MLB Playoffs 2018: Odds, TV Schedule, Predictions for ALCS, NLCS

The Boston Red Sox have survived and advanced after beating the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series, but it was anything but easy.

The Red Sox hung on for a 4-3 victory over the Yankees in the Bronx as Eduardo Nunez threw out Gleyber Torres on the final play of the game, leading to a champagne-and-beer celebration in the Boston locker room.

After Boston ace Chris Sale retired the Yankees in order in the eighth inning, Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel entered the game in the ninth inning with a 4-1 lead. Kimbrel opened the inning by walking slugger Aaron Judge on four pitches and then gave up a two-out single to Didi Gregorius. After striking out Giancarlo Stanton, he walked Luke Voit and hit Neil Walker to bring in a run.

Gary Sanchez stepped to the plate with the game on the line and after falling behind 0-2, he drove a ball to deep left field to drive in Gregorius.

With the game and the Yankees' season on the line, Torres hit a slow grounder up the third base line, and Nunez made the do-or-die play to win the series by a 3-1 margin.

The play survived replay review and the Red Sox roared their approval.

The Red Sox will meet the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series, and Boston has home-field advantage. The two teams will open up Saturday at Fenway Park, with first pitch scheduled for 8:09 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised by TBS.

The Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers will meet in the National League Championship Series, and those two teams will open up in Milwaukee Friday night at 8:09 p.m., and the game will be broadcast by FS1.

ALCS

Sat., Oct. 13 Astros at Red Sox, 8:09 p.m. ET, TBS
Sun., Oct. 14 Astros at Red Sox, 7:09 p.m. ET, TBS
Tues., Oct. 16 Red Sox at Astros, time TBD, TBS
Wed., Oct. 17 Red Sox at Astros, time TBD, TBS
Thurs., Oct. 18 Red Sox at Astros*, time TBD, TBS
Sat., Oct. 20 Astros at Red Sox*, time TBD, TBS
Sun., Oct. 21 Astros at Red Sox*, time TBD, TBS

NLCS

Fri., Oct. 12 Dodgers at Brewers, 8:09 p.m. ET, FS1
Sat., Oct. 13 Dodgers at Brewers, 4:09 p.m. ET,  FOX 
Mon., Oct. 15 Brewers at Dodgers, time TBD, FOX or FS1
Tues., Oct. 16 Brewers at Dodgers, time TBD, FOX or FS1
Wed., Oct. 17 Brewers at Dodgers*, time TBD, FOX or FS1
Fri., Oct. 19 Dodgers at Brewers*, time TBD, FOX or FS1
Sat., Oct. 20 Dodgers at Brewers*, time TBD, FOX or FS1
*If necessary

The Dodgers are minus-125 favorites to win the series, according to OddsShark, while the Brewers are minus-105 underdogs. Those betting on the Dodgers have to risk $125 to win $100, while Brewers backers wager $105 to win $100.

The ALCS is viewed as a toss-up, as both teams are minus-115 to advance to the World Series.

The Astros are plus-210 to win the World Series, followed by the Red Sox at plus-215, the Dodgers at plus-333 and the Brewers at plus-375.

Predictions

The Dodgers are playing in their third straight NLCS, and they hope to get back to the World Series for the second year in a row.

They would seem to have an advantage over the Brewers because of their recent postseason success, and they became a stronger team when they added Manny Machado in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles shortly after the All-Star break.

However, the Brewers are on an incredible roll, as they swept the Colorado Rockies out of the division series in three games after beating the Chicago Cubs in Game 163 to win the NL Central pennant.

The Dodgers have one of the generation's best pitchers in Clayton Kershaw, and he was dominant in the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves.

However, the Brewers have a lights-out bullpen and the potential MVP in Christian Yelich.

We see the Brewers rewarding their fans by winning the series in seven games.

The Astros are a confident team, and they beat the Red Sox in the ALDS in four games last year. While both teams are explosive on offense and have good-to-excellent starting pitching, the Astros appear to have the better bullpen.

While that should be a key factor, we see Boston manager Alex Cora giving the Red Sox a slight edge over his former team.

The Red Sox take advantage of their home-field advantage and win the American League pennant in seven games.