MLB Playoffs 2014: Championship Series Schedule, AL and NL Predictions

After a few days to rest following one of the most tense weeks of baseball in recent memory, Major League Baseball's postseason returns on Friday. A full weekend slate of Championship Series games will bring back the drama in grand fashion. 

The surprising American League Championship Series kicks off the weekend on Friday. The Kansas City Royals, coming off their first playoff series win since 1985, are traveling to Camden Yards for a showdown with the Baltimore Orioles. Buck Showalter's team is making its first appearance in the ALCS since 1997. 

If you like new blood in the postseason, the National League Championship Series is boring compared to its American League counterpart. The San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals have combined to win the last four NL pennants and three World Series titles, and this is the second time in three years they are meeting for the right to play in the World Series. 

Here's a look at the schedule for both series, as well as our picks for which two teams will be playing in the Fall Classic. 

ALCS	Date	Time (ET)	Network
Game 1: Kansas City Royals (James Shields) at Baltimore Orioles (TBD)	October 10	8 p.m.	TBS
Game 2: Kansas City Royals (TBD) at Baltimore Orioles (TBD)	October 11	4 p.m.	TBS
Game 3: Baltimore Orioles (TBD) at Kansas City Royals (TBD)	October 13	8 p.m.	TBS
Game 4: Baltimore Orioles (TBD) at Kansas City Royals (TBD)	October 14	8 p.m.	TBS
*Game 5: Baltimore Orioles (TBD) at Kansas City Royals (TBD)	October 15	4 p.m.	TBS
*Game 6: Kansas City Royals (TBD) at Baltimore Orioles (TBD)	October 17	8 p.m.	TBS
*Game 7: Kansas City Royals (TBD) at Baltimore Orioles (TBD)	October 18	8 p.m.	TBS
NLCS	Date	Time (ET)
Game 1: San Francisco Giants (Madison Bumgarner) at St. Louis Cardinals (Adam Wainwright)	October 11	8 p.m.	Fox
Game 2: San Francisco Giants (TBD) at St. Louis Cardinals (TBD)	October 12	8 p.m.	Fox Sports 1
Game 3: St. Louis Cardinals (TBD) at San Francisco Giants (TBD)	October 14	4 p.m.	Fox Sports 1
Game 4: St. Louis Cardinals (TBD) at San Francisco Giants (TBD)	October 15	8 p.m.	Fox Sports 1
*Game 5: St. Louis Cardinals (TBD) at San Francisco Giants (TBD)	October 16	8 p.m.	Fox Sports 1
*Game 6: San Francisco Giants (TBD) at St. Louis Cardinals (TBD)	October 18	4 p.m.	Fox
*Game 7: San Francisco Giants (TBD) at St. Louis Cardinals (TBD)	October 19	7:30 p.m.	Fox Sports 1

*If necessary

Series Predictions

Kansas City vs. Baltimore

Mitchell Layton/Getty Images

Even if you picked Kansas City and Baltimore to meet in the ALCS when the postseason started, it feels surreal to look at these franchises in a battle for the right to play in the World Series. It's also a clash in offensive styles between the light-hitting, speedy Royals and powerful, lumbering Orioles. 

Neither team has dominant starting pitching but can shorten games because their bullpens are fantastic. We saw how important the relievers were in the Division Series. The Royals' two extra-inning games against Los Angeles, while the Orioles pen allowed two runs in 12 innings against Detroit. 

Steve Melewski of MASN noted that the Orioles might gain a mental edge from the Division Series sweep, given how Kansas City struggled against Detroit this season:

One thing that won't matter for the Orioles starters is their lack of strikeouts (sixth-lowest rate) and high walk total (sixth-highest), because the Royals don't do either one. Ned Yost's lineup is geared for contact and does a great job putting the ball in play. 

It's also worth nothing that during an appearance on Jonah Keri's podcast, Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com, via Ben Lindbergh of Grantland, said the Orioles have been emphasizing quickness to the plate. While that wouldn't come into play much against a station-to-station team like Detroit, it will matter against the Royals. 

Kansas City led the league in stolen bases during the regular season (153, 15 more than any other team) and has 12 steals in four playoff games.

The Orioles have two big advantages in the series. One of them can be neutralized with the right pitching, while the other can't be contained. The one thing Kansas City can contain is Baltimore's power. The Orioles were the only team to hit more than 200 homers in the regular season.

The Royals allowed the ninth-fewest homers this season, so they have the right formula on the mound to keep Nelson Cruz, Adam Jones, et al. in check. 

Where the Orioles are so good is in the dugout, thanks to manager Buck Showalter. As Lindbergh noted on Grantland in his ALCS preview, sometimes Showalter succeeds by simply avoiding obvious mistakes:

"

But good managing isn’t always about making brilliant moves; often, it’s about avoiding obvious errors. In a month when most managers have done something to draw scrutiny (some of it merited), Showalter has gone three games without making a questionable move. By continuing to go to the bullpen early, Showalter can maximize his roster’s strength.

"

No one manipulates matchups better than Showalter, as we saw in the final inning against Detroit when Nick Castellanos was intentionally walked to set up what would turn out to be a series-ending double play. 

Expect a lot of low-scoring games, but give the Orioles an edge because of their ability to hit home runs and Showalter's use of a deep bullpen. 

Orioles win in six games

San Francisco vs. St. Louis

The best part of having the Giants and Cardinals win their respective series in four games is that it lines everything up for Madison Bumgarner and Adam Wainwright to start Game 1. Wainwright has already been officially announced as the starter for St. Louis, while it seems like a formality that Bruce Bochy will name Bumgarner as his starter before Saturday's first pitch. 

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports made a fantastic point about the Cardinals—and to a lesser extent, the Giants—and their success in October:

"

Three late-inning breakthroughs. Two comeback victories over Dollars left-hander Clayton Kershaw. Left-handed hitters crushing left-handed pitching. The improbable turning inevitable, again and again.

The Cardinals lose Albert Pujols. Nothing changes. They lose Tony La Russa. Nothing changes. They lose Chris Carpenter. Nothing changes.

"

If you look on Twitter when the Cardinals win a playoff series, fans respond with anger and disgust because they are tired of seeing this team make deep runs in October. Chris Crawford of ESPN tweeted what these fans were really saying:

Only a select few teams draft, develop and trade well, and even fewer are in the Cardinals' class. Even the Giants may not be in that group, though they are in the team picture. 

There's no way to predict what will happen with the Cardinals. They hit the second-fewest homers in the regular season (105), then proceeded to hit seven in four games against the Dodgers. You want to say Bumgarner can shut down the lineup? They just beat up Clayton Kershaw twice in a span of five days. 

I give the Cardinals an edge in the series because of how strong their offense looks right now. The Giants' pitching did shut down Washington, but they were struggling to score runs with nine runs in four games. Bruce Bochy had four players in his starting lineup in Game 4 against the Nationals with averages of .211 or worse. 

In a short series, all the numbers are going to be skewed, but it would be nice if the Giants had some kind of consistency on offense going into a matchup where they will see pitchers like Wainwright, Lance Lynn, John Lackey and Shelby Miller. 

Cardinals win in six games

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