MLB Playoffs 2014: Updated Outlook for NLCS and ALCS

When it was declared the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants—two highly experienced playoff teams—would meet in the National League Championship Series, we immediately knew to expect the unexpected. The same could be said about the surprising Kansas City Royals taking on the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Championship Series.

Well, after a Giants shutout victory in Game 1 of the NLCS and two consecutive road wins for the Royals in the ALCS, the outlook for each championship series has taken a significant turn.

Established momentum can go a long way with a trip to the World Series on the line. That brings us to this burning question: Have the Giants and Royals truly gained the upper hand for the remainder of their respective series?

Let's take a glance at the updated outlook for the NLCS and ALCS following Saturday's action.

NLCS Outlook

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Madison Bumgarner produced yet another fantastic showing on the road in Game 1, giving up just four hits over 7.2 innings en route to a Giants shutout of the Cardinals. Just how good has the southpaw been in the postseason? Richard Justice of MLB.com tweeted the pitcher's new record:

After the game, Bumgarner commented on his outing during a press conference, via Chris Haft of MLB.com, "I found out about the record after the game. You know, that's pretty cool, obviously, to have any kind of record. But there are stats for everything nowadays."

Pablo Sandoval was just as clutch at the plate as Bumgarner was on the mound. His second-inning double began a hitting streak that notched two runs, and a single in the third helped produce the team's third score of the day. He finished the game going 3-for-4 with a walk in five plate appearances.

As hot as the Giants were, the Cardinals were the complete opposite.

Ace Adam Wainwright hasn't notched a win in five consecutive postseason starts after going just 4.2 innings, allowing six hits and three runs on Saturday. St. Louis couldn't get anything going at the plate, as Jon Jay totaled two of the team's four hits on the day.

Baseball Tonight offered a legitimate question:

"

Adam Wainwright's struggles are a concern. Can @Cardinals overcome them in #NLCS? http://t.co/3OIqUhBSiJ #SFvsSTL pic.twitter.com/gPDGGE7ena

— Baseball Tonight (@BBTN) October 12, 2014"

On a positive note, the Cardinals bullpen looked just as efficient as the Giants relievers; however, allowing an early road win gives San Francisco all the momentum going forward and certainly puts the Cardinals in a big hole.

If Lance Lynn can't get the best of Jake Peavy on Sunday evening, and the Cardinals head to San Francisco down 2-0, chances of a World Series berth become very slim. The Giants have the upper hand right now and continue to fire on all cylinders.

ALCS Outlook

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Can anyone stop the surging Royals? This year's Cinderella story has officially proved to be a legitimate contender in the postseason, holding a perfect 6-0 record to this point.

Kansas City showed a great deal of power in Game 1 against Baltimore, tallying three home runs—two coming in the clutch in the 10th inning—en route to an 8-6 victory. That's not too shabby for a team ranked dead last in the league in that category during the regular season.

The team's bats were back in action on Saturday, and no one had a bigger game than Lorenzo Cain. He did it all in Game 2 against Baltimore, going 4-for-5 at the plate with one RBI and scoring two runs. Not to mention, he had quite a day on defense as well. Take a look at his diving catch, courtesy of Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports:

This has been the story for the Royals throughout the postseason so far. Not only have they proved to be one of the most well-rounded teams, but it seems as though at least one player steps up in a big way in every contest.

Royals manager Ted Yost is excited for his team's accomplishments on the road and is looking forward to the return back to Kansas City, via Dick Kaegel of MLB.com:

"

I know you get tired of hearing it, but I just stay focused on today. And again, when you start this series playing against a ballclub of this caliber, I think when you go into a series like this, if you could go home 1-1, you're going to be really, really happy. If you can go home 2-0, that's as good as it gets. Going home 2-0 with our crowd for the next three days is going to be exciting.

"

The Royals have stepped up in the clutch twice now, and that has resulted in two big road wins. This team carries an abundance of confidence and momentum heading back to its home turf. It will be extremely surprising if this series returns to Baltimore.