Baseball

MLB Predictions 2026: Four Teams Remain In Hunt For World Series Glory

9 minutes ago

| BY Sam Cox

World Baseball Classic 2026 Predictions, Odds and Betting Tips - Preview

Four teams remain in the MLB betting markets as the ALCS and NLCS get underway to decide which two meet in the Fall Classic later this month.

The Milwaukee Brewers are the narrow outright favourites after a tense Game 1 over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The AL East-winning Tampa Bay Rays are out at 3/1 to win the title, followed by their ALCS foes, the Cleveland Guardians, at 13/2.

ALCS

Two of the three smallest payrolls in the majors matchup in the ALCS. Tampa Bay capped a spectacular regular season with a sweep of the New York Yankees, while Cleveland edged out the Chicago White Sox to win the AL Central, and then came from 2-0 down to beat the same opponents in the ALDS.

Neither team can boast a rotation of All-Stars like the Dodgers, but both have serviceable starting options. Drew Rasmussen has been underrated for a couple of years, Freddy Peralta turned a corner in Florida, and Nick Martinez is reliable.

For Cleveland, Gavin Williams absolutely dominated in the ALDS. Parker Messick had a strong season, and they have Foster Griffin, Tanner Bibee, and Joey Cantillo to choose from for Games 3 and 4.

Both teams have excellent bullpens, despite middling numbers across the final two months of the regular season. Cade Smith is backed up by Hunter Gaddis, Erik Sabrowski, and others for the Guards. Tampa Bay has an All-Star closer in Bryan Baker, who is joined by Kevin Kelly, Ian Seymour, Cam Booser, and Griffin Jax.

Offensively, the Guards finished the season more productively, but there’s not a great deal to choose between the two lineups. Cleveland has more pop than in its previous playoff appearances, and the Rays have built a small-ball offense around their superstar slugger, Junior Caminero.

The Rays are rightly favoured. They are the better all-around team. Cleveland needs Williams to dominate in his two starts to stand a chance, and they need improved performances from Messick and Bibee.

This iteration of Tampa Bay is a masterclass in roster construction. They have a mix of speed, power, and contact in the lineup, and have a deep pitching staff. We’re backing the Rays to return to the World Series.

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NLCS

The Brewers won Game 1 on Sunday night to give themselves an early advantage over the threepeat-seeking Dodgers. Winning Jacob Misiorowski’s first start of the series wasn’t quite a necessity for Milwaukee, but it was close to it.

The NL Central champions have to take full advantage of Misiorowski’s appearances to upset the loaded Dodgers. Getting a win against Tarik Skubal sets the Brewers up to at least take this series deep, even with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Blake Snell to come for LA.

Los Angeles’ bullpen led the majors in xERA from Aug. 1 onwards. Edwin Díaz pitched three scoreless innings in the NLDS after struggling in the regular year. Tanner Scott, Edgardo Henriquez, Alex Vesia, Evan Phillips, and Brock Stewart are all trusted options for Dave Roberts. Kris Bubic and Roki Sasaki can pitch multiple innings if required, too.

Milwaukee can’t match the Dodgers’ rotation. Logan Henderson, Robert Gasser, and Dustin May will be on a short leash in their NLCS starts, and getting four innings for a couple of runs would be a great outcome. The Brewers will lean heavily on a deep, high-stuff bullpen, headlined by Abner Uribe and Trevor McGill. Lefties JoJo Romero, DL Hall, and Aaron Ashby have a big role to play against the Dodgers’ left-handed bats.

These Brewers are a formidable opponent for the Dodgers. Shohei Ohtani’s ice-cold bat is a growing concern for the defending champions, and this Los Angeles offense isn’t producing at the same level as it was in 2024 and 2025.

This series really is a toss-up after Milwaukee’s Game 1 win. We fancy this to go the distance, and anyone backing the Brewers should consider taking Misiorowski for MVP.