World Series 2014: Bold Predictions for Royals' Fortunes in Final Round

The Kansas City Royals had not made the playoffs in 29 years prior to this season. Now, they cannot lose. The squad has won its first eight games of the postseason and is headed for the World Series.

While there is a great deal of talent throughout the roster, this is not what many envisioned for the Royals this season. Their season seemed over when they were down four runs to the Oakland Athletics in the American League Wild Card Game, so just getting to the playoffs was exciting. However, they turned it around and found a way to keep winning.

The question is whether the squad can continue this impressive run and bring home a championship. Here is a look at what fans can expect over the next couple of weeks with bold predictions for the World Series.

Yordano Ventura Will Have the Best Start of the Series

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

There was some concern when Yordano Ventura was taken out of Game 2 against the Orioles with tightness in his shoulder.

However, manager Ned Yost remained upbeat after the game, telling the media, "He's fine. He developed a little shoulder stiffness right there, started to get a little bit tight, and we got him out of the game. I don't anticipate him missing his next start. We'll see how it goes day to day, but I think it will be all fine. He was all smiles at the end of the day. I think he felt pretty good about it."

Ventura was ready to pitch Game 6 if necessary, and he will likely be called upon in Game 2 of the World Series. Of course, the team will have to look out for the reduced velocity that plagued Ventura in his last outing, as noted by Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs:

The good news is 95 miles per hour is still really fast, and he can be even better when he is hitting his normal speeds.

With all due respect to "Big Game" James Shields, Ventura is the team's most talented starter. He had the lowest ERA among qualified players on the team at 3.20 (Danny Duffy had a 2.53 ERA but did not have enough innings), and he has overwhelming stuff that baffles even the best hitters.

Including the playoffs, the rookie has had eight starts of at least seven innings with just one earned run or fewer allowed. That doesn't just give your team a chance to win; it basically ensures a win. The Royals responded with a victory in each of those eight games.

Look for him to have another shutdown performances in Game 2 of the World Series to give Kansas City a big boost.

The Back of the Bullpen Will Have One Bad Outing

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There are teams with good bullpens, but the Royals were off the charts in the American League Championship Series behind the trio of Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland. In only four games, this group pitched 14.2 innings and allowed just a single run and seven hits.

According to ESPN.com, these three pitchers faced exactly 100 batters and allowed only five hard-hit balls in the series.

Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer wanted the bullpen to share the MVP award:

As good as the bullpen has been, though, it will be difficult to keep it up throughout the playoffs. That will especially be the case if Yost keeps working them as hard as he has been.

Herrera and Davis each pitched over 70 innings during the regular season, and both struggled a bit when forced to go on back-to-back days. Herrera's ERA with no rest (2.16) was not quite as good his regular-season total (1.41), and Davis' ERA with no rest was even worse (2.45) compared to his overall mark on the year (1.00), according to Baseball Reference.

Meanwhile, these players are being asked to pitch more than one inning in many cases. There is a long offseason to rest after the World Series, but Yost might be asking too much of these talented players, and it likely will blow up in his face.

Eric Hosmer Carries the Offense

Lorenzo Cain was the big hitter for the Royals in the ALCS, taking home the MVP award after hitting an incredible .533. However, it is important not to overlook Eric Hosmer, who has hit .448 in the playoffs.

He can even be forgiven for being overly aggressive at times, as Jesse Spector of Sporting News explained:

Still, he is a good hitter who is red-hot at the moment and wants to hit everything he can.

The good news is he will have a chance to be even better in the World Series. With the exception of Madison Bumgarner, a lot of right-handed pitchers are projected to start in the upcoming set of games.

Although Hosmer was not terrible against lefties this year, he certainly fared better against righties, with a .732 OPS compared to .675 against southpaws. 

The first baseman has gotten a hit in seven of the team's eight games this postseason and showed his power stroke with two home runs against the Los Angeles Angels. Watch for this power to come back in the World Series as he shows the nation what he is capable of doing at the plate.

Royals Win in Six

Ed Zurga/Getty Images

Since everyone is thinking it at this point, Pat Doney of NBC 5 notes the last team to go undefeated in the playoffs:

Of course, that was before the Wild Card existed, so there were only two rounds. Technically, the Royals would have to go through four rounds of perfect play to end the run undefeated.

While that would be quite a treat, it is a little presumptuous to assume no losses throughout the playoffs. Some of the fortunate bounces to this point are going to run out, and a defeat is almost inevitable.

The good news is this does not mean Kansas City will keep losing. The squad has shown a great energy throughout the postseason, and everyone seems to find a way to rally when needed. Different players are stepping up at different times, and the team simply finds ways to win.

With the American League earning home-field advantage in the All-Star Game, the Royals will be able to play more games in front of their rowdy fans and should be able to find a way to win it all at home.

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