MLB Playoff Schedule 2014: Updated ALCS, NLCS Bracket, Day 10 Predictions

With two games down in each League Championship Series thus far, the upcoming week will bring the swing games that will likely determine who plays in the 2014 World Series.  

In the American League, the Kansas City Royals have sustained their odds-defying late-game success to seize a 2-0 series lead over the Baltimore Orioles.  With the series shifting to Kauffman Stadium, the AL East champion O's face the very real possibility of seeing their breakthrough campaign crash to a sudden halt.

The NLCS has seen the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals battle to a draw over two games at Busch Stadium, hardly a surprise in a series between two of the preeminent franchises of the past decade.  Whereas the Royals have an opportunity to deliver an early knockout blow, Giants-Cardinals has the feeling of a series that could go the distance.     

Let's take a look at the updated bracket and TV schedule as well as predictions for Game 3 of the Royals-Orioles matchup.

Teams	Series	Time (ET)	Watch	Predicted Winner
Baltimore at Kansas City	KC, 2-0	8:07 p.m.	TBS	Royals Win

Updated playoff bracket available at MLB.com.

*Update: Game 3 of the ALCS has been postponed to Tue., Oct. 14 at 8:07 p.m. ET.

Day 10 Prediction

At this point, it is extremely difficult to bet against the roll the Royals are on.  Though Kansas City has been fortunate to emerge victorious from every late-game situation thus far this postseason, SI.com's Albert Chen also notes that the Royals have yet to trail, suggesting a more dominant run than many might perceive:

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The Royals are headed home after taking two on the road in the series. Can Kansas City be stopped? It's only the fourth club in major league history to start the postseason 6-0. (The others: the 2007 Rockies, 1976 Reds and 1970 Orioles). For all the close games the Royals have played, they’ve still yet to trail in a game this October.

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The Game 3 matchup between Jeremy Guthrie and Wei-Yin Chen is hardly a pitcher's duel, though both veterans have rebounded after rough starts to the regular season.  Neither has had any recent starts against the opposing lineup, though, and with both lineups scorching in the postseason, the scoreboard figures to see some crooked numbers.

If the Orioles are to rebound, they will need to slow down the top of Kansas City's lineup, which is full of speed and on-base ability.  The trio of Alcides Escobar, Nori Aoki and Lorenzo Cain have dominated this series, combining for a .417 batting average and eight runs scored.  Conversely, apart from Nelson Cruz, Baltimore's core hitters have largely disappointed.

Chen was fairly stable to end the regular season, reaching the sixth inning in each of his final five starts, but he was hit hard in Game 2 of the ALDS against Detroit, conceding five runs on seven hits over just 3.2 innings.  If Baltimore turns this into a battle of bullpens, it will be in trouble.

Ultimately, Kansas City's roll only figures to pick up more steam in front of its frenzied victory-starved home crowd.  Look for the Royals to move one step closer to their first World Series appearance since 1985.