ALDS Schedule 2014: TV Listings and Predictions for Both Series

There will be no shortage of anticipation for the 2014 MLB playoffs' American League Division Series following Tuesday's wild-card, extra-innings epic. The Kansas City Royals will face the Los Angeles Angels following a rousing 9-8 victory over the Oakland Athletics.

L.A. will be favored, yet its status also brings a certain amount of pressure, so the Angels have to bear the brunt of expectations.

In the other ALDS tangle, the loaded Detroit Tigers pitching staff seeks to drive the club past the AL East champion Baltimore Orioles. That task figures to to be tougher without home-field advantage.

Below is a look at the TV listings, along with projected series scores for each five-game set.

Thursday, October 2 (Game 1)	Time (ET)	TV
Friday, October 3 (Game 2)	Time (ET)	TV
Sunday, October 5 (Game 3)	Time (ET)	TV
Monday, October 6 (Game 4, if necessary)	Time (ET)	TV
Wednesday, October 8 (Game 5, if necessary)	Time (ET)	TV
Baltimore Orioles vs. Detroit Tigers	TBD	TBS
Los Angeles Angels vs. Kansas City Royals	TBD	TBS
Baltimore Orioles vs. Detroit Tigers	TBD	TBS
Los Angeles Angels vs. Kansas City Royals	TBD	TBS
Detroit Tigers vs. Baltimore Orioles	3:30 p.m.	TBS
Kansas City Royals vs. Los Angeles Angels	7:30 p.m.	TBS
Detroit Tigers vs. Baltimore Orioles	TBD	TBS
Kansas City Royals vs. Los Angeles Angels	TBD	TBS
Baltimore Orioles vs. Detroit Tigers	TBD	TBS
Los Angeles Angels vs. Kansas City Royals	TBD	TBS

Los Angeles Angels vs. Kansas City Royals

Ed Zurga/Getty Images

After unthinkably almost blowing the chance to get into the playoffs, the A's collapsed in the one-game wild-card format, falling in Kansas City and losing an earlier four-run lead.

The small-ball tactics Oakland has become almost synonymous with—a tip of the hat to the incredible film Moneyball—were what the Royals utilized to get the job done Tuesday at Kauffman Stadium. ESPN Stats & Info noted how K.C.'s basepath dynamos made a massive difference:

Whether that translates to beating the Angels more than twice in five games is another matter.

The energy expended to get a long-awaited playoff win in K.C.'s first postseason appearance in 29 years is likely to be too much to rally back for and beat Major League Baseball's best team.

Former Royal Brian McRae described the sentiment in Kansas City well before Tuesday's game, per USA Today's Bob Nightengale:

"

It's nice to see the city not embarrassed about the baseball team anymore. There are a lot of long-suffering fans here, so people went pretty crazy all over the city Friday when they clinched. Really, the place exploded. The younger generation was into it a lot more than I thought they would be, but they probably listened to their parents complain about the team for so long, they had pent-up frustration too.

"

This Royals club has overachieved, while L.A. has simply lived up to the hype in posting the best record in baseball at 98-64. With a lineup that features Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and even a banged-up Josh Hamilton, the Angels led all teams with 773 runs in the regular season.

Having already used James Shields to get past the A's—and seeing stud rookie Yordano Ventura get tagged by Brandon Moss for a three-run homer—Kansas City isn't in the best place pitching-wise at the moment.

That ought to surface in a five-game series, where L.A.'s superior bats will shine, and the Royals' fight won't be enough to manage more than one victory.

Prediction: Angels win 3-1

Baltimore Orioles vs. Detroit Tigers

Leon Halip/Getty Images

Last year's AL Cy Young Award recipient Max Scherzer will get the ball in Game 1 for Detroit, which is bad news for Baltimore.

There is some pop in the Orioles lineup, yet the suspension to Chris Davis will keep the All-Star out for the ALDS. It's a big blow that Baltimore may not be able to overcome in addition to the absence of young stud Manny Machado, barring some serious heroics from center fielder Adam Jones.

At least the Orioles have Nelson Cruz to lean on, per ESPN Stats & Info:

The Tigers' pitching numbers don't look good on paper, but that doesn't account for Justin Verlander's down year or the fact that David Price came over in a late-season trade. This team's rotation is stacked, and Verlander has all the talent in the world to turn things around in the playoffs.

Verlander has yielded just two earned runs in his past 15.1 innings, both winning starts. ESPN's John Buccigross notes how Verlander saved his best for last, too:

Plus, Detroit ranks near or at the top of major offensive categories, featuring stud hitter Miguel Cabrera and a designated hitter in Victor Martinez who has exploded for a career year with 32 homers and 103 RBI.

This nucleus the Tigers have has fallen just shy of delivering a title to Motown, making the ALCS the past three years and not getting over the hump. The effort it took to win the AL Central in Game No. 162 and get into the playoffs will have the club playing with a chip on its shoulder.

Second baseman Ian Kinsler weighed in after Detroit beat Minnesota 3-0 in the regular-season finale, per The Detroit News' Bob Wojnowski:

"

There aren't too many storybook seasons in this game. Baseball's a game of adversity and we faced a ton of it this year. A battle-tested team is always better for it. To be able to put up with those things and to overcome them definitely makes us tougher. Now the goal is just to prove it.

"

The move to get Price proved that Detroit would do all in its power to win now. This is the time to put that plan into action and make a statement by grinding out a four-game clash with Baltimore and closing it out in Comerica Park.

That will give the Tigers plenty of momentum entering the ALCS. Based on how close they have come recently, the upgrade of Price will loom large. Whether it's the tough bats of the Angels or the sheer grit the Royals bring to the table, expect Detroit to do enough to get to the Fall Classic.

Whatever happens there is anyone's guess. However, Detroit has the lineup and the pitching staff to win a championship. The question is if the Tigers have enough fortitude to get it done this time—if they have enough in the tank from the fight it took to get to this point.

Prediction: Tigers win 3-1