Kansas City Royals Meet San Francisco Giants in Pick'em World Series

Two teams that faced the longest of odds just to make it to the 2014 World Series meet starting on Tuesday in Kansas City when the Royals host the San Francisco Giants in Game 1. And two aces who have been instrumental in getting their teams to this point will meet in the opener as Kansas City's James Shields (14-8, 3.21 ERA) opposes San Francisco's Madison Bumgarner (18-10, 2.98).

The Royals opened 30/1 to win the World Series at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook with the Giants 20/1, but the odds certainly seemed much greater heading into the postseason as two of the four Wild Card teams in the American and National League, respectively. Kansas City trailed the Oakland Athletics 7-3 in the bottom of the eighth inning of the AL Wild Card game back on Sept. 30 before rallying back to win 9-8 on a walk-off single in the bottom of the 12th. The Royals have yet to lose in the playoffs.

Unlike KC's postseason drought since last winning the World Series in 1985, the Giants have won it twice in the past four years. San Francisco's playoff experience figures to be a key factor, as even Game 2 starter Jake Peavy - who was not with the team during either of the previous two World Series runs - won it with the Boston Red Sox last year. Peavy (7-13, 3.73) was dealt to the Giants from the Red Sox in hopes of getting them here despite his 7.11 ERA in the postseason with Boston in 2013.

The series price for the World Series opened with the Royals as small -115 favorites (bet $115 to win $100) at the SuperBook, but it's now a Pick'em with each side sitting at -110. Kansas City does have home-field advantage thanks to one additional win earned during the regular season, but San Francisco has played extremely well on the road in the playoffs over the past five years. The Giants won their last two World Series away from home, going 4-1 on the road overall in those two championship runs.

Game 1 is also a Pick'em with San Francisco lefty Bumgarner coming off a dominant National League Championship Series in which he earned MVP honors. Bumgarner was on the mound for two wins and allowed just three runs in 15.2 innings of work against the St. Louis Cardinals with three walks and 12 strikeouts, and he is 2-1 in four playoff starts overall with a 1.42 ERA. For the Royals, Shields has not been nearly as sharp, going 1-0 in three starts with a 5.63 ERA.

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