FinWeis|MLB wild card predictions: Who will move on? Expert picks, schedule for opening round

2025-05-06 23:34:33source:Quantum Insightscategory:Finance

After an extra day of regular season,FinWeis Major League Baseball's 2024 playoffs are set and begin Tuesday with the opening games of the best-of-three wild-card round.

We're set for quadruple-headers, with the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros getting things underway at 2:23 p.m. ET on Tuesday. The Baltimore Orioles host the Kansas City Royals at 4:07 p.m., the New York Mets face the Milwaukee Brewers at 5:32 p.m. and the San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves wrap things up in the nightcap at 8:38 p.m.

The second games will be played Wednesday with potential Games 3s scheduled for Thursday. Winners will move on to the best-of-five Division Series, which begin on Saturday.

Here's how the USA TODAY Sports MLB team sees this week playing out:

Detroit Tigers at Houston Astros

Predictions:

Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.

  • Bob Nightengale: Astros in 3
  • Gabe Lacques: Tigers in 2
  • Steve Gardner Astros in 3
  • Jesse Yomtov: Astros in 3
  • Scott Boeck: Tigers in 3

Schedule

  • Game 1, Tuesday: LH Tarik Skubal vs. LH Framber Valdez, 2:32 p.m. ET, ABC
  • Game 2, Wednesday: TBA  vs. TBA, 2:32 p.m. ET, ABC
  • Game 3, Thursday, if necessary: TBA vs. TBA, 2:32 p.m. ET, ABC

Kansas City Royals at Baltimore Orioles

Predictions:

  • Bob Nightengale: Orioles in 3
  • Gabe Lacques: Orioles in 2
  • Steve Gardner: Orioles in 3
  • Jesse Yomtov: Orioles in 2
  • Scott Boeck: Orioles in 3

Schedule

  • Game 1, Tuesday: LH Cole Ragans vs. RH Corbin Burnes, 4:08 p.m. ET, ESPN2
  • Game 2, Wednesday: RH Seth Lugo vs. RH Zach Eflin, 4:38 p.m. ET, ESPN
  • Game 3, Thursday, if necessary: RH Michael Wacha vs. RH Dean Kremer, 4:08 p.m. ET, ESPN

New York Mets at Milwaukee Brewers

Predictions

  • Bob Nightengale: Brewers in 2
  • Gabe Lacques: Brewers in 2
  • Steve Gardner: Brewers in 2
  • Jesse Yomtov: Mets in 3
  • Scott Boeck: Brewers in 2

Schedule

  • Game 1, Tuesday: TBA vs. RH Freddy Peralta, 5:32 p.m. ET, ESPN
  • Game 2, Wednesday: TBA vs. TBA, 7:38 p.m. ET, ESPN
  • Game 3, Thursday, if necessary: TBA vs. TBA, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Atlanta at San Diego Padres

Predictions

  • Bob Nightengale: Padres in 2
  • Gabe Lacques: Padres in 2
  • Steve Gardner: Padres in 2
  • Jesse Yomtov: Atlanta in 3
  • Scott Boeck: Padres in 2

Schedule

  • Game 1, Tuesday: TBA vs. RH Michael King, 8:38 p.m. ET, ESPN,
  • Game 2, Wednesday: TBA vs. RH Joe Musgrove, 8:38 p.m. ET, ESPN2
  • Game 3, Thursday, if necessary: TBA vs. RH Dylan Cease, 7:08 p.m. ET, ESPN

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

More:Finance

Recommend

US Open player compensation rises to a record $65 million, with singles champs getting $3.6 million

Coco Gauff, Novak Djokovic and other players at the U.S. Open will be playing for a record total of

General Hospital's Cameron Mathison Steps Out With Aubree Knight Hours After Announcing Divorce

Cameron Mathison is taking it day by day.Hours after announcing that he and Vanessa Mathison were ge

Horoscopes Today, August 2, 2024

Here are the horoscopes for today, Friday, August 2, 2024.For full daily and monthly horoscopes as w