World Series 2014: Giants vs. Royals Predictions and Game 1 Preview

October baseball is one of the most exciting aspects of sports, and the start of the 2014 World Series has hardcore and casual fans alike tuning in to see the San Francisco Giants battle the Kansas City Royals.

While this year’s championship series doesn’t feature a mainstream franchise like the New York Yankees, both San Francisco and Kansas City play baseball the right way and have earned their place in the World Series.

Here is all the vital viewing information for the championship, predictions for every matchup and a preview of Game 1.

Game	Date	Matchup	Time (ET)	Watch	Predicted Winner
1	Tue., Oct. 21	Giants at Royals	8 p.m.	Fox	Kansas City
2	Wed., Oct. 22	Giants at Royals	8 p.m.	Fox	San Francisco
3	Fri., Oct. 24	Royals at Giants	8 p.m.	Fox	San Francisco
4	Sat., Oct. 25	Royals at Giants	8 p.m.	Fox	Kansas City
5*	Sun., Oct. 26	Royals at Giants	8 p.m.	Fox	San Francisco
6*	Tue., Oct. 28	Giants at Royals	8 p.m.	Fox	Kansas City
7*	Wed., Oct. 29	Giants at Royals	8 p.m.	Fox	Kansas City

Full Game 1 Preview

The unlikely World Series between San Francisco and Kansas City is not the marquee matchup the league was hoping for, but true baseball fans can appreciate the skill and composure shown by these two teams on their run to the championship.

The Giants won the World Series in 2010 and 2012 and are looking to win once again in order to enter the conversation for a possible dynasty. San Francisco has been a perennial postseason contender for several years, but the Royals are at the opposite end of the spectrum.

Kansas City has not made the World Series since 1985, but the current team is full of tenacious players who understand that baseball is a team sport. The entire roster is pulling for each other, and the result is a team fans can never count out.

The Royals swept the Giants in the regular-season series, but each franchise was in a much different place at that time. When asked about playing San Francisco during the regular season, Kansas City first baseman Eric Hosmer told John Perrotto of the USA Today about the advantages:

"

I don't know how much stock you can put into a series that was played two months ago but you do feel better going into the World Series knowing that we've seen [Madison] Bumgarner and some of their left-handed relievers and have an idea of what to expect.

"

Madison Bumgarner will take the mound in the opening game of the series and square off against James Shields. The two starting pitchers have played well enough to help their teams win, but Bumgarner’s 1.42 postseason ERA gives the Giants the starting pitching advantage.

When the game gets to the hands of the bullpens, San Francisco and Kansas City possess two of the best in the league. The official Twitter of BaseballEssential.com shared just how good each team's bullpen has been:

As it always does, the series will ultimately be decided by timely hitting from the winning team. The Giants have a lineup full of power with stars like Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence each playing well, but other role players such as Travis Ishikawa and Gregor Blanco must play better.

On the Kansas City side, role players have come up big, but it will be top stars like Billy Butler, Alex Gordon and Omar Infante who must improve their consistency and come through in the most important series of the playoffs.

With the home crowd supporting the Royals, San Francisco will have a hard time pulling out the victory on the road. This, and all the games during this series, should be close, but Kansas City should be able to walk away with a win in Game 1.

Predicted Game 1 Score: Kansas City 4, San Francisco 3

Stats via MLB.com.

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