MLB Playoffs 2014: Day 9 Schedule, Updated ALCS and NLCS Predictions

Oh, it's heating up now, isn't it? 

The Kansas City Royals stole two on the road. The San Francisco Giants stole Game 1 in St. Louis and will look to head back to California up 2-0 themselves. For much of this postseason, up has been down and left has been right, and oh boy, has it been fun to watch.

Below, we'll take a look at the Sunday schedule and make some updated predictions for the pennant series.

Sunday Schedule

Teams	Series	Time (ET)	Watch
San Francisco at St. Louis	SF, 1-0	8:07 p.m.	Fox Sports 1

Pennant Predictions

Mitchell Layton/Getty Images

I learned something a long time ago in the baseball postseason—always bet on the team that has the "magic." 

What is the magic, you ask?

It's that unexplainable force that surrounds the team that's going to win. It's the feeling that a certain team will always come up with the one big moment in a game needed to steal a victory. It's the sense that no matter the deficit or the circumstances that preceded the deficit, the team will find a way. It's a team's ability to do all of the little things well. The baseball gods always smile upon the teams that do the little things well. 

And folks, the Kansas City Royals have the magic.

Rob Carr/Getty Images

They come up with huge fielding plays. They've had timely hitting. They shut teams out down the stretch while saving their best at the plate for the dying moments of a game. They generate runs on the basepaths. They always seem to find a way to win, and they are red hot right now, having gone a perfect 6-0 in the postseason thus far. 

I've seen the magic up close and personal, folks, when the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series. That team thrived in the later innings and always seemed to steal games late. The Phillies erased a deficit in their division to storm into the playoffs down the stretch. Brad Lidge was perfect in saves that year. Chase Utley got hot in October. They had the magic.

These Royals have it too. Here's an example of the magic, per Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report:

Or how about this, via SportsCenter on Twitter:

And then there's this, via Jon Morosi of Fox Sports:

Sometimes, the magic comes from simply having a winning attitude. And Lorenzo Cain and Co. certainly seem to have just that, as shared by MLB on Twitter:

The Royals might not sweep the Baltimore Orioles. But make no mistake about it, they're heading to the World Series. You don't mess with the magic.

Meanwhile, in the battle of the two teams that have dominated the National League in recent memory, it's hard to argue that one side has more magic than the other (there's a sabermetrician out there somewhere ready to strangle me for all of this magic nonsense).

In a series that appears likely to go the full seven games, here's what seems as though it will be the difference—Madison Bumgarner is 2-1 this postseason with a 0.76 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 23.2 innings. Adam Wainwright is 0-1 with an 8.00 ERA and seven strikeouts in nine innings. In the battle of the aces, the Giants hold the edge.

In a series that appears to be so even between these teams, that might just be enough.