{"id":868489,"date":"2026-10-02T17:32:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T17:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/868489\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T17:32:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T17:32:12","slug":"the-field-thins-the-plot-thickens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/868489\/","title":{"rendered":"The field thins, the plot thickens"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Subscribe to Scoreboard by clicking here<\/a>! Read the archive here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Happy Friday! The WNBA and MLB playoffs keep chewing through some of the biggest names in the field, with the star-laden Phillies getting bounced by Atlanta and Caitlin Clark and Indiana eliminated by A\u2019ja Wilson and Las Vegas last night. Tonight, there\u2019s no baseball, which clears space for Dallas and Golden State to play for the final spot in the WNBA\u2019s next round. Plus, college football has another loaded Saturday schedule, and Sunday brings a terrific NFL slate headlined by Rams-Eagles and Broncos-49ers. Here\u2019s what we\u2019re watching this weekend:<\/p>\n

The Main Events<\/p>\n

All listed times are Eastern. \ud83d\udea8= Elimination game<\/p>\n

Friday (10\/2)
\u26be MLB Playoffs: No games. (Off-day prior to Division Series)
\u26be\ud83c\udfc6 World Series title check-in: Dodgers 30% to win<\/a>
<\/a>\ud83c\udfc0 WNBA Playoffs: Wings (24%) at Valkyries (76%)<\/a> – 9 p.m. (ESPN2) – Game 3 \ud83d\udea8
\ud83c\udfc0\ud83c\udfc6 WNBA title check-in: Aces 38% to win<\/a>
<\/a>\ud83c\udfc8 CFB: Penn State (57%) at Northwestern (43%)<\/a> – 8 p.m. (FOX \/ Fubo)
\ud83c\udfc8\ud83c\udfc6 College Football Playoff check-in: Georgia 17% to win national title<\/a>
<\/a>\ud83c\udfd2 NHL: Rangers (45%) at Red Wings (55%)<\/a> – 6:30 p.m. (TNT \/ Max)
\ud83c\udfd2 NHL: Blues (37%) at Stars (63%)<\/a> – 8 p.m. (TNT \/ Max)
\ud83c\udfd2\ud83c\udfc6 Stanley Cup check-in: Avalanche 14% to win<\/a>
<\/a>\u26bd UEFA Nations League: Belgium (63%) vs. T\u00fcrkiye (17%)<\/a> – 2:45 p.m. (Fubo Sports \/ ViX)
\u26bd\ud83c\udfc6 Champions League title check-in: FC Barcelona 24% to win<\/a>
<\/a>\u26bd\ud83c\udfc6 Premier League title check-in: Arsenal FC 64% to win<\/a>
<\/a>\u26bd\ud83c\udfc6 MLS title check-in: Vancouver Whitecaps FC 23% to win MLS Cup<\/a>
<\/a>\u26bd\ud83c\udfc6 NWSL title check-in: Gotham FC 28% to win
<\/a>\u26f3 Golf: Bank of Utah Championship (Ivins, UT) – Round 2 (Golf Channel \/ Peacock) – Michael Brennan 9% to win<\/a><\/p>\n

Saturday (10\/3)
\u26be MLB Playoffs: White Sox (42%) at Guardians (58%)<\/a>, ALDS Game 1 – 1 p.m. (TBS \/ Max)
\u26be MLB Playoffs: Braves (35%) at Dodgers (65%)<\/a>, NLDS Game 1 – 4 p.m. (FOX \/ FOX One)
\u26be MLB Playoffs: Yankees (45%) at Rays (55%)<\/a>, ALDS Game 1 – 6:30 p.m. (TBS \/ Max)
\u26be MLB Playoffs: Padres (35%) at Brewers (65%)<\/a>, NLDS Game 1 – 8:30 p.m. (FS1 \/ FOX One)
\ud83c\udfc0 WNBA Playoffs: No games. (Off-day prior to Semifinals)
\ud83c\udfc8 CFB: #7 Alabama (67%) at #16 Mississippi State (33%)<\/a> – 12 p.m. (ABC \/ ESPN+)
\ud83c\udfc8 CFB: #5 Ohio State (85%) at #14 Iowa (15%)<\/a> – 3:30 p.m. (CBS \/ Paramount+)
\ud83c\udfc8 CFB: #8 Florida (67%) at #25 Missouri (33%)<\/a> – 3:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
\ud83c\udfd2 NHL: Kraken at Oilers – 7 p.m. (NHLN)
\ud83c\udfd2 NHL: Blues at Avalanche – 9 p.m. (ESPN+ \/ Altitude)
\u26bd UEFA Nations League: Croatia (23%) vs. England (54%)<\/a> – 2:45 p.m. (FS2 \/ ViX)
\u26bd UEFA Nations League: Spain (92%) vs. Czechia (3%)<\/a> – 2:45 p.m. (Fubo Sports \/ ViX)
\u26f3 Golf: Bank of Utah Championship (Ivins, UT) – Round 3
\ud83e\udd4a UFC 332: Natalia Silva (66%) vs. Wang Cong (34%)<\/a> – 8 p.m. (CBS \/ Paramount+)<\/p>\n

Sunday (10\/4)
\ud83c\udfc8 NFL: Rams (64%) at Eagles (36%)<\/a> – 1 p.m. (FOX)
\ud83c\udfc8 NFL: Chiefs (66%) at Raiders (34%)<\/a> – 4:25 p.m. (CBS \/ Paramount+)
\ud83c\udfc8 NFL: Broncos (42%) at 49ers (58%)<\/a> – 4:25 p.m. (CBS \/ Paramount+)
\ud83c\udfc8\ud83c\udfc6 Super Bowl check-in: Bills 16% to win NFL title<\/a>
<\/a>\u26be MLB Playoffs: Padres at Brewers, NLDS Game 2 – 4 p.m. (FS1 \/ FOX One)
\u26be MLB Playoffs: Braves at Dodgers, NLDS Game 2 – 8 p.m. (FS1 \/ FOX One)
\ud83c\udfc0 WNBA Playoffs: No. 8 Liberty at No. 4 Dream, Semifinals Game 1 – 3 p.m. (ABC)
\ud83c\udfc0 WNBA Playoffs: No. 3 Aces vs. TBD, Semifinals Game 1 – 5 p.m. (ESPN2)
\ud83c\udfd2 NHL: Jets at Red Wings – 1 p.m. (NHLN)
\ud83c\udfd2 NHL: Mammoth at Rangers – 6 p.m. (MSG \/ SEG+)
\u26bd UEFA Nations League: Portugal (61%) vs. Norway (21%)<\/a> – 2:45 p.m. (FS2 \/ ViX)
\u26bd UEFA Nations League: Greece (25%) vs. Germany (52%)<\/a> – 2:45 p.m. (Fubo Sports \/ ViX)
\u26f3 Golf: Bank of Utah Championship (Ivins, UT) – Final Round
\ud83c\udfc1 NASCAR Cup Series: South Point 400 at Las Vegas – 5:30 p.m. (USA Network) – Kyle Larson 20% to win<\/a>
<\/a>\ud83c\udfc1\ud83c\udfc6 NASCAR Cup title check-in: Kyle Larson 40% to win
<\/a>\ud83c\udfc1 F1: Gulf Air Bahrain GP in Malaysia – 3 a.m. (Apple TV) – Kimi Antonelli 30% to win
<\/a>\ud83c\udfc1\ud83c\udfc6 F1 title check-in: Kimi Antonelli 92% to win<\/a> (Driver\u2019s) \/ Mercedes 96% to win<\/a> (Constructor\u2019s)<\/p>\n

On to the next one<\/p>\n

Now that Atlanta has moved past Philadelphia, the MLB playoffs will now move on to what used to be the entirety of the playoffs \u2014 yes, I\u2019m old enough to remember the pre-Wild Card round postseason \u2014 with the Division Series getting underway in another quadruple-header on Saturday.<\/p>\n

What do we expect there? Here are the current odds to advance through:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Unsurprisingly, the formidable LA Dodgers are the heaviest favorite of Round 2, with a 64% chance to beat the Braves \u2014 though that is the renewal of a very good 2010s and early-2020s rivalry, with the two teams meeting four times (with LA winning three) between 2013 and 2021. We\u2019ll learn a lot about the Dodgers by seeing their evolving playoff-form in action finally.<\/p>\n

Nearly as strong a favorite are the Brewers, who have a 60-40 edge over the Padres in the other NLDS matchup. San Diego could be sneaky dangerous, though, after absolutely dismantling<\/a> a Cubs offense that we thought looked unstoppable<\/a> earlier in the season. How well the Padres\u2019 rotation (which ranked just 27th in WAR during the regular season) holds up against Milwaukee is the key.<\/p>\n

The other matchups are a lot closer: Cleveland is just a 56-44 favorite over the AL Central rival White Sox, and that might be too lopsided \u2014 yes, the Guardians have home-field, but they won that division by just a single game and the Sox actually have the slightly higher Elo rating now<\/a>. And the most electric series of the bunch should be the Yankees versus Rays, where New York is a slim 53-47 favorite after completely dominating<\/a> their Wild Card opponent Red Sox. Tampa Bay won the season series 7-6<\/a> and outgunned NY for the division, but the market likes the Yanks\u2019 superior pitching and the possibility that Aaron Judge returns (or that the Yankees won\u2019t even need him, based on how well they hit off of Boston).<\/p>\n

These should be some great matchups, and better yet, we\u2019ll get more baseball per series now \u2014 the LDS is best-of-five, so thankfully none of this blink-and-you\u2019ll-miss-it<\/a> three-game stuff anymore.<\/p>\n

Bye bye!<\/p>\n

With the Wild Card round finally complete, MLB\u2019s top seeds \u2014 again, Milwaukee and Los Angeles in the NL, Tampa Bay and Cleveland in the AL \u2014 will join the party after byes in Round 1. And believe it or not, there has actually been serious debate<\/a> over whether not having to beat an extra opponent is a good or bad thing. Probabilitistically, of course, it\u2019s obviously a good thing \u2014 each additional coin-flip means lower compounded odds of passing all trials successfully. (i.e., winning the title.) But from a baseball perspective, there\u2019s been the question of whether rust gets a team out of its groove<\/a>. Proponents of this theory could even point to struggles for bye teams during the Wild Card as evidence\u2026 well, for a while. After those early struggles, bye teams have struck back in recent years, bringing their overall record basically exactly in line with what we\u2019d expect from the Elo ratings<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What else we\u2019re reading
Smart, short reads we liked while building today\u2019s odds.<\/p>\n

\u26be \u201cThe 2026 Alternative MLB Awards\u201d<\/a> by ritmica
\ud83c\udfc1 \u201cShock car star: Brad Keselowski is all about the unexpected\u201d<\/a> by Nate Ryan
\ud83c\udfc0 \u201cOde G\u201d<\/a> by Tom Piccolo
\u26be \u201cAll of the things no one tells you about the MLB Postseason\u201d<\/a> by Trevor May
\u26be \u201cMLB\u2019s 40-HR Club Grew in 2026, But Nobody Reached 50\u201d<\/a> by Matt Musico<\/p>\n

Next on deck\u2026<\/p>\n

Monday (10\/5)
\ud83c\udfc8 Monday Night Football: Falcons at Saints
\u26be MLB Playoffs: White Sox at Guardians, ALDS Game 2
\u26be MLB Playoffs: Yankees at Rays, ALDS Game 2
\ud83c\udfc0 WNBA Playoffs: No games. (Off-day)
\ud83c\udfd2 NHL: Flyers at Lightning
\u26bd UEFA Nations League: France vs. Belgium<\/p>\n

Tuesday (10\/6)
\u26be MLB Playoffs: Dodgers at Braves, NLDS Game 3
\u26be MLB Playoffs: Brewers at Padres, NLDS Game 3
\ud83c\udfc0 WNBA Playoffs: No games. (Off-day)
\ud83c\udfd2 NHL: Islanders at Rangers
\u26bd International Friendly: USMNT vs. Canada<\/p>\n

Wednesday (10\/7)
\u26be MLB Playoffs: Guardians at White Sox, ALDS Game 3
\u26be MLB Playoffs: Rays at Yankees, ALDS Game 3
\u26be MLB Playoffs: Dodgers at Braves, NLDS Game 4 (if necessary)
\u26be MLB Playoffs: Brewers at Padres, NLDS Game 4 (if necessary)
\ud83c\udfc0 WNBA Playoffs: Liberty at Dream, Semifinals Game 2
\ud83c\udfc0 WNBA Playoffs: Aces vs. TBD, Semifinals Game 2
\ud83c\udfd2 NHL: Penguins at Capitals
\u26bd MLS: Fire at Whitecaps<\/p>\n

\ud83e\udde0 Looking ahead<\/p>\n

Stay tuned for more updates and in-depth analysis of these events and more as they unfold. We\u2019ll be bringing you all the scores, highlights, and expert commentary.<\/p>\n

Got a favorite team or sport you want us to cover more? Let us know!<\/p>\n

All data current as of time of send.<\/p>\n

\u2014 by Neil Paine<\/p>\n

*Event contracts are offered through Robinhood Derivatives, LLC \u2014 probabilities referenced or sourced from KalshiEx LLC or ForecastEx LLC.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Subscribe to Scoreboard by clicking here! Read the archive here. Happy Friday! The WNBA and MLB playoffs keep…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":868490,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[99,434],"class_list":["post-868489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/868489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=868489"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/868489\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/868490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=868489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=868489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=868489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}