MLB Playoffs 2019: Live-Stream Schedule and Championship Bracket Predictions

Major League Baseball's 2019 championship field is nearly set.

The Houston Astros were the fourth and final team to punch their league championship series tickets with a 6-1 knockout of the Tampa Bay Rays in Thursday's winner-take-all Game 5.

Houston advances to face the New York Yankees in a matchup of the American League's biggest winner in history and the most successful squad in recent seasons. On the other side of the bracket, the Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals square off in a series between two scrappy, overlooked clubs.

One is exactly what we expected. The other is a surprise to almost anyone outside of those respective locker rooms. Playoff baseball is the greatest, isn't it?

Championship Series Schedule

ALCS

Game 1: Oct. 12⁠—New York at Houston, 8 p.m. ET on Fox (Live Stream: Fox Sports Go)

Game 2: Oct 13⁠—New York at Houston, 8 p.m. ET on FS1 (Live Stream: Fox Sports Go)

Game 3: Oct. 15—Houston at New York, TBD on Fox or FS1 (Live Stream: Fox Sports Go)

Game 4: Oct. 16—Houston at New York, TBD on Fox or FS1 (Live Stream: Fox Sports Go)

Game 5*: Oct. 17—Houston at New York, TBD on Fox or FS1 (Live Stream: Fox Sports Go)

Game 6*: Oct. 19—New York at Houston, TBD on Fox or FS1 (Live Stream: Fox Sports Go)

Game 7*: Oct. 20—New York at Houston, TBD on Fox or FS1 (Live Stream: Fox Sports Go)

*If necessary.

NLCS

Game 1: Oct. 11⁠—Washington at St. Louis, 8 p.m. ET on TBS (Live Stream: Watch TBS)

Game 2: Oct 12⁠—Washington at St. Louis, 4 p.m. ET on TBS (Live Stream: Watch TBS)

Game 3: Oct. 14⁠—St. Louis at Washington, TBD on TBS (Live Stream: Watch TBS)

Game 4: Oct. 15⁠—St. Louis at Washington, TBD on TBS (Live Stream: Watch TBS)

Game 5*: Oct. 16⁠—St. Louis at Washington, TBD on TBS (Live Stream: Watch TBS)

Game 6*: Oct. 18⁠—Washington at St. Louis, TBD on TBS (Live Stream: Watch TBS)

Game 7*: Oct. 19⁠—Washington at St. Louis, TBD on TBS (Live Stream: Watch TBS)

*If necessary.

Championship Series Predictions

Astros Edge Yankees in Seven

Eric Gay/Associated Press

Baseball gods, thank you for making this happen.

Because of this sport's unpredictable side, the best teams don't always come out on top. But this year, Houston and New York reigned supreme over the American League, and they'll clash for its pennant.

The Astros were the best team in baseball, posting MLB-best marks in wins (107) and run differential (plus-280). The Yankees were third overall and second in the AL in both categories with 103 victories and a plus-204 advantage.

"It's going to be a battle," Alex Bregman told reporters. "They've got a great team. They hit the ball out of the ballpark. They've got good pitching. It's very similar to our team. ... It's going to be fun, man."

It was all kinds of fun the last time. The Yankees and Astros locked horns in the 2017 ALCS, the series went seven games, three games were decided by two runs or less and the momentum swings followed that magical motion of October baseball.

Incredibly, this clash should be even better.

Both teams were more successful this season than that one. The Astros hadn't then acquired Gerrit Cole, let alone transformed him into a 326-strikeout juggernaut. Bregman wasn't an All-Star then; now he's an MVP candidate. The Yankees didn't have Gleyber Torres, James Paxton, DJ LeMahieu, Edwin Encarnacion or Giancarlo Stanton.

The Yankees have almost everything you could want. The only problem is the Astros have even more.

While Paxton, Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka can be a dominant trio, Cole, Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke looks like an all-timer. The Yankees can score at will, but the Astros bettered them in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.

This series should be a thrill ride, but Houston is positioned to have the last laugh.

Nationals Over Cardinals in Six

Harry How/Getty Images

As franchises, the Nationals and Cardinals couldn't be more different.

Despite snapping a three-year playoff drought this season, St. Louis is still playing in its 10th NLCS of the last 20 years. Despite routinely flirting with triple-digit win totals in recent years, Washington is in this round for the first time ever.

The significance of that information might not go beyond building a narrative.

St. Louis last reached the championship round in 2014. There are a few holdovers from that team, but most are new faces, like heart-of-the-order hitters Paul Goldschmidt and Marcell Ozuna and rising ace Jack Flaherty. Washington has also undergone a facelift due to surging youngsters like Juan Soto and Victor Robles, plus key offseason addition Patrick Corbin.

As 2019 teams, the Nats and Cards are actually quite alike. They started slow enough for most to dismiss them as legitimate contenders. They take old-school approaches with things like sacrifices and stolen bases. They are led by veterans but energized by their youth.

St. Louis has two things working in its favor. This franchise often brings out its best in the postseason, and it has the NL's hottest pitcher in Jack Flaherty. The 23-year-old had a 0.91 ERA in the second half. He was more human in the NLDS, but he still had only a 2.77 ERA across 13 innings.

But Washington looks better on paper. It has the top two hitters in this series with Soto and Anthony Rendon. Not to mention, the top three in this rotation is absurd. Any one of Corbin, Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg can silence an opposing lineup on any given day.

"They have three of the best starting pitchers in baseball," the Dodgers' Walker Buehler said. "Any time you can throw those three guys out there, you've got a chance."

Maybe the Cardinals can work up their October magic, but this feels like the Nationals have too many advantages to not take this series.