World Series 2020: Latest Bracket Results, Odds and Predictions

Eric Gay/Associated Press

The Tampa Bay Rays are going to the World Series after defeating the Houston Astros 4-2 in the seventh and deciding game of the American League Championship Series on Saturday.

They’ll meet the Los Angeles Dodgers or Atlanta Braves, who will square off in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series on Sunday at 8:15 p.m. ET.

Per DraftKings Sportsbook, Tampa Bay leads the World Series odds ledger at +120 ($100 bet to win $120) to win its first-ever Fall Classic. The Dodgers are +160, and the Braves are +330.

Here’s a look at the latest MLB playoff bracket results as well as picks for the remainder of the postseason.

MLB Playoff Results

American League Wild Card Series

Tampa Bay 2, Toronto 0

Houston 2, Minnesota 0

New York Yankees 2, Cleveland 0

Oakland 2, Chicago White Sox 1

American League Division Series

Tampa Bay 3, New York Yankees 2

Houston 3, Oakland 1

American League Championship Series

Tampa Bay 4, Houston 3

National League Wild Card Series

Atlanta 2, Cincinnati 0

Los Angeles Dodgers 2, Milwaukee 0

Miami 2, Chicago Cubs 0

San Diego 2, St. Louis 1

National League Division Series

Atlanta 3, Miami 0

Los Angeles Dodgers 2, Milwaukee 0

National League Championship Series

Atlanta 3, Los Angeles Dodgers 3

NLCS Pick

Atlanta will send out Ian Anderson to the mound Sunday. The Dodgers have not announced a starter, but Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register/Southern California Newspaper Group posited that it could be Brusdar Graterol as the opener with Julio Urias and Tony Gonsolin backing him up.

The 22-year-old Anderson has been sensational throughout the playoffs, striking out 22 batters over 15.2 shutout innings in three starts. He’s only allowed six hits as well.

Anderson’s issue is his control: He’s walked eight batters this postseason and hasn’t been economical, pitching six full inning just once in three playoff starts.

Against the Dodgers, Anderson struck out five in four shutout innings but let before the fifth after throwing 85 pitches, walking five.

It’s not easy to bet against Anderson, who had a 1.95 ERA during the regular season. But the guess here is that the Dodgers’ bats get to the Atlanta bullpen in the latter half of the game.

L.A.’s power has been on full display during this postseason, and it played a big factor in giving the Dodgers Game 6 after Corey Seager and Justin Turner each went yard in the first inning. Look for the Dodgers to win a close one, 5-3.

World Series Pick

A matchup between the Rays and Dodgers would feature Los Angeles President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman’s current team and his former one, as he used to be Tampa Bay’s general manager.

The Rays have been dominant every this season. Led by Randy Arozarena, the team’s power has propelled them to the World Series, with the outfielder hitting a team-leading seven playoff home runs.

The starting pitching trio of Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Charlie Morton has largely been excellent, and the bullpen, which features another trio of lights-out arms in Diego Castillo, Nick Anderson and Pete Fairbanks, has been great as well.

Tampa Bay should benefit from the adjusted World Series schedule. The first three rounds of the playoffs did not have any off-days, leading to managers being forced to make tough decisions without the benefit of extra days rest in between portions of the series.

But there will be an off day baked in after Game 2 and Game 5 (if necessary) for the Fall Classic, so Rays manager Kevin Cash would hypothetically need to give the ball to someone outside his starter trio just once during the series (in Game 4). He can also rely more heavily on his best bullpen arms as the Rays look to shut down the best offense in baseball.

That’s easier said than one as teams have found out the hard way. L.A. finished the year first in the league in home runs, runs and slugging percentage, and that’s with some star players (e.g. Cody Bellinger and Max Muncy) scuffling through slumps.

The problem is L.A.’s lineup is deep enough to survive them. For example, Corey Seager has been hot all year, tying for the team lead with a .307 batting average and dominating this postseason with a team-leading six home runs and 15 RBI.

He’s anchored an offense that has been hit or miss during the playoffs but one that has done enough to get the team by because of solid pitching led by Julio Urias (0.69 ERA) and Walker Buehler, who tossed six shutout innings and six strikeouts in a Game 6 win over Atlanta on Saturday.

This series would be close, but the guess is the NL’s best beats the AL’s best in seven. The biggest differential between these two teams is in the batting order: Tampa’s has been exceptional, but L.A. is in an offensive class of its own, and that will be the difference.