MLB Playoff Schedule 2014: Updated ALCS, NLCS Bracket, Day 13 Predictions

The Kansas City Royals have punched their ticket to the World Series; now we just need to know who will join them.

With a 2-1 win Wednesday, the Royals completed their sweep over the Baltimore Orioles and are now American League champions. After not being in the playoffs for 29 years, the squad has now won all eight of its games this postseason and is seemingly unstoppable heading into the final round.

Still, the National League representative will pose a legitimate threat no matter who it is. The San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals will continue to battle on Day 13 of the postseason, and it would not be surprising to see either team advance.

Here is a breakdown of everything you need to know heading into Thursday's action. 

Cardinals at Giants

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Where: AT&T Park, San Francisco, California

Date: Thursday, October 16

Time: 8:07 p.m. ET

Channel: Fox Sports 1

Live Stream: Postseason.TV ($4.99 fee)

Playoff Bracket courtesy of MLB.com

The best part about Game 5 is that it should see the return of each team's ace after both sides ran through four different pitchers in the first four games.

For the Cardinals, this means Adam Wainwright will be on the mound, which could either be a good or bad thing. The 33-year-old pitcher was arguably the best in baseball outside of Clayton Kershaw during the regular season, but he has not made it out of the fifth inning in either of his two postseason starts.

ESPN's Jayson Stark quoted a determined Wainwright set on turning his fortunes around:

If he stumbles even a little bit, it could be extremely damaging for the Cardinals' chances of winning this matchup. That is because their lineup will have to go up against Madison Bumgarner, who has been lights-out in the playoffs.

Although the left-hander was not quite as dominant as Wainwright during the regular season, he has turned it on over the past few weeks and has built up a 0.76 ERA in three postseason starts. Fox Sports 1 also noted he made history with his last start:

He will have the unfortunate task of pitching at home in Game 5, but he probably will not mind too much. 

Wainwright has the talent to outperform his opponent, although it would be difficult to bet against Bumgarner at this point.

Still, it will be more than the pitchers that decide this battle. Lucky for San Francisco, the hitting battle slants toward them as well.

After the lineup did a terrible job of hitting in clutch situations against the Washington Nationals, the Giants once again look like the team that led the majors with a .259 batting average with runners in scoring position and two outs.

Marc Carig of Newsday made this observation during Game 2:

It does not need to be pretty, but players like Pablo Sandoval, Hunter Pence and others are coming through when they need a big hit.

Add this to a bullpen that has been doing its job for the most part, and the Giants should be able to earn this win in front of the home fans.

Prediction: Giants 4, Cardinals 2

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for the latest breaking news and analysis.