MLB Playoff Bracket 2018: Live Stream, Predictions for Friday's AL, NL Schedule

The 2018 MLB playoffs saw the division series round open with an extra-inning affair in one contest and a three-homer power surge in the other.

Friday's four-game slate shapes up to deliver even more fireworks.

There are multiple Cy Young candidates toeing the rubber. There are multiple MVP candidates in the batting lineups. And, as always, there is no shortage of surprise-hero candidates, like Thursday's walk-off supplier, Mike Moustakas.

Enough buildup; let's get to Friday's particulars and predictions.

Friday Playoff Schedule

Cleveland Indians at Houston Astros, 2:05 p.m. ET, live stream on Watch TBS app

Colorado Rockies at Milwaukee Brewers, 4:15 p.m. ET, live steam on Fox Sports GO

New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox, 7:32 p.m. ET, live stream on Watch TBS app

Atlanta Braves at Los Angeles Dodgers, 9:37 p.m. ET, live stream on Fox Sports Go

Aces Wild

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Corey Kluber vs. Justin Verlander—it sounds like an early-draft debate for fantasy owners (and will be one next spring), but Friday, it's nothing less than a gift from the baseball gods.

Two of the best pitchers in baseball will square off to open the 2018 American League Division Series. Kluber was one of only two 20-game winners this season. Verlander was a top-five starter in ERA (fifth) and strikeouts (two). The two have three Cy Young awards between them.

"The Game 1 matchup...could be one for the ages," Kevin Kernan wrote for the New York Post. "As much as baseball has changed, having an ace still makes a world of difference, and teams need to be reminded of that."

This could be a case where the first team to score wins. We see a tad more offense coming, and the home club emerging victorious.

Prediction: Astros 4, Indians 2

MVP Behavior

Aaron Gash/Associated Press

The Rockies have an all-world hitter in Nolan Arenado. The four-time All-Star launched an NL-high 38 long balls to go along with 110 RBI and 104 runs.

But the Brewers might have the hottest hitter in baseball in Christian Yelich, who seemingly locked up the NL MVP with a second half for the ages: 25 homers, 67 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 65 games. He continued his torrid stretch Thursday, plating Milwaukee's first two runs on a third-inning homer and scoring the winning run after walking to start the bottom of the 10th.

"His timing looks like he's impeccable," Rockies manager Bud Black told reporters. "He's on everything. Even his takes are good."

Until Yelich comes back to this galaxy, it'll be tough to pick against the Brewers. It's impossible to do so here, when they'll have both home-field advantage and a huge edge in starting pitcher's ERA (3.50 for Jhoulys Chacin to 4.55 for Tyler Anderson).

Prediction: Brewers 7, Rockies 5

Rivalry Renewed

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Another Yankees-Red Sox playoff collision? Yes, please.

The longtime AL East rivals are locking horns in the postseason for the fourth time. The last two clashes both went the distance, with the Yankees taking a seven-game thriller in the 2003 ALCS and the Red Sox doing the same a year later.

On paper, this iteration looks like it could be another instant classic. These were two of MLB's three teams to win 100-plus games. The Red Sox and Yankees finished first and second, respectively, in runs scored, RBI and OPS. Boston had MLB's second-best run differential (plus-229); New York was two spots back (plus-182).

The season series went 10-9 in favor of the Red Sox, with the bulk of each club's success coming on its home field. The Yankees were 6-3 in New York; the Sox went 7-3 in Boston.

We're guessing that pattern will continue Friday, especially with Boston's Chris Sale holding a major statistical advantage over his counterpart, J.A. Happ.

Prediction: Red Sox 6, Yankees 3

Dodgers Dig the Long Ball

Harry How/Getty Images

The Dodgers were the powerhouse of the NL. They not only led the league in run differential (plus-194), they also held the top spots in runs, homers, RBI and OPS.

They looked the part of mashers Thursday night. They chased Game 1 starter Mike Foltynewicz with two homers in the first two innings. They later launched a third off reliever Brad Brach.

Atlanta's pitchers allowed the third-fewest home runs this season, but the Dodgers rendered that statistic useless. What makes these power flashes especially threatening is that L.A.'s rotation isn't dependent on major run support. Dodgers starters had the second-lowest ERA this season (3.19), and Friday's starter, Clayton Kershaw, was one of their four pitchers to make at least 15 starts and post an ERA of 3.02 or lower.

This sounds like too much for a youth-driven Braves team to overcome.

Prediction: Dodgers 5, Braves 1

Statistics used courtesy of MLB.com and ESPN.com.