World Series 2014: Giants vs. Royals Game 7 Pitching Preview, Predictions

The Kansas City Royals returned home dead set on keeping their title hopes alive, and it showed with a 10-0 spanking of the San Francisco Giants. That means the 2014 World Series will be decided by a Game 7.

Kauffman Stadium will play host to the final game of a whirlwind 2014 MLB season, as the Royals welcome the Giants. To say everything is on the line would be an understatement. 

For the Giants, it's a chance to win a third World Series title in five years and once again prove deadly as a wild-card team. On Kansas City's end, a 29-year World Series drought begs to be brought to a halt and doing so would send the city into a frenzy.

Something will give in Wednesday's Game 7, per MLB:

It's a long time coming for baseball fans, too. After neither of the championship series went more than five games, viewers will get a treat with a game that should be one for the ages.

Let's get right to it and break down everything you need to know for Game 7.

Date	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV
Wednesday, Oct. 29	San Francisco Giants at Kansas City Royals	8:07 p.m.	Fox

Game 7 Pitching Preview

Team	Pitcher	Postseason Stats
Giants	Tim Hudson	0-1, 3 GS, 19.1 IP, 18 H, 3.72 ERA
Royals	Jeremy Guthrie	1-0, 2 GS, 10 IP, 7 H, 2.70 ERA

With the top aces from each team on much too short of rest to get the starting nod, both the Royals and Giants will turn to veterans deep in their rotation with everything on the line.

The Royals will strut out 35-year-old Jeremy Guthrie to the mound on Wednesday, with the 11th-year veteran set to pitch the biggest game of his life. He didn't make an appearance until the ALCS but has given up just two runs, and they both came in a World Series Game 3 victory.

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Tim Hudson will get the call for the Giants, and they're hoping he can prove more effective than he was the first time he faced Guthrie in this series. He allowed three runs in 5.2 innings, paving the way to the defeat.

It wasn't so pretty the last time out for Hudson, but his teammates have every bit of confidence in him. That includes ace Madison Bumgarner, per Alex Pavlovic of the San Jose Mercury News:

Bumgarner might be finding it hard to stay confident at this point. He pitched a strong Game 1 before the Royals rattled off two straight wins to take a 2-1 lead. Then he pitched a gem in Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead, but now the Royals have answered back once again.

The Giants ace won't be an option to start Wednesday's game, coming off such short rest. But with it being the final game of the season either way, Bumgarner should figure to get the ball if things are tight late.

Per Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, though, he's only human:

Speculation of if or when we'll see Bumgarner will run rampant, especially if the Giants lead a close game late, but San Francisco can't worry about that. It will come down to the performance of Hudson and Guthrie to decide if it will even get to that point.

And after those two pitched in arguably the tightest game of this World Series, folks should expect another close-knit affair for Game 7.

Prediction: Royals Win, 2-1

You can't blame Bruce Bochy one bit for refusing to consider starting Bumgarner on such short rest, but it's obvious that they face an uphill battle in Game 7 without him.

Kansas City answered the bell after its bats went cold in Games 4 and 5, exploding for 10 runs in Tuesday's win. The Royals will jump on Hudson just like they did Jake Peavy in Game 6, tacking on a couple of early runs to take the lead.

Guthrie outpitched Hudson with the lead in Game 3, and he'll do so again with the World Series on the line. From then on, it will come down to the Royals' dominant bullpen to put the finishing touches on their first championship in 29 years.