ALCS Schedule 2014: Royals vs. Orioles Game 2 TV Coverage and Predictions

After jumping out to a 1-0 series lead in the American League Championship Series over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday, the upstart Kansas City Royals will look to truly put the pressure on with another victory on Saturday.

Doing so won't be easy against an offensive dynamo like the O's, especially in a ballpark tailored to the home run ball. Baltimore's deep lineup nearly staged a comeback for the ages in Game 1, but Kansas City's nerves of steel prevailed once again in extra innings.

The Royals' intangibles have helped carry them to this point, and they look very much like a team of destiny. Baltimore won't go quietly, though, especially in front of its home fans.

Ahead of Saturday's pivotal Game 2 clash, here is a full rundown of what to expect from the Royals and Orioles as they continue to vie for a coveted spot in the World Series.

When: Saturday, Oct. 11 at 4:07 p.m. ET

Where: Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore

Watch: TBS

Live Stream: TBS.com

Game 2 Predictions

Yordano Ventura Will Outduel Bud Norris

Denis Poroy/Getty Images

Neither the Royals nor Orioles are known for having dominant starting rotations, but there is no question that excellent pitching has gotten them to this point. Both teams will send trusted arms to the mound on Saturday, as rookie Yordano Ventura will throw for Kansas City while Baltimore will go with veteran Bud Norris.

Utilizing a rookie pitcher in Game 2 of the ALCS may seem crazy to some, but Ventura is a big reason behind the Royals' success this season. After going 14-10 with a 3.20 ERA during the regular season, Ventura proved that the postseason limelight doesn't bother him when he went seven strong innings and allowed just one run against the Los Angeles Angels in the ALDS.

Manager Ned Yost clearly has great belief in his young righty, and that is likely only compounded by the fact that Ventura has owned the O's in two career starts against them, according to Dave Holtzman of Fox Sports Kansas City:

Baltimore will counter with a 29-year-old veteran in Norris, who is in the midst of his best career season. With a record of 15-8 and a 3.65 ERA, the former Houston Astro emerged as one of the Orioles' most reliable hurlers in 2014.

He also shined in his first career playoff start by allowing two hits and no runs in 6.1 innings against the Detroit Tigers' potent offense in the ALDS.

While Ventura and Norris look to be evenly matched on the surface, the advanced statistics tell a different story. As seen in this graphic, Norris has been the luckier pitcher, and he is more susceptible to giving up the home run ball as well, according to FanGraphs:

Yordano Ventura	Stats (2014 Regular Season)	Bud Norris
3.20	ERA	3.65
3.60	FIP	4.22
.288	BABIP	.279
47.6%	GB%	42.2%
0.69	HR/9	1.09
7.82	K/9	7.57

Despite having worse luck in terms of batting average on balls in play this season, Ventura had a significantly better ERA than Norris. Also, Norris' fielding independent pitching number of 4.22 reveals that his defense bailed him out quite often.

Perhaps most importantly, though, Norris is far more likely to give up some big flies than Ventura. Norris allows over one long ball per game, and he is also clearly a fly-ball pitcher, which typically isn't a good thing at Oriole Park.

All of the advanced statistics seem to tip the scale in Kansas City's favor, and Ventura will prove on Saturday that the numbers don't lie.

Alex Gordon's Hot Hitting Will Continue

The regular-season numbers suggest that the Orioles have a huge offensive advantage over the Royals, but that hasn't manifested itself thus far. That is partially due to the fact that players like Alex Gordon are stepping up and rising to the occasion for KC.

Gordon had a solid 2014 campaign, hitting .266 with 19 home runs and 74 RBI, but he is playing at an entirely different level in the playoffs. With a .316 batting average, one homer and eight RBI, the 30-year-old left fielder has managed to put the team on his back.

That was especially true in Game 1 of the ALCS, when Gordon hit a three-run double as well as a solo home run.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Gordon has been locked in with the bases loaded during the postseason:

He has also come through in clutch situations, as seen in this GIF of his go-ahead homer in the 10th inning on Friday, courtesy of MLB on Twitter:

That was just another instance of Gordon displaying his versatility, which Royals pitcher James Shields is seemingly in awe of, per John Perrotto of USA Today.

"

He's one of the best all-around players in the league. He can do it all. He plays Gold Glove defense, he can hit for power, he can steal a base. He does everything well. It's really been a treat to be able to play with him.

"

Although Gordon and Norris don't have a ton of history, the KC slugger is 3-for-6 in his career against Baltimore's Game 2 starter. With Norris giving up plenty of fly balls and Gordon coming off hitting his first home run of the postseason, it could be a recipe for disaster for the O's.

The Royals have been an offense-by-committee team all season long, but Gordon has the hot hand, and Kansas City would be happy to continue riding it. Gordon is absolutely locked in and has a great matchup, so it is tough to imagine him slowing down in Game 2.

Kansas City's Speed Will Be the Difference in Win

Kyle Rivas/Getty Images

With a league-low 95 home runs during the regular season, no team manufactured runs more creatively than the Royals. The Orioles, on the other hand, led Major League Baseball with 211 homers and rarely felt the need to play small ball.

Kansas City's No. 1 asset is its blazing speed. Alcides Escobar, Lorenzo Cain, Jarrod Dyson, Nori Aoki, Terrance Gore and even Gordon are all capable of swiping a bag at any time. That is why the Royals led baseball with 153 steals during the regular season. Also, for the sake of symmetry, the Orioles were dead last in that regard with a mere 44 thefts.

As is so often the case, that didn't hold true to form in Game 1. According to Baseball Writers' Association of America member Rob Neyer, the roles were reversed during Friday's game:

That is an anomaly rather than the new norm, though. Speed is one of the main attributes that helped the Royals get this far, and they are going to continue to utilize it when the opportunities present themselves.

Norris allowed 15 stolen bases during the regular season, which isn't a ton, but it proves that he can be run on. That is in stark contrast to Ventura, who was stolen on just one time. That means that the O's will probably think better of running in Game 2 after stealing a couple bags in Game 1.

All the momentum is with the Royals, so they would be wise to put as much pressure as possible on Norris and the Orioles. That has been Kansas City's modus operandi all season long, and there is no reason to believe that it will change in Game 2.

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