NL Playoff Preview
National League playoff bracket is set as Wild Card series begin Tuesday.
Anonymous
The 2026 National League playoff bracket is set: the top-seeded Brewers and second-seeded Dodgers have first-round byes, while the Padres host the Cubs and the Braves host the Phillies in best-of-three Wild Card series. The Dodgers will face the Braves-Phillies winner in the NLDS, with home-field advantage; Milwaukee would have home-field advantage if it meets Los Angeles in the NLCS. Chicago and San Diego meet in the Wild Card round for a second straight year, after the Cubs won last year’s series and went 5-1 against the Padres during the 2026 regular season. Despite San Diego’s home field and strong late-season form, the matchup features the Cubs’ potent offense and a bullpen that could be a vulnerability. The Dodgers are also favored to win the NL pennant.
Key Points
1
The Dodgers finished 100-62, while Milwaukee finished 103-59; Los Angeles clinched a first-round bye on Sept. 24 and secured the No. 2 seed later that day.
2
Chicago led MLB in runs (850), RBI (804), walks (674), slugging percentage (.428) and OPS (.767), and ranked second in on-base percentage (.339)—numbers that give detail to the Cubs’ potent offense.
3
Padres starter Michael King had eight consecutive quality starts and 18 for the season, and the article’s analysis says San Diego will need an ace-level performance from him in the short series.
4
The Padres’ roster decisions may be shaped by Chicago’s performance against left-handed pitching: the article says the Cubs hit left-handed starters better than right-handers, potentially limiting left-hander Robbie Ray to a Game 3 or bullpen role.
5
BetMGM listed the Dodgers at +130 to win the NL pennant, equivalent to a 43.48% implied probability; Los Angeles had opened the market at +200.
Sentiment
Mostly NegativeNEGATIVENEUTRALPOSITIVE
Publishers
18
Articles
76
Reach
94
Topics
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