World Series 2018 Schedule: TV, Live-Stream Coverage for Fall Classic

The Boston Red Sox will learn their World Series opponent when the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers settle the score in Saturday's winner-take-all Game 7.

After ousting the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series, Boston booted the defending champion Houston Astros in a five-game American League Championship Series. The newly minted AL champs will host whichever team captures the National League pennant.

Neither of those challengers will seem overly daunting to the Red Sox after conquering teams who each notched at least 100 wins to get to the World Series. 

However, Boston will either encounter a deep Dodgers squad led by Clayton Kershaw and Manny Machado or a mighty Brewers bullpen. The team will also have to tinker their lineup at least twice with J.D. Martinez unable to serve as the designated hitter under NL rules.

The Red Sox made it this far without their three elite pitchers consistently performing to their lofty standards, but that must change to bring another banner to Boston. 

2018 MLB World Series Schedule

Game 1 - Brewers/Dodgers at Red Sox: Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 8:09 p.m. ET

Game 2 - Brewers/Dodgers at Red Sox: Wednesday, Oct. 24 at 8:09 p.m. ET

Game 3 - Red Sox at Brewers/Dodgers: Friday, Oct. 26 at 8:09 p.m. ET

Game 4 - Red Sox at Brewers/Dodgers: Saturday, Oct. 27 at 8:09 p.m. ET

*Game 5 - Red Sox at Brewers/Dodgers: Sunday, Oct. 28 at 8:15 p.m. ET

*Game 6 - Brewers/Dodgers at Red Sox: Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 8:09 p.m. ET

*Game 7 - Brewers/Dodgers at Red Sox: Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 8:09 p.m. ET    

*= if necessary

 All games will be televised on Fox and available to stream live on Fox Live TV

Burning Question: Can Boston Trust Its Star Pitchers?

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Heading into the postseason, those who picked against the 108-win Red Sox—this writer included—wondered whether the bullpen could build a sturdy bridge to Craig Kimbrel. The middle relievers have succeeded with flying colors; Joe Kelly, Heath Hembree, Matt Barnes and 31-year-old rookie Ryan Brasier have allowed two combined runs in 21.2 combined postseason frames.

They instead have held their breath watching Kimbrel, who has ceded five runs in as many nerve-wracking outings. He has issued six walks and a handful of warning-track fly balls—not to mention Alex Bregman's screeching line drive saved by a diving Andrew Benintendi for Game 4's final out—that nearly cost Boston in the win column.

Per MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo, Kimbrel apologized to Boston fans after narrowly escaping another jam in Thursday's series-clinching Game 5:

That's the unpredictability of postseason baseball. Kimbrel boasts a career 1.91 ERA with the lowest fielding independent pitching (1.96 FIP) of any qualified reliever in major league history, according to FanGraphs.

Brasier, who has fortified their late innings with seven shutout frames, was pitching in Japan last year.

Perhaps it's unfair to expect positive regression to the mean from Boston's relief ace without anticipating everyone else to fall the other way. It won't matter if the other guys squander leads before he emerges, but Kimbrel won't preserve his October Houdini act unless he makes amends with the strike zone.

The Red Sox, of course, must also worry about recording outs before turning to the bullpen. They received a scare when Chris Sale, their scheduled Game 5 starter, was hospitalized with a stomach illness earlier in the week. 

It is not supposed to impede his World Series availability. In a WEEI radio appearance (h/t NBC Sports Boston), manager Alex Cora said the star southpaw will start Tuesday's Game 1 at Fenway Park. 

"Yes, Chris Sale is our No. 1 starter. Most likely David [Price] will be Game 2," Cora said. "… We'll figure it out. We'll talk about it as a group, but Chris is ready for Game 1. We'll decide about Game 2, 3, and 4. Let's enjoy this one."

Sale, however, also did not pitch to his elite expectations before the health scare. He issued four free passes in as many innings against the Astros. After seemingly squashing a velocity concern in the previous round, his fastball speed again tumbled:

While he remains effective at 92-93 miles per hour, those lost ticks at least give the opposition a puncher's chance:

At least Price enters the Fall Classic on a brighter note. The 33-year-old exorcized his playoff demons by stockpiling nine strikeouts in six scoreless frames in a series-clinching win over Houston.

He had surrendered seven runs and six walks in 6.1 innings versus the Yankees and Astros—raising his career playoff ERA to 5.42—prior to Thursday's gem.

An adjustment fueled his success. According to Brooks Baseball, the lefty threw more changeups (40) than he had in any start this year. He induced 12 whiffs and no hits against the pitch he tweaked the previous day, as noted by Sports Illustrated's Stephanie Apstein. 

Price can forever erase the unflattering October reputation by harnessing that changeup at least one more night. Alongside Sale and Kimbrel, the big-name trio presents the key to Boston celebrating its fourth championship in 15 years.