MLB Wild Card Round on NBC and Peacock: Sept. 29-30 Schedule and Matchups

All four MLB Wild Card Series play Games 1 and 2 on NBC and Peacock on Sept. 29-30, with the matchups, start times, DraftKings odds and analyst Vaughn Dalzell's series picks.

The 2026 Major League Baseball postseason opens Tuesday, Sept. 29, with every Wild Card Series playing Games 1 and 2 on NBC and Peacock over two days. The Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers earned the No. 1 seeds in their leagues, with the Cleveland Guardians and Los Angeles Dodgers at No. 2; all four move directly into matchups with Wild Card winners.

The television slate is identical on both days. A pregame show begins at 1:30 p.m. ET on Peacock, followed by Phillies-Braves at 2 p.m. on NBC and Peacock, White Sox-Astros at 5 p.m. on Peacock, Red Sox-Yankees at 8 p.m. on NBC and Peacock, and Cubs-Padres at 10 p.m. on Peacock. The same times apply to the Game 2s on Wednesday, Sept. 30.

In the American League, the No. 6 Chicago White Sox meet No. 3 Houston, with Cleveland awaiting the winner, while No. 5 Boston and No. 4 New York meet in the other series for the right to face Tampa Bay. In the National League, No. 6 Philadelphia plays No. 3 Atlanta for a matchup with the Dodgers, and No. 5 Chicago Cubs take on No. 4 San Diego with Milwaukee next in line.

DraftKings prices Boston at -160 to win its series, with New York at +130, in the seventh postseason meeting between the clubs and their third Wild Card encounter after 2021 and 2025. The Yankees won last year's series 2-1 behind Cam Schlittler's 12-strikeout Game 3, and the scheduled starters are Schlittler against Payton Tolle in the opener, Max Fried against Sonny Gray in Game 2 and Gerrit Cole against Ranger Suarez in Game 3. Dalzell predicts the Red Sox will reverse last year's result and win 2-1, pointing to New York playing without Aaron Judge and to quiet postseasons from Ben Rice (.222), Cody Bellinger (.214) and Jazz Chisholm (.182). His best bet in the series is Boston at +130.

Houston arrives at 81-81 behind Yordan Alvarez, whom Dalzell calls the presumptive MVP, and is favored at -135 over Chicago (+115). The Astros plan rookie right-hander AJ Blubaugh to open in a bullpen game, with the rest of their pitching unsettled a day before first pitch. As of Monday afternoon, 59 percent of the money and 61 percent of the handle at DraftKings was on the White Sox. Dalzell had forecast a Houston division title in a weak AL West followed by an early exit, and he picks Chicago in three games, with the White Sox at +115 as his best bet.

Atlanta is -125 against Philadelphia (+105), with Chris Sale and Jesus Luzardo lined up for Game 1. The pairing has drawn the highest betting handle of any series this postseason, with 78 percent of the money and 69 percent of the tickets on the Braves. The rivalry showed itself this season in the year's two slowest home-run trots, Ronald Acuna Jr. at more than 32 seconds and Bryce Harper at 34. Dalzell, who backed both clubs in the spring at +1600 and +2000 to win the World Series, takes the Phillies in three and makes Philadelphia at +105 his best bet.

San Diego (-120) and the Cubs (+100) renew their 2025 Wild Card meeting, which Chicago won 2-1. The Padres closed the regular season 17-3 over their final 20 games, a run Dalzell calls the hottest of any team entering the playoffs, and they hold home advantage, while the Cubs finished the year 2-4. Even with that gap in form, the market lists San Diego at only -120 to advance.