.406) |
| 15th (3.58) | 23rd (80) | 7th (1.22) | 4th (.236) |
There may not be a scarier offensive team than the Angels in the majors this season. Trout accumulated 36 jacks, 111 RBI, a .377 on-base percentage and a .287 batting average during the regular season. If anyone has the ability to get past the Dodgers' solid pitching, it's him. He's been getting great support from Howie Kendrick, who finished the season with a .293 batting average and 181 hits. With Albert Pujols in the fold as well, this team is jam-packed with sluggers.
Trout doesn't only help out his pitchers with his big bat—he's not too shabby of a fielder, either:
Pitching hasn't been a big strong suit this season; however, Jered Weaver was able to come away with 18 wins despite a 3.59 ERA, but he did record 169 strike outs. Unfortunately, the team is without Garrett Richards, but Matt Shoemaker has been dealing nicely of late. The acquisition of closer Huston Street has worked nicely as well, as he's accumulated 17 saves with a 1.71 ERA with the team.
It all comes down to whether the Angels bats will be able to get past the Dodgers' strong pitching rotation. This would surely be a fun series to watch, as both of these teams have been winning games in far different fashions.
Taking everything into consideration, it's just hard to bet against Kershaw and Co., who are supported by enough talent at the plate to take the series.
Prediction: Dodgers in six
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