MLB Playoff Bracket 2019: Start Times, Dates, Live Stream and TV Schedule

The Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers enter the 2019 MLB postseason as the top seeds in their respective leagues. 

But that title does not guarantee success in October, as both No. 1 teams have advanced to the league championship round once in the last five years. When that occurred in 2018, Boston was the only one of the two to qualify for the World Series. 

Upsets could happen as early as the divisional series. Houston and Los Angeles have to wait until the conclusion of the wild-card games to learn their LDS foes. 

The National League opens the postseason Tuesday, and its two divisional best-of-fives will go off Thursday, while the American League is a day behind for each. 

MLB Playoff Bracket

Playoff Schedule

NL Wild-Card

October 1: Milwaukee at Washington (8:08 p.m., TBS) 

AL Wild-Card

October 2: Tampa Bay at Oakland (8:09 p.m., ESPN) 

NLDS 

October 3 (Game 1): Wild-Card winner at Los Angeles Dodgers (Time TBD, TBS) 

October 3 (Game 1): St. Louis at Atlanta (Time TBD, TBS) 

October 4 (Game 2): Wild-Card winner at Los Angeles Dodgers (Time TBD, TBS) 

October 4 (Game 2): St. Louis at Atlanta (Time TBD, TBS) 

October 6 (Game 3): Los Angeles Dodgers at Wild-Card winner (Time TBD, TBS) 

October 6 (Game 3): Atlanta at St. Louis (Time TBD, TBS) 

October 7 (Game 4): Los Angeles Dodgers at Wild-Card winner (Time TBD, TBS)*

October 7 (Game 4): Atlanta at St. Louis (Time TBD, TBS)* 

October 9 (Game 5): Wild-Card winner at Los Angeles Dodgers (Time TBD, TBS)* 

October 9 (Game 5): St. Louis at Atlanta (Time TBD, TBS)*

ALDS 

October 4 (Game 1): Wild-Card winner at Houston (Time TBD, MLB Network or FS1) 

October 4 (Game 1): Minnesota at New York Yankees (Time TBD, MLB Network or FS1) 

October 5 (Game 2): Wild-Card winner at Houston (Time TBD, FS1) 

October 5 (Game 2): Minnesota at New York Yankees (Time TBD, FS1) 

October 7 (Game 3): Houston at Wild-Card winner (Time TBD, MLB Network or FS1) 

October 7 (Game 3): New York Yankees at Minnesota (Time TBD, MLB Network or FS1) 

October 8 (Game 4): Houston at Wild-Card winner (Time TBD, FS1)* 

October 8 (Game 4): New York Yankees at Minnesota (Time TBD, FS1)* 

October 10 (Game 5): Wild-Card winner at Houston (Time TBD, FS1)* 

October 10 (Game 5): Minnesota at New York Yankees (Time TBD, FS1)* 

NLCS 

October 11-12, 14-16, 18-19 (Times TBD, TBS) 

ALCS 

October 12-13, 15-17, 19-20 (Times TBD, Fox or FS1) 

World Series

October 22-23, 25-27, 29-30 (Times TBD, Fox) 

*- if necessary 

Houston has to wait until Friday to tackle its playoff opener against either Oakland or Tampa Bay. 

The four days of rest between the regular-season finale and Game 1 allows its pitching staff to be at full strength.

Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole will likely take the mound for the contests at Minute Maid Park. The duo helped the Astros earn the most strikeouts in baseball.

Additionally, Houston's hitters were set down on strikes the fewest times of any ball club, which makes Houston the first team to have the most pitching and least hitting strikeouts in MLB history, per MLB Stats: 

The Astros went 11-8 in AL West play versus Oakland and recorded a 3-4 mark against Tampa Bay. Three of the defeats to the Rays were suffered in the first week of the regular season. 

The Athletics took three of four contests in September against the Astros, so that could set up Bob Melvin's team with more confidence if it wins the AL wild-card game. 

Los Angeles went 4-3 against both Milwaukee and Washington, but its biggest advantage could be the seven-game winning streak it enters on. That could help the Dodgers qualify for their third straight World Series trip. 

"We set the record and won our last seven against teams we could have just shown up and easily taken it for granted and lose those games," Dodgers infielder Justin Turner said, per MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. "We finished strong, have that momentum going into the playoffs and not having to deal with the collapse of ‘17 (losing 16 of 17). Good not to talk about that."

The two set matchups feature division champions St. Louis, Atlanta, Minnesota and the New York Yankees. 

Minnesota and New York could end up in five slugfests, as they led the majors in home runs. The Twins finished in first with a new single-season record of 307. 

The Yankees hold a significant postseason edge over the Twins, as they have eliminated the AL Central side five times since 2003. 

But Minnesota president Dave St. Peter is trying to strum up confidence his team can finally down the Yankees, per SKOR North. 

"We obviously don't get to pick who we play," St. Peter said. "It certainly looks like it'll be New York. We understand the history. That's my history—it isn't Rocco Baldelli's history, it certainly isn't Nelson Cruz's history. So I think that'll be overblown. Organizationally, I just say it's time to slay the dragon, right?" 

Atlanta and St. Louis meet for the first time since May in the confirmed NLDS matchup. The Braves won four of the six matchups. 

Brian Snitker's team has some minor injury concerns ahead of Thursday's Game 1. Freddie Freeman is dealing with an elbow issue, but he should be ready to go, per The Athletic's David O'Brien. 

"I have no problems going forward. I have no restrictions. I feel good. I'm gonna be out there for a couple of ABs (Sunday) and then I'll be ready to roll on Thursday," Freeman said. 

On Wednesday, Ronald Acuna was shut down for the final few regular-season games, but he should be OK for Thursday, as Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution noted. 

Even if the Braves are at full strength, the Cardinals could have the best chance of the lower seeds to pull off an upset. 

Jack Flaherty, who is expected to start Game 2, could flip the series in favor of St. Louis. He had 231 strikeouts, which is a total only Bob Gibson has eclipsed in franchise history, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 

The 23-year-old has eight or more strikeouts in five of his last six starts, and he conceded a single earned run in his last three road appearances. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90

Statistics obtained from Baseball Reference