MLB Playoffs 2014: TV Info, Preview and Prediction for ALCS Game 1

The American League Championship Series features a matchup that not many expected at the onset of the 2014 MLB postseason—the Kansas City Royals against the Baltimore Orioles.

Sure, Baltimore could have been expected to advance to this point. After all, this is a 96-win team from the regular season. Well, the Orioles certainly lived up to expectations, sweeping the Detroit Tigers to advance to the ALCS.

On the other side of the coin, the Royals have a completely different story. An improbable comeback against the Oakland Athletics led to a Wild Card Game victory, and the team rode that momentum to an impressive sweep of the Los Angeles Angels—arguably the league's best team during the regular season.

So, who will emerge victorious in Game 1 of this impending David versus Goliath matchup? Before we answer that question, here's a look at the game's pertinent viewing information to ensure every moment of the upcoming action is captured.

ALCS Game 1 Viewing Info

Where: Oriole Park at Camden Yards

Date: Friday, October 10

Time: 8 p.m. ET

Channel: TBS

Live Stream: MLB Postseason TV ($9.99 fee)

Preview and Prediction

Travis Heying/Associated Press

The Orioles will be expecting another big performance from ace Chris Tillman in Game 1. The right-hander isn't a big name, nor is he flashy, but he gets the job done in a very efficient manner. Tillman is known for his ability to keep baserunners from stealing extra bases, which will be an enormous advantage against a Royals team known for speed on the bags.

Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com tweeted how good Tillman has been against baserunners over the last two years:

Outfielder Nick Markakis had plenty of praise for Tillman during a press conference, via Ian Browne of MLB.com:

"

He's a guy who goes out there with four quality pitches and he can throw any of them on any given count. When you can do that as a starter, you gain a lot of confidence in your defense. When we're out there with Tilly on the mound, we like our chances just as good as if we had anybody in baseball.

"

The Royals will send James Shields to the mound to combat Baltimore's solid lineup. Shields has a tendency to perform well under pressure, and he's notched two postseason victories this year as a result. He had a shaky outing against the Athletics, but he rebounded nicely against the Angels, allowing two runs over six innings.

Shields has performed well against Baltimore this season, earning two wins and going seven strong innings in both contests. He was asked about his numbers against the Orioles during an interview with MLB.com, and he had this response:

"

I don't know. I'm asked that a lot. People say you pitch bad against this team, you pitch good against this team. It's one of those things, I guess.

I'm not going to go too deep into it. I feel like I can pitch good against any team on any given day.

"

This contest could prove to be rather lucrative for Shields' next contact, as the rumor mill has already begun to swirl, via Sports Illustrated:

Kansas City and Baltimore have been the top two hitting teams in the postseason to this point, but the Orioles boast a better overall batting average of .263. If the Royals aren't able to manufacture runs against Tillman, it will be extremely difficult to notch a win on the road.

This contest shouldn't be expected to be a pitching duel, but runs will be scarce. It all comes down to which lineup is able to take advantage of limited opportunities. It's easy to trust the Orioles bats in this one.

Prediction: Orioles 4, Royals 2