One team is going to have a wet and wild dugout party tonight when the 2014 MLB Season comes down to an edge-of-your-seat World Series Game 7 thriller between the destiny-hunting Kansas City Royals and the dynasty-building San Francisco Giants. Will the Royals break its 29-year drought for a World Series championship? Or will the Giants own the night and win their third title since 2010?
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San Francisco Giants vs. Kansas City Royals Betting Preview
Series Schedule & Results
Game 1 – Tuesday, October 21, San Francisco Giants 7 vs. Kansas City Royals 1
Game 2 – Wednesday, October 22, San Francisco Giants 2 vs. Kansas City Royals 7
Game 3 – Friday, October 24, Kansas City Royals 3 vs. San Francisco Giants 2
Game 4 – Saturday, October 25, Kansas City Royals 4 vs. San Francisco Giants 11
Game 5 – Sunday, October 26, Kansas City Royals 0 vs. San Francisco Giants 5
Game 6 – Tuesday, October 28, San Francisco Giants 0 vs. Kansas City Royals 10
Game 7 – Wednesday, October 29, San Francisco Giants (+118) vs. Kansas City Royals (-128); total: 7.0 – view all MLB lines
Betting on the San Francisco Giants
Only a win tonight will shake off that bitter taste left in the the Giants’ mouths after suffering a soul-crushing 10-0 defeat Tuesday. For that to happen, San Francisco needs its offense to come back to life a day after being shutout for the first time this postseason.
[sc:MLB240banner ]The core of the Giants’ lineup which consists of Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval, and Hunter Pence, played a big role in the team’s back-to-back wins in Games 4 and 5 by collectively hitting 11-for-23 with six runs driven. Unfortunately, the trio went cold going just 2-for-10 last night. Overall, the Giants were just 6-for-32 in Game 6.
Things, however, would have gone San Francisco’s way if not for a crucial fielding blunder by Brandon Belt in the second inning. With the Giants trailing just 1-0 and with runners at second and third, Royals Alcides Escobar hit a grounder towards Belt, who then failed to apply a tag on the leadoff hitter, loading the bases and cuing another six runs by Kansas City in the same inning.
With a big lead, Royals starter and rookie Yordano Ventura was able to pitch with all the confidence in the world. Not to mention the reliable Kansas City relievers on standby should Ventura get into trouble. The key for the Giants tonight is to score early and give themselves a cushion while going through Royals’ vaunted backend pitching.
Taking the mound later is 39-year-old Tim Hudson, who is set to become the oldest starter in a World Series Game 7. Hudson pitched in the Giants’ 3-2 loss in Game 3, allowing three earned runs on four hits in 5.2 innings of work. Madison Bumgarner, meanwhile, has expressed his readiness to pitch in relief. Bumgarner is the leading contender to win the World Series MVP after guiding the Giants to wins in Games 1 and 5. Hudson is 0-1 in three starts this postseason to go along with a 3.72 ERA and 0.98 WHIP, while MadBum is 4-1 with a 1.13 ERA and 0.67 WHIP.
The over is 4-0 in the Giants’ last four road games.
Betting on the Kansas City Royals
The floodgates opened last night for the Royals’ lineup, who took full advantage of their opportunities at the plate two days after Bumgarner blanked them. They sure hope their bats are still as hot when they get another crack at Tim Hudson later.
In Game 6, the Royals peppered the field with hits, exactly the type of offense the team has been known for throughout the season. Six Royals had two hits Tuesday led by Lorenzo Cain, who went 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Along with Eric Hosmer and Billy Butler in the middle of the batting order, the trio hit 7-for-12.
Omar Infante and Mike Moustakas, meanwhile, sustained the offense all the way down to the end of the batting order as the two combined for four hits on eight at-bats with two RBIs. Through six games in this series, Infante leads the team with four extra-base hits followed by Moustakas who has three. Infante’s extra-base power (.600 SLG) has been a vital component for the Royals in the series.
Jeremy Guthrie never had that amount of run support when he pitched against the Giants in Game 3. He’ll certainly look for it later when he gets the ball in what should be a pressure-packed stint. Guthrie, though, pitched well in that game, allowing just two earned runs on four hits in five innings before letting its no-nonsense bullpen (Kelvin Herrera, Brandon Finnegan, Wade Davis, and Greg Holland) put in the final nails in the Giants’ coffin, combining for three-plus, no-hit, scoreless innings.
Thanks to Ventura’s tremendous outing last night, Ned Yost was able to afford Herrera, Davis, and Holland an extra-day of rest. The three have a joint ERA of 1.30 in 34-plus innings thus far in the postseason.
Writer’s Prediction
The Royals (-128) party like it’s 1985, winning the franchise’s second World Series title, 5-3. Create a betting account now and don’t miss out on the chance to wager on the final game of this season.
