2023 MLB playoffs: World Series odds, postseason preview - ESPN

Let the 2023 MLB playoffs begin!

Starting with this week's wild-card series (beginning Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET on ABC), it's sure to be another thrilling October of postseason baseball. We've got you covered with everything you need to know, from the first pitch of the playoffs to the final out of the World Series.

Will the favored Atlanta Braves roll through the National League, or will one of the Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers or Milwaukee Brewers be the NL's last team standing? Can the Baltimore Orioles turn a 100-plus-win season into a World Series berth, or will we see a deep run from the Texas Rangers or defending champion Houston Astros?

MLB experts Bradford Doolittle, Alden Gonzalez and David Schoenfield get you ready for it all with odds for every round, a predicted date of each team's last game and a name to watch for all 12 World Series hopefuls.

Note: World Series and matchup odds come from Doolittle's formula using power ratings as the basis for 10,000 simulations to determine the most likely outcomes.

Jump to a team:
TOR | TEX | TB | MIN | HOU | BAL
ARI | MIA | PHI | MIL | LAD | ATLp="">

Baltimore Orioles

No. 1 seed | 101-61 | AL East champs

ALDS opponent: Rangers or Rays (49.0% chance of reaching ALCS)

World Series odds: 11.5% | Caesars odds: +650

Predicted date of their last game: Oct. 23

The one thing that will decide their October fate: Now that All-Star closer Felix Bautista is officially done for the season and will undergo Tommy John surgery, the pressure ramps up on a Baltimore bullpen that was so dominant with the late-game duo of Yennier Cano and Bautista. Cano has been a little more hittable in the second half, especially in the final month. The Orioles are deep in left-handed relievers