World Series 2019: TV Schedule and Bold Predictions for Final Round

The Washington Nationals punched their ticket to the 115th edition of the Fall Classic after sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series.

The Nats, who will be making their first World Series appearance in franchise history, await the winner of the American League Championship Series between the Houston Astros and New York Yankees. Houston leads that best-of-seven series three games to one.

The Astros are looking for their second World Series in three years. The Yankees, who have won a league-record 27 World Series, are searching for their first championship since 2009.

With the World Series just days away, here's a look at the television schedule in addition to predictions for the remainder of the ALCS and the World Series.

World Series TV Schedule

Game 1 (Tuesday, Oct. 22): Washington Nationals at Houston Astros or New York Yankees

Game 2 (Wednesday, Oct. 23): Washington Nationals at Houston Astros or New York Yankees

Game 3 (Friday, Oct. 25): Houston Astros or New York Yankees at Washington Nationals

Game 4 (Saturday, Oct. 26): Houston Astros or New York Yankees at Washington Nationals

Game 5 (Sunday, Oct. 27): Houston Astros or New York Yankees at Washington Nationals

Game 6 (Tuesday, Oct. 29): Washington Nationals at Houston Astros or New York Yankees

Game 7 (Friday, Oct. 30): Washington Nationals at Houston Astros or New York Yankees

All games on FOX. Times have not yet been announced. Games 5-7 if necessary.

ALCS Predictions

The Yankees' blueprint for winning the American League Championship Series was straightforward: Win the three games where Astros co-aces Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole aren't pitching and find a way to take one otherwise.

That plan fell by the wayside Thursday as the Astros had little trouble beating the Yankees 8-3 with Zack Greinke on the mound.

Now the Yankees must win out, which means beating the Astros with Verlander and Cole on the mound once each, in addition to another game.

New York does have homefield advantage for Game 5 on Friday before a hypothetical return to Texas, but the next baseball game that will occur in Houston will likely be a World Series matchup.

These are Verlander's numbers against the Yankees since joining the Astros in September 2017, including playoffs: 50.1 innings, 10 earned runs, 59 strikeouts and a 3-0 record.

Houston has won five of Verlander's six starts, with the lone exception a 4-0 defeat in 2018 when the bullpen imploded behind him in the ninth. 

Verlander is starting on full rest in Game 5, giving the Astros a clear edge.

If the Yankees manage to find a path to victory, they need to win a game against Cole, who hasn't had much issue with the Yanks in two starts this year. He's 2-0 versus the Yanks this year, allowing just three earned runs in 14.1 innings while punching out 13.

The Yankees' best chance at victory likely comes at home against Verlander simply because winning in Houston is a near-impossible task when facing either of them on the mound. Houston is 65-21 at home including playoffs this year.

However, it's difficult to bet against Verlander given his impressive track record against the Bronx Bombers. The Astros will take the ALCS in five.

World Series Predictions

The Astros are as good or better in every phase than the Nats, which is far less an indictment on a gritty Washington team as it is a praise of Houston's near-invincibility.

The Nats' primary strength is their starting rotation featuring Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin, but the Astros can counter with Verlander, Cole and Greinke.

Washington has a strong top of the order thanks to the speedy Trea Turner, 20-year-old superstar Juan Soto and hitting machine Anthony Rendon, but the Astros have powerful leadoff hitter George Springer, 2017 American League MVP Jose Altuve and third baseman Alex Bregman, who paced the team with a 1.015 OPS.

Houston's lineup is deeper, with shortstop Carlos Correa (21 homers in 75 games) somehow hitting seventh at times this postseason. The Astros' bullpen is better, having finished with the league's third-best reliever ERA compared to Washington's dead-last result. And Houston is even sharper in the field, earning a 98.8 percent fielding rate (second in the bigs).

Couple all this with the Astros' home-field advantage, and you have a recipe for the Astros' second World Series win in three seasons.

But Washington won't go down without a fight, as this season has proven time and again.

The Nats started 19-31 but finished with 93 victories, four games clear of the next-closest team in the NL wild-card race and even giving the East-winning Atlanta Braves a slight scare.

In Game 5 of the NLDS, the Nats found themselves down 3-0 at the Los Angeles Dodgers in the sixth inning but bounced back and won 7-3 in 10 innings.

That impressive resiliency could serve them well in the World Series, but the Cole-Verlander combo may prove too strong once again.

The bottom line is that having two bonafide aces can be a significant edge in the MLB playoffs, much like it was for the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks, which featured Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson.

The Astros have their own aces plus one of the better lineups in recent MLB history. Look for them to take this series in six.