MLB Playoff Bracket 2020: Updated AL, NL Predictions Before Thursday's Schedule

Five of the eight MLB Wild Card Series have yet to determine a winner. 

The Chicago White Sox and Oakland Athletics are the only teams fighting for a spot in the division series in the American League after three sweeps were completed Wednesday. 

Atlanta, Miami, St. Louis and the Los Angeles Dodgers have an opportunity to join Tampa Bay, Houston and the New York Yankees as teams that needed the minimum amount of games to move onto the next round. 

However, finishing off the National League series could be a more difficult task for the teams in the lead given the pitching matchups they face in Game 2. 

When each series is finished, the winners will move on to postseason bubbles. The American League will play in San Diego and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, while the NL heads to Houston and Arlington, Texas. 

MLB Playoff Bracket

AL Wild Card Series

No. 1 Tampa Bay def. No. 8 Toronto, 2-0

No. 2 Oakland tied with No. 7 Chicago White Sox, 1-1

No. 6 Houston def. No. 3 Minnesota, 2-0

No. 5 New York Yankees def. No. 4 Cleveland, 2-0

NL Wild Card Series

No. 1 Los Angeles Dodgers lead No. 8 Milwaukee, 1-0

No. 2 Atlanta leads No. 7 Cincinnati, 1-0

No. 6 Miami leads No. 3 Chicago Cubs, 1-0

No. 5 St. Louis leads No. 4 San Diego, 1-0

ALDS

No. 1 Tampa Bay vs. No. 5 New York Yankees (in San Diego)

No. 6 Houston vs. Oakland/Chicago White Sox winner (at Dodger Stadium)

NLDS

Los Angeles Dodgers/Milwaukee winner vs. San Diego/St. Louis winner (in Arlington, Texas)

Atlanta/Cincinnati winner vs. Chicago Cubs/Miami winner (in Houston)

Predictions

White Sox Earn Final ALDS Berth

The White Sox possess the two best hitters in their series with the Athletics, and they could be the difference-makers in Game 3. 

Tim Anderson has six hits and a 1.444 OPS in two games in Oakland, while Jose Abreu owns a home run, three hits and a 1.000 OPS. 

Anderson has been the catalyst for the Chicago offense all season long, and he played that role to perfection in Game 1 with two hits in his first two at-bats. 

The majority of the White Sox's Game 1 success occurred against left-handed starter Jesus Luzardo. Chicago is 15-0 in games against southpaw starters. 

Oakland may not go to a lefty immediately in Game 3 with Mike Fiers available, but it could be hard for them to avoid using Sean Manaea and Mike Minor out of the bullpen. 

That move could be forced by Liam Hendriks' extended appearance in Game 2, as he threw 49 pitches in 1.2 innings.

If Hendriks is only available in a limited role, the A's may have to get creative with their pitchers in the latter innings, which could include using those two left-handed starters out of necessity.

The White Sox could be in a more favorable pitching position since they can call on Dylan Cease, Dane Dunning and Garrett Crochet to split the opening few innings and keep the Athletics off-balance. 

Crochet could be the biggest X-factor no matter when he enters the game. The 2020 first-round draft pick can reach 100 miles per hour with his fastball on a regular basis, and he has only allowed three hits in six innings. 

If Crochet can bridge the gap between Cease or Dunning and the rest of the bullpen, the White Sox could have an edge going into the final few frames. 

If the White Sox are successful in Game 3, they would be the only one of three AL Central teams to move on from the Wild Card Round after Cleveland and Minnesota were eliminated Wednesday.

Chicago Cubs Have Best Chance to Keep NL Wild Card Series Alive

You could make the case for every team facing a deficit in the NL to come back and force Game 3.

But the strongest argument can be made in favor of the Chicago Cubs with Yu Darvish taking the hill at home for Game 2. The NL Cy Young Award candidate struck out 36 batters in four meetings with playoff teams at Wrigley Field in September. 

Darvish finished his regular season with seven shutout innings at Guaranteed Rate Field against the Chicago White Sox. The right-hander also has six games of playoff experience compared to zero for Miami's Game 2 starter Sixto Sanchez.

The top-rated pitching prospect marveled in his first few appearances, but he struggled down the stretch by conceding nine earned runs in his final two starts. 

If the Cubs are able to pounce on Sanchez early, they could give Darvish the proper cushion to feel comfortable in a possible quality start that could take some pressure off the bullpen.

The other NL Central franchises facing a deficit could have trouble containing the opposing offenses Thursday. 

Cincinnati's Luis Castillo and Milwaukee's Brandon Woodruff are facing two of the top four teams in OPS and home runs. Miami was well below the league average in both categories. 

Given the advantage in matchup and playoff experience, Darvish should be able to level the series for the Cubs and create at least one Game 3 in the NL Friday.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from Baseball Reference.