World Series 2014: Updated Giants vs. Royals Predictions and Schedule

After the San Francisco Giants looked completely in charge of the 2014 World Series with a 7-1 Game 1 victory, the Kansas City Royals stormed back with a 7-2 win in Game 2 to even the series. After those two polar-opposite contests, we can only speculate that we're in for quite a wild ride the rest of the way.

The series now moves from Kansas City to San Francisco for the next three games after a travel day on Thursday. While the Giants may have a slight upper hand after obtaining a road win, the Royals are no strangers to winning on the road either and are coming into Game 3 with plenty of momentum.

While we await these teams' return to action for Game 3 of the World Series, let's overview the remaining schedule and predict how the final games of the year are likely to unfold.

Game	Date	Matchup	Time (ET)	Channel
3	Fri., Oct. 24	Royals at Giants	8 p.m	Fox
4	Sat., Oct. 25	Royals at Giants	8 p.m.	Fox
5	Sun., Oct 26	Royals at Giants	8 p.m.	Fox
6*	Tue., Oct. 28	Giants at Royals	8 p.m.	Fox
7*	Wed., Oct. 29	Giants at Royals	8 p.m.	Fox

*denotes "if necessary" games

Live Stream: MLB.tv (subscription required)

Series Prediction

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What a topsy-turvy way to start the World Series. As good as the Giants looked in Game 1, they simply crumbled in Game 2—and vice versa for the Royals. So what worked for both teams in their respective wins, and which is more likely to carry its winning traits throughout the remainder of the series?

San Francisco handed Kansas City a loss due to some great at-bats early in the game. This team has a veteran lineup capable of getting to starting pitchers early. Not only does this help the Giants get runs on the board, but it also elevates opponents' pitch counts quickly.

James Shields just couldn't hang in there in Game 1 against Pablo Sandoval, Hunter Pence and others. He lasted just three innings, allowing seven hits and five earned runs while his pitch count already reached 71. Shields was bumped out of the game, and the Giants already had a large enough lead the Royals didn't bother bringing in one of their stud relievers.

Sandoval will be a huge catalyst for the success of this offense going forward due to his efficiency at the plate in the postseason. ESPN Stats & Info tweeted his streak of reaching base in consecutive playoff games:

This was completely the opposite in Game 2. Yordano Ventura lasted 5.1 innings and 87 pitches, giving up eight hits and two earned runs in the process. His ability to hang in there opened the door for relievers Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland to close out the game easily.

As for the Royals, they got back to playing their own brand of baseball in Game 2. Of the seven runs the team scored, only two came from a home run. The remaining runs were due to playing small ball and relying on speedy baserunning to get players across home plate.

Kansas City's hitters really got to Jake Peavy after five innings, but the lineup didn't stop there. It feasted on the bullpen, accumulating four hits and three more runs off of relievers. The team wasn't able to find this kind of rhythm against Madison Bumgarner in Game 1, and that was the biggest cause for the loss.

Here's a telling statistic regarding how effective the Royals were in Game 2 against the Giants versus previous World Series opponents:

As it stands through two games, both of these teams remain streaky at the plate, the Giants have the upper hand in the starting rotation, but the Royals are getting better all-around play out of the bullpen. We should expect this series to be a roller-coaster ride to the finish.

SportsCenter tweeted one statistic that could prove to be a deciding factor in the World Series:

We should assume most remaining contests will be decided over the final innings, and based on what we've seen out of the Royals bullpen, and the team's ability to remain resilient at the plate for nine-plus innings, Kansas City gets the nod in a series that goes the distance.

Prediction: Royals in seven