KC Royals vs. SF Giants: Keys for Each Team to Win World Series Game 5

With a San Francisco Giants victory on Saturday night, things are now knotted up with the Kansas City Royals at two games apiece, leaving us with a best-of-three scenario for the right to be called World Series champions.

The Game 1 starters will take the mound again on Sunday night, as Madison Bumgarner looks to continue his dominant postseason run for the Giants, while James Shields looks to rebound and show he is a bona fide ace as well.

As we gear up for the pivotal Game 5, what follows are a few keys to success for each team that could be the determining factor in which takes the series lead into Game 6.

Royals: Score Early

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Giants ace Madison Bumgarner takes the ball for his second start of the series on Sunday night, as the Royals will look to bounce back from a rough Game 1 showing against the stud left-hander.

The team managed just three hits and one run against him, and by the time he departed after seven innings of work, the Giants were firmly in control of the game with a 7-1 lead.

Like most great pitchers, Bumgarner tends to get better as the game goes on and he settles in, so jumping on him early might be the Royals only chance to put up a crooked number.

During the regular season, opponents hit .320/.378/.547 off Bumgarner in the first inning, and he posted a 5.73 ERA in the process, so there is some evidence to support that idea.

He is also pitching at home, where he has been slightly more hittable this postseason.

• Home Stats: 2 GS, 0-1, 15.0 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 11 K
• Road Stats: 3 GS, 3-0, 23.2 IP, 11 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 22 K

But this isn't just a matter of coincidence stemming from a small sample size; Bumgarner struggled at AT&T Park during the regular season, as his 4.03 home ERA attests—by contrast, he had a 2.22 ERA on the road.

Giants: Another Dominant Start from Madison Bumgarner

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The Giants used five different relievers for a total of 6.1 innings in Game 4, after starter Ryan Vogelsong was chased early, so they will be looking for Madison Bumgarner to give the pen the night off in Game 4.

At this point there is no reason to think the southpaw will give them anything but another gem, as he has been nothing short of dominant for the past several months.

In fact, the 25-year-old has allowed more than three runs in a game just once since the beginning of August. He has a 1.86 ERA and 0.829 WHIP in that span, and the Giants have gone 11-4 in those games.

The Royals did not have an answer for him in Game 1, when they managed just three hits and one run in seven innings, and he'll be looking for a similarly dominant performance in Game 5.

Royals: 6 Strong Innings from James Shields

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While Madison Bumgarner has shined this postseason, the same can't be said for Royals ace and free-agent-to-be James Shields.

He's gone 1-1 with a 7.11 ERA and 1.79 WHIP in his four starts, failing to throw six full innings in three of those outings after doing that just four times in 34 starts during the regular season.

He was particularly bad last time out in Game 1, allowing seven hits and five earned runs in three innings of work, as the Giants struck for three first-inning runs and didn't look back from there.

So it was back to the drawing board for Shields between starts, as he looked to iron out his mechanics and come back with a strong outing in Game 5.

"We went into the bullpen, fixed a few things mechanically, and hopefully it translates into the game. And I'm sure it will. I feel really good," he told reporters Saturday.

If he can just give Kansas City six strong innings, the Royals should be in a terrific position, as the vaunted bullpen trio of Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland are all rested after not pitching in Game 4.

Giants: Middle of the Order Production

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Neither of the teams in this year's World Series are exactly offensive juggernauts, but the Giants do have a dangerous trio in the middle of their lineup in Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence.

Through the first four games of the series, those three have been the difference for the Giants on the offensive side of things.

• Game 1 (W): 6-for-13, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 3 R
• Game 2 (L): 3-for-12, 2B, R
• Game 3 (L): 1-for-11, RBI
• Game 4 (W): 6-for-13, 6 RBI, 3 R

Gregor Blanco and Joe Panik both enjoyed multihit games atop the lineup in Game 4, and guys like Brandon Belt, Michael Morse, Travis Ishikawa and Brandon Crawford have all had their moments, but that trio of big bats remains the key.

Those three went a combined 4-for-6 with a double and a home run off of Royals starter James Shields in Game 1, and they will look to do some similar damage in their second go-around against him on Sunday night.

Win the Battle of the Bullpens

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The matchup of two relief corps has been one of the most talked about storylines of the World Series, and winning the battle of the bullpens remains one of the biggest keys to each and every game.

The Royals pen will look to bounce back from a rough Game 4 performance, as K.C. relievers combined to allow 10 hits and eight earned runs in four innings of work after Jason Vargas got an early hook.

However, no one from the trio of Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland was a part of that debacle, as it was lefties Brandon Finnegan and Tim Collins who were responsible for the bulk of the damage.

Meanwhile, the Giants bullpen has continued to dominate here in the World Series, allowing 12 hits and three runs in 14.2 innings of work so far.

Yusmeiro Petit earned his third win of the postseason with three scoreless innings in relief of Ryan Vogelsong in Game 4, and he has now thrown 12 shutout innings with just four hits allowed overall this October.

Jeremy Affeldt and Javier Lopez continue to be a key to shutting down the Royals left-handed power threats, while Sergio Romo will keep bridging the gap to closer Santiago Casilla.

If James Shields can bounce back and turn in a quality start, things could legitimately turn into a battle of the bullpens in Game 5, and extra innings might not be out of the question.

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference, and accurate through Saturday, Oct. 25.