PREMIUM
Stephen Nover's Playoff Game of the Year
(MLB) San Francisco vs. Kansas City,
Money Line: -106.00 San Francisco (Away)
Result: Win
Money Line: -106.00 San Francisco (Away)
Result: Win
The combination of the Giants' World Series experience and Madison Bumgarner on the mound puts me on the Giants in Game 1 of the World Series.
The Royals went 8-0 in the AL playoffs, but now have been idle for five days. They face a lot of hoopla and distractions having not been to the World Series since 1985.
San Francisco, on the other hand, is going for its third world championship in five years. Just two years ago, the Giants swept the Tigers in the World Series. The Tigers had to wait nearly a week before that Series started and then scored only six runs while batting a meager .159.
The Giants went 8-2 in the NL playoffs. Bumgarner was the NCLS MVP. He's a proven big-game pitcher with a 2-0 World Series mark having not allowed a run in 15 World Series innings, shutting out Texas on three hits in eight innings in 2010 and the Tigers in 2012 on two hits in seven innings.
Bumgarner is pitching on normal rest and has been much better on the road going 11-4 with a 2.22 ERA during the regular season compared to 7-6 with a 4.03 ERA at home. Bumgarner said he's feeling the best he's felt all year.
Royals starter James Shields, by contrast, hasn't started since Oct. 10. He wasn't sharp in the postseason giving up 21 hits in 16 innings. Opponents batted .309 against him. Shields has been less effective at home, too, with a 5-6 record and 3.64 ERA. His night ERA is 3.72.
The Royals averaged 5.2 runs in their eight playoff games. The Giants averaged 5.2 runs, too, in their last four playoff games.
The Giants have more power. The Royals were last in homers but first in stolen bases. Bumgarner, a lefty, is very hard to run on. Opposing runners were caught stealing 10 times in 17 attempts against Bumgarner, who picked off nine runners.
The Royals went 8-0 in the AL playoffs, but now have been idle for five days. They face a lot of hoopla and distractions having not been to the World Series since 1985.
San Francisco, on the other hand, is going for its third world championship in five years. Just two years ago, the Giants swept the Tigers in the World Series. The Tigers had to wait nearly a week before that Series started and then scored only six runs while batting a meager .159.
The Giants went 8-2 in the NL playoffs. Bumgarner was the NCLS MVP. He's a proven big-game pitcher with a 2-0 World Series mark having not allowed a run in 15 World Series innings, shutting out Texas on three hits in eight innings in 2010 and the Tigers in 2012 on two hits in seven innings.
Bumgarner is pitching on normal rest and has been much better on the road going 11-4 with a 2.22 ERA during the regular season compared to 7-6 with a 4.03 ERA at home. Bumgarner said he's feeling the best he's felt all year.
Royals starter James Shields, by contrast, hasn't started since Oct. 10. He wasn't sharp in the postseason giving up 21 hits in 16 innings. Opponents batted .309 against him. Shields has been less effective at home, too, with a 5-6 record and 3.64 ERA. His night ERA is 3.72.
The Royals averaged 5.2 runs in their eight playoff games. The Giants averaged 5.2 runs, too, in their last four playoff games.
The Giants have more power. The Royals were last in homers but first in stolen bases. Bumgarner, a lefty, is very hard to run on. Opposing runners were caught stealing 10 times in 17 attempts against Bumgarner, who picked off nine runners.
