After a thrilling postseason, we’re finally down to a match up which absolutely no one would have predicted when the 2014 baseball season first began – the San Francisco Giants and the Kansas City Royals. On the one hand, the Giants have manager Bruce Bochy, the best manager in baseball right now. They’ve also got a ton of guys who have been here before and they’ve got the postseason’s hottest pitcher ready to go for Game 1. On the other hand, the Royals are rolling right now. Having gone 8-0 in the AL playoffs, the Royals bring a brand of small ball baseball which has proven to be dominant against their competition so far. No matter who wins, this should be a great series.
Broadcast Time: Tuesday, October 21st at 8:07 PM ET
Where: Kauffman Stadium
Television Broadcast: FOX
Starting Pitchers:
San Francisco Giants – Madison Bumgarner
Season Stats – W-L record of 18-10, ERA of 2.98
Kansas City Royals – James Shields
Season Stats – W-L record of 14-8, ERA of 3.21
Betting Odds (via BetDSI)
Point Spread: Giants (-1.5)/Royals (+1.5)
Over/Under: 6.5
Overview:
The Royals have managed to blow by their competition in the playoffs so far but they’ll face their toughest test yet in Madison Bumgarner. Bumgarner has pitched in four games this postseason and the Giants have won three (Bumgarner has gone 2-1 in his four appearances). Of those four games, two have come on the road where Bumgarner has yet to give up a run this postseason. His ERA during the playoffs has been an outstanding 1.42.
As for the Royals, this is their first World Series appearance since 1985. Kansas City will enter Game 1 on five days rest but their great playoff run hasn’t necessarily translated into a dominate performance from starting pitcher James Shields. In three 2014 postseason games, Shields never made it past six innings. He’s given up 21 hits in those three games and his postseason ERA sits at 5.63. Luckily for the Royals, they are backed by a fantastic defense and one of baseball’s best bullpens which can take advantage of the size of Kauffman Stadium.
Expect a low-scoring game but it’s hard to bet against Madison Bumgarner right now.
