World Series Schedule 2014: Game Times and Predictions for Giants vs. Royals

After a long layoff due to both teams running through their respective League Championship Series, the San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals finally kick off the 2014 World Series on Tuesday. Considering how unpredictable this postseason has been, trying to find reason and logic at this point is futile. 

Never one to shy away from a challenge, we are going to take everything we have learned about the Giants and Royals over the last seven months and apply it to an iron-clad prediction that is guaranteed to be right. It could possibly go wrong, because baseball is funny that way. 

In other words, we are going to do everything possible to convince you that one team is better than the other. Until the games start, though, no one has any idea what will happen. That's the majesty of baseball and why this is the perfect World Series. 

First, we want you to be properly prepared for the Fall Classic. Here's a look at the schedule for this year's World Series and where to catch each game. 

Game	Date	Time (ET)	Network
Game 1: San Francisco Giants (Madison Bumgarner) at Kansas City Royals (James Shields)	Tuesday, October 21	8 p.m.	Fox
Game 2: San Francisco Giants (Jake Peavy) at Kansas City Royals (Yordano Ventura)	Wednesday, October 22	8 p.m.	Fox
Game 3: Kansas City Royals (Jeremy Guthrie) at San Francisco Giants (Tim Hudson)	Friday, October 24	8 p.m.	Fox
Game 4: Kansas City Royals (Jason Vargas) at San Francisco Giants (Ryan Vogelsong)	Saturday, October 25	8 p.m.	Fox
*Game 5: Kansas City Royals (TBD) at San Francisco Giants (TBD)	Sunday, October 26	8 p.m.	Fox
*Game 6: San Francisco Giants (TBD) at Kansas City Royals (TBD)	Tuesday, October 28	8 p.m.	Fox
*Game 7: San Francisco Giants (TBD) at Kansas City Royals (TBD)	Wednesday, October 29	8 p.m.	Fox

*If necessary

Games are also available for live stream on Fox Sports Go

The Game 1 Mismatch

The problem with having a nickname like "Big Game" James Shields is that everyone expects you to be great in every big-game situation. Whether or not Shields gave himself the nickname, it's a moniker that has stuck. It's also one that doesn't appear to be deserved. 

Per Bill Baer of NBC Sports, Shields is sporting a hefty 5.63 ERA in three playoff starts this October:

If you want to acknowledge the small sample size of the playoffs, that's fair. Keep in mind that Shields' career postseason ERA is 5.19 in 50.1 innings with 61 hits allowed. Again, not a great sample size but better than just pointing out what he's done this year. 

Another factor to keep in mind on Tuesday is Shields' time in between starts. He last pitched in Game 1 of the ALCS against Baltimore on October 10. According to the Ace of MLB Stats on Twitter, long rest hasn't been kind to the right-hander:

Let's contrast that with what Madison Bumgarner has done in his playoff career. Simply put, there are few active pitchers who can touch his October resume. He has yet to allow a run in 15 World Series innings, giving up five hits with 14 strikeouts. 

Kansas City's offensive game plan is to put pressure on opponents with speed, though Fox announcer Kevin Burkhardt noted Bumgarner has the antidote to squash that:

Nothing about Shields' resume screams No. 1 starter, while Bumgarner has built a resume that puts him right behind Clayton Kershaw as the second-best pitcher in the National League. 

If the Royals steal this game, it swings the entire series. As long as Bumgarner takes care of business, the Giants will be in the driver's seat knowing they stole home-field advantage and will have their ace back on the mound at least one more time. 

The Bullpen Game

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

One advantage the Royals have is knowing they don't need Shields—or any starter—to work deep into a game because their bullpen is so good. Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland were fantastic in the regular season and have been virtually untouchable in October. 

Paul Casella of MLB.com wrote that Kansas City's three-headed monster out of the bullpen made history in the regular season:

"

Davis, Herrera and Holland each posted a sub-1.50 ERA, while making 71, 70 and 65 appearances, respectively. No other team has ever had even two relievers, let alone three, post sub-1.50 ERAs with more than 60-plus appearances.

They were also the only trio with sub-1.50 ERAs and at least 50 strikeouts each. Only the 2013 Rangers had even two relievers (Neal Cotts and Joe Nathan) reach those plateaus.

"

Ned Yost doesn't always manage games well, but the one thing he has learned not to screw up is deploying that bullpen late in games. 

On the other side, Bruce Bochy has proven himself to be one of the best playoff strategists in baseball history. He's going for his third World Series title in five years despite not having a roster littered with All-Stars—though it doesn't hurt having Bumgarner and Buster Posey—because he can manipulate games in his favor. 

While Bochy doesn't have a single reliever who can match what Yost has to bring in, he's gotten nearly identical production from his bullpen this postseason, per Tim Kawakami of The San Jose Mercury News:

An even bigger advantage for Bochy is knowing he's got a starter who will give him at least seven innings in Game 1, allowing him to save certain relievers for potentially longer situations later in the series. 

The point is that one of Kansas City's biggest advantages on paper really isn't as much of a mismatch as it appears. You still can't bet against the Royals if they're ahead in a late-game situation, but in a tie game or trailing by one, the Giants aren't pushovers. 

The Final Word

Both teams have needed help getting to this point. Mike Matheny did everything in his power to ensure the Cardinals lost the NLCS, so they did. The Giants were able to take advantage of all the mistakes, so they deserve credit. 

The Royals had one extra-base hit in their last two games against Baltimore. I know that power wasn't part of their game in the postseason, but you need to do a lot of things correctly to win with just one double to show for your last 16 innings at the plate. 

On the defensive spectrum, Kansas City was the best unit in baseball. According to FanGraphs' metrics, the Royals led the league with a 74.8 defensive rating (19.4 more than second-place Baltimore) and finished fourth with 40 defensive runs saved. 

For comparison sake, the Giants ranked 16th and 17th in those respective categories. However, when you compare all the up-the-middle positions (catcher, second base, shortstop, center field), the gap is huge in favor of Kansas City at three of the four spots:

Team	C	2B	SS	CF
San Francisco	9.1	5.1	5.9	-2.2
Kansas City	18.1	1.2	9.7	26.8

That's how you win games when you can't hit the ball out of the park. Kansas City found a formula that's worked to perfection this October. 

Neither team is without at least one significant flaw, but they seem to be the same things for both teams. Neither club has great rotation depth, so the bullpens will get used early and often. Neither club has a lot of power, though the Giants did hit 37 more homers in the regular season (132 to 95). 

The advantages on either side are stark. Bumgarner trounces Shields as a Game 1 starter. The Royals stole 153 bases in the regular season, while the Giants stole 56. Bochy is building one of the great managerial resumes, at least in October, of anyone in recent history. 

If you're head is spinning at this point, I did warn you that trying to predict baseball is funny. The Giants have the better October formula for success, so they are the pick. It's going to be a close and fun series, at the very least. 

Giants win series in seven games

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