World Series Schedule 2014: TV Coverage Info and Predictions for Rest of Series

The San Francisco Giants looked brilliant in Game 1 of the World Series, and the Kansas City Royals looked equally as magnificent in Game 2. After two completely lopsided games, the Giants' run total is nine while the Royals' is eight. However, these teams generated their wins in completely different fashion.

San Francisco notched the series' first win by a combination of stellar starting pitching and hot bats right out of the gate. On the other hand, Kansas City relied on some clutch mid-inning hitting and stellar bullpen play to earn a victory on Wednesday.

Both of these teams already proved they have what it takes to become the next world champion; although, as we know, there can be only one. As the series prepares to move to San Francisco, each team will get some rest on Thursday. Of course, that leaves us plenty of time to speculate.

As we await the return of these teams to action, let's overview the series' remaining schedule and predict its ultimate outcome.

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 (requires subscription)

World Series Prediction

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We already saw what kind of impact starting pitching has on San Francisco through two games. The quicker a starter is yanked from action, the easier it is for Kansas City hitters to get to the bullpen. That was how the Giants won Game 1 and lost Game 2.

Tim Hudson is set to take the mound for the Giants in Game 3. He's pitched twice in the postseason so far, looking fantastic against the Washington Nationals but struggling later against the St. Louis Cardinals. Hudson is a bit of a wild card for Friday's game. Despite his extensive MLB experience, he hasn't faced these Kansas City batters many times.

Although, he did happen to face the Royals in August this year. In that start, he went six innings, allowing three runs and six hits. We'll see if Hudson shows any nerves in his first-ever World Series, via the Giants' official Twitter account:

Ryan Vogelsong will get the start in Game 4. He was a postseason genius until he was pelted by the Cardinals in his last start, giving up four earned runs and seven hits in just three innings of work. If his confidence is the slightest bit shaken, the Royals are certainly a team that can get to him quickly.

There can't be an overwhelming amount of confidence revolving around these two starters. Both are coming off of lackluster performances and are set to face a surging Kansas City lineup that has been getting production from all over the place.

In fact, the team didn't even bother changing the order after slumping in Game 1, via SI MLB:

Starting pitching may not be quite as much of a concern for Kansas City given its very talented bullpen. Jeremy Guthrie and Jason Vargas will get the next two starts, and both are coming off of solid showings.

Guthrie went five innings, allowing three hits and one run, while Vargas lasted 5.1 innings, allowing two hits and one run—both against the Baltimore Orioles. That kind of production in the postseason has led to seemingly automatic wins for a Kansas City team that thrives in later innings.

With relievers Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland residing in the team's bullpen, it's easy to see how the Royals can be so dominant in the back third of a game. This statistic from ESPN Stats & Info sums up just how good this bullpen really is:

Still, we saw Shields get pelted quickly in Game 1, leading to a switch after just three innings. That will be one big way the Giants can get around this deep bullpen—by forcing other relievers into action.

San Francisco will need to duplicate that kind of performance several times to gain enough wins to take the World Series. After all, the Royals bullpen is too strong to give up any significant runs. Aside from Shields, the remaining starters for Kansas City have looked solid of late, giving the Royals an advantage here.

This series will come down to the wire, but Kansas City's ability to take over a game in the late innings will be the difference-maker in the end.

Prediction: Royals in seven