Giants vs. Royals: Latest World Series 2014 Predictions and Odds

After Game 1 of the World Series, it sure looked as though the San Francisco Giants were in full control, notching a decisive road win. However, the Kansas City Royals thought differently, earning a big win in Game 2 and evening the series.

It's quite interesting how different these teams are at the plate. San Francisco's lineup relies on strong at-bats and forces pitchers into deep counts, while Kansas City's hitters swing early in an effort to generate a spark and get the offense surging.

Conversely, the Giants and Royals are rather similar on the mound. Each team has solid starting rotations, but strong arms in the bullpen have been the catalysts for many postseason victories.

With two games in the books, and the series even at one game each, which team is the odds-on favorite to take the World Series in the eyes of Vegas oddsmakers? Let's take a glance at the current odds, via Odds Shark, and predict the outcome of the championship series.

Team	Game 3 Spread	World Series Odds
San Francisco Giants	-1.5	37-20
Kansas City Royals	+1.5	1-1

World Series Prediction

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Through two games, it's tough to tell which team really has the upper hand. The Giants did come away with a huge road win; however, the Royals surged back and claimed all of the momentum as the series heads to San Francisco.

When breaking each team down into categories, advantages become more clear.

Madison Bumgarner delivered the best performance we've seen from any starting pitcher through two World Series games. His seven-inning showing put a good Royals lineup in a big hole, allowing just three hits and one run during his time on the mound. His performance led to an easy win.

According to ESPN, Bumgarner is pretty clutch in World Series appearances:

Even though Jake Peavy didn't fare quite as well in Game 2, he was fantastic through five innings before getting himself into plenty of trouble in the sixth. After that mid-inning debacle, not even a good bullpen could get the Giants back in the game.

James Shields was terrible in Game 1. The Giants lineup got to him early and often, pelting him for five runs in just three innings. While Yordano Ventura fared better in Game 2, it's clear the Giants starting rotation has the upper hand due to stability and veteran experience.

While San Francisco's bullpen has been very good throughout the postseason, it hasn't been nearly as dynamic as Kansas City's.

We didn't get a chance to see the Royals' stud relievers in Game 1, but they showed up in a big way on Wednesday. The strong-armed Kelvin Herrera kicked things off, going 1.2 innings without allowing a hit. Wade Davis took it from there, pitching one flawless inning, and closer Greg Holland mopped up, allowing one hit but recording three strikeouts.

ESPN Stats & Info tweeted exactly how good Kansas City's bullpen has been during the 2014 postseason:

This brings us to each team's lineup. Both have great strengths, but they are built very differently.

San Francisco features hitters who are very patient. Opposing pitchers generally have heightened pitch counts due to tough at-bats throughout the lineup. This is wildly apparent when looking back at team pitch counts over the last two games:

Team	Game 1	Game 2
Royals Pitchers	177	149
Giants Pitchers	129	107

Kansas City's pitchers have done a lot more work so far in the championship series. Tiring out starters and getting to other members of the Royals bullpen will allow hitters like Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence to flourish throughout October's games.

The Royals have some great hitters as well; however, they are more prone to swing early during at-bats. This lack of patience can be upsetting, but it is also a great way to ignite the offense and generate a flurry of hits at once.

A perfect example of this was the bottom of the sixth inning in Game 2. Lorenzo Cain kicked things off with a single to center, and three hits later, the Royals put five runs on the board. Apparently, the Royals have a historical knack for getting through several pitchers in one inning, via ESPN Stats & Info:

This kind of late-game streak was the cause for several of Kansas City's postseason victories so far.

While the Giants certainly have the upper hand in consistency at the plate, it's difficult to ignore the Royals' ability to create these hot streaks at the plate in the late innings. That gives Kansas City a slight overall advantage for the remainder of the World Series.

Expect this one to remain close and go a full seven games, with late-inning heroics by the Royals leading to a Game 7 victory in front of their home crowd.

Prediction: Royals in seven