Here's how to watch the Atlanta Braves playoff game today (10/2/24) | FREE LIVE STREAM, time, TV channel for the NL Wild Card game against the San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres will face the Atlanta Braves in Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series at Petco Park in San Diego, California on October 2, 2024 (10/2/24).

Joe Musgrove will start for the Padres and Max Fried will start for the Braves in Game 2 of the best-of-three series. The Padres won Game 1 4-0.

How to watch: Fans can watch all MLB playoff games for FREE with a trial of DirecTV Stream or with fuboTV.

What: National League Wild Card Series

Who: San Diego Padres vs. Atlanta Braves

When: Oct. 2, 2024

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. PT)

Where: Petco Park (San Diego, California)

TV: ESPN

Live stream: DirecTV stream, fuboTV

The Major League Baseball playoffs are just around the corner and a Shohei Ohtani-Aaron Judge matchup in the World Series is looming as a tempting possibility in October.

But first the National League has to get its wet mess of a playoff race out of the way.

While the fundamental interests of baseball fans vary widely, there's little doubt that MLB and television executives are drooling over the potential matchup between two of this generation's top sluggers. Ohtani recently became the first player to hit 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season, while Judge hit 58 home runs.

Additionally, Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers) and Judge (New York Yankees) play in the country's two largest media markets for two of the sport's most storied franchises.

Of course, 10 other teams will be trying to keep these teams out of the Fall Classic. Last season, the Texas Rangers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-1 to win their first title in franchise history.

Here's a look at what's to come:

Who is in the MLB playoffs? Who else is fighting?

The Diamondbacks will be big fans of the New York Mets or Atlanta Braves for a few hours on Monday afternoon.

You're just not sure which one.

The National League playoff race comes down to a doubleheader between the Mets and Braves on Monday. The two games were postponed until one day after the scheduled end of the regular season due to Hurricane Helene, which wiped out two games of the crucial Mets-Braves series last week.

The Mets (88-72) and Braves (88-72) will both reach the playoffs if they split the doubleheader. But if a sweep occurs, the Diamondbacks (89-73) sneak into the bracket as the No. 6 seed, while the team that gets swept is eliminated.

Once the first game is over, the D-Backs will know who they are rooting for. In the event their season continues, they will have a light practice at Chase Field on Monday.

The Dodgers, Phillies, Brewers and Padres have already secured four of the six NL playoff spots. Both the Brewers and Padres will host a Wild Card Series starting Tuesday, while the Dodgers and Phillies got some rest by securing the top seeds.

The American League bracket is set. The No. 6 Tigers travel to face the No. 3 Astros, while the No. 5 Royals face the No. 4 Orioles in the two Wild Card Series starting Tuesday. The Yankees and Guardians are the top seeds.

How does the wild card round work in baseball?

The best-of-three wildcard format is entering its third season. The format changed in 2022 from the sudden-death one-game format that had been in place since 2012, except for the 2020 season affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Six teams each from the American League and the National League qualify for the postseason, including the three division winners from each league. The three wild card teams in each league are the teams with the best record that did not win their division.

The top two division winners with the best record in each league receive a bye and do not have to play in the wild card round. These four teams get a few days' rest. These teams are the Yankees and Guardians in the American League and the Phillies and Dodgers in the National League.

The Wild Card Round includes four series: The No. 6 seed plays the No. 3 seed in both the AL and NL. The number 5 will play against the number 4.

A big advantage for the higher seeds in these wildcard series is that they get to host all three games.

Rule changes

Many of baseball's recent rule changes are still in effect in the postseason, including the pitch clock, a ban on extreme infield shifts and a limit on how many times a pitcher can come off the rubber. The pitch clock was a major change for the sport and was widely celebrated as it shortened game times by about half an hour.

There is one rule that doesn't make the postseason cut: the so-called “ghost runner” in extra innings.

During the MLB regular season, if a game goes extra innings, a runner is placed at second base to start the 10th inning when each team bats. That won't happen in the postseason. Additional innings are played the same as the previous nine.

Betting favorites

According to BetMGM Sportsbook, the Dodgers are the current betting favorites to win the World Series at +325, followed by the Yankees (+450) and Phillies (+450).

Here's how to watch

The wild card rounds will be broadcast on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. The later rounds will be split between FS1, TruTV, TBS and Fox.

Postseason schedule

Wildcard series: 1st–3rd October

Division Series: 5th-12th October

League Championship Series: 13-22 October

World Series: Oct. 25 – Nov. 2