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On Monday, the Kansas City Royals announced their pitching rotation for the World Series, which begins Tuesday at Kauffman Stadium against the New York Mets. 

Playing against a Mets team stacked with young power pitching, Kansas City will counter with veteran Edinson Volquez for Game 1, according to Mike Axisa of CBSSports.com. He’ll be matching up against New York’s Matt Harvey.    

Volquez went 13-9 this season with a 3.55 ERA in his first year with the Royals. This postseason, though, he hasn’t quite been on his game, going 1-2 with an ERA of 4.32.

The Royals will be hoping he can repeat his performance from Game 1 of the American League Championship Series, where he shut out the Toronto Blue Jays over six innings, allowing two hits and striking out five. 

Now that Royals manager Ned Yost released his rotation, here is a look at the probable pitching matchups for the World Series:

It was better late than never for Yost to release his rotation. He even called himself a “punk” on Sunday for not disclosing his arms for the Fall Classic, per David Brown of CBSSports.com. 

Giving Volquez the start for Game 1 gives Johnny Cueto two possible starts at home, one in Game 2 and another in Game 6 if necessary. Cueto’s last start on the road was in Toronto during Game 3 of the ALCS, where he allowed eight runs in just two innings before being pulled. 

The Royals’ back end of the rotation features a 24-year-old Yordano Ventura, who burst onto the national scene during last year’s postseason, and Chris Young, a 36-year-old veteran who is on his third team in four years. They’ll have to step up their performances if they want to outduel a New York Mets team that has a 2.81 ERA this postseason. 

If they can’t keep up with New York’s arms, the Royals are going to be in trouble this World Series. 

Stats courtesy of ESPN.com.

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One thing we’ve learned throughout these 2015 MLB playoffs—and in virtually any postseason—is that the unlikely is bound to happen. The 2015 World Series promises to be no different.

Back on Opening Day, few could have predicted the Kansas City Royals doubling down on their American League pennant and breaking into the World Series for the second straight year. The same could be said of the New York Mets, who were on the upward trajectory but hardly championship contenders entering the season.

Simply picking these two to battle for the Commissioner’s Trophy at the beginning of the year would have been a bold prediction. So, let’s make some more bold predictions for what may unfold over the coming days.

Bold Predictions

Jacob deGrom Will Struggle Early

Simply put, Jacob deGrom hasn’t looked like a pitcher who’s in his first postseason so far in October. In fact, he’s pitched his way past some of the most seasoned arms in baseball, as his rotation has risen above the likes of Jon Lester and Clayton Kershaw in the opening two rounds.

He’s doing things that we’ve rarely seen in the postseason, as ESPN Stats & Info observed:

But keeping it going into the biggest series of them all is not just difficult, it’s nearly impossible. Plus, a closer look into his recent outings suggests he’s perhaps not as dominant as seen by the naked eye.

The 27-year-old has picked up three wins in three starts, but there’s reason to believe he may be struggling with his command and fatigue, as ESPN.com’s Adam Rubin reported:

Although deGrom is 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in the postseason, he had to labor through his past two outings. His pitch counts quickly rose and he had erratic fastball command. Collins believes deGrom may be suffering from fatigue and could use extra time between starts, even if it is only one additional day beyond Game 1.

What’s more, his three playoff wins have come against lineups that were struggling mightily to get the ball in play. The same can’t be suggested of the Kansas City Royals, who are masters at getting ahead in the pitch count and making the opposing arms work tirelessly to get outs.

Matt Harvey gets the start in Game 1, which means come Wednesday’s Game 2, it will have been well over a week since deGrom has stepped on the mound. Getting out of your rotation can be tough for top-end pitchers, and deGrom will find that out early on as he loses his first World Series decision.

Daniel Murphy Won’t Homer in Games 1 and 2

I know, I know. Crazy, right?

This is easily the boldest prediction of them all, simply based on what the once-under-the-radar utility man has done throughout this October. His six straight postseason games with a home run broke a major league record, which is pretty astounding considering his career up to this point.

CBS Sports quipped that he hasn’t homered in several days, only because the Mets haven’t been playing:

Murphy is hitting the ball as well as anyone ever has in the postseason, knocking in easy singles when the long ball isn’t there and carrying the Mets offense. Don’t think the Royals aren’t keying in on that, and will be prepared to do everything they can to keep Murphy from getting pitches to hit.

It honestly wouldn’t be surprising to see Kansas City intentionally walk Murphy every time it gets the chance, and that will leave him with many less opportunities to go yard in Kauffman Stadium.

An Elite Closer Will Blow a Save

Many of the best relievers and closers of all time have pitched in the World Series, but it’s hard to go back in history and find two in the same championship series that are dealing like this.

Jeurys Familia has been virtually unhittable for the Mets, but Wade Davis has been just as dominant on the mound late in games for the Royals. Neither pitcher has given up much of anything to opposing lineups in this postseason, as Phil Rogers of MLB.com noted:

Both have shown the ability to rise to the occasion in pressure moments throughout this postseason, and Davis showed the same this time last year. But all good things must come to an end, and this is one of them.

There aren’t any stats that suggest either pitcher is due for a blown save—they’ve both been that fantastic. But with stout starting pitching on both sides, we’re bound to be in for a number of tight contests down the stretch.

All it will take is conceding one run to blow a save for either of these closers, and I’m betting on that to happen.

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With the way this postseason unfolded, you almost knew a long-suffering organization would end up on top at the culmination of the 2015 World Series.

That’s guaranteed to be the case over the next several days, no matter who comes out on top between the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals. A club that hasn’t hoisted the Commissioner’s Trophy in 29 years (New York) or 30 years (Kansas City) will do just that in early November to cap off a magical playoff run.

If that doesn’t get your heart pounding for the World Series, I don’t know what will. Take a look below for more information.

2015 World Series Schedule

World Series Preview

The Mets and the Chicago Cubs were both expected to make strides in the National League this season, but seeing them play for a spot in the World Series had even the most optimistic fans of both franchises pinching themselves.

But as it turned out, the NLCS wasn’t even competitive. While the Cubs struggled to find their footing, New York strolled its way through the Windy City, sweeping a four-game series with a more than three-run average margin of victory.

It’s no secret that the Mets’ standout pitching has led the way to the club’s first World Series appearance since 2000, when they came up short against the Yankees in the Subway Series. Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard have been dealing fire throughout the playoffs, and Stephen Matz joins them in the World Series rotation, per the Mets:

New York will start out on the mound in Game 1 with Matt Harvey, who has won both of his starts so far in the postseason. Having not pitched since a 7.2-inning performance on October 17, he’ll be fresh and ready to go.

While the pitching has been there all season for the Mets, they’re getting incredible production from bats that had been inconsistent throughout the season. It’s mainly attributed to a balanced lineup, but the sudden outburst of Daniel Murphy has put them over the top.

Take a look at how well Murphy is raking against outside pitches, as he’s in the midst of a six-game postseason streak with home runs that broke an MLB record, per Mark Simon of ESPN:

Of course, the Royals aren’t to be outdone by the Mets’ suddenly reliable bats. Kansas City is in the middle of a scoring explosion as well, putting up 38 runs in its six-game series win over Toronto in the ALCS.

A scary Mets rotation might strike fear in Kansas City fans, but they should rest easy after seeing what the Royals were able to do to Blue Jays ace David Price in Game 6 despite a great performance from him, per Lee Judge of the Kansas City Star:

The Royals were not going to wait around; they’d go after the first good pitch they saw. The Royals wanted to get Price early in the count, before he got to those two-strike chase pitches.

They didn’t exactly kill him with that strategy — Price only gave up five hits total — but as far as the Royals were concerned, the strategy worked. Price was under 90 pitches after six innings, but gave up three earned runs in six and two-thirds and that was enough to put Kansas City in a position to win the game.

Doing that against a pitcher who is 0-7 all time in the postseason is one thing, but getting it done against a trio of red-hot pitchers who don’t seem at all fazed by the playoff spotlight will be another story entirely.

Simply put, the Royals have been getting it done, even when they face the other team’s top pitcher. But what will happen when the other team has three top pitchers?

Well, we should find out soon enough.

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Three decades’ worth of postseason futility will come to an end for either the Kansas City Royals or New York Mets this season. Based on the way things are going, that’s a good thing for the secondary ticket market.

ESPN.com’s Darren Rovell reported prices for Games 3 and 4 of the World Series at Citi Field in New York are both averaging more than $1,000 per ticket as of Monday. Game 3 comes in at a high of $1,115, and Game 4 currently sits at $1,077. Rovell noted it’s the first time since the 2013 World Series that a single ticket has hit quadruple digits.

Though the price is noteworthy, it’s actually trending downward. Mark Townsend of Yahoo Sports reported Thursday that tickets were going for an average of $1,667.82 for the trio of scheduled games at Citi Field. Jesse Lawrence of Forbes also noted the overall average resale price has now dipped lower than last season in Kansas City. Prices are tapering off in New York as well, though not as significant, per Lawrence.

The reasoning for Kansas City’s side is simple: The Royals were in the World Series a year ago. The novelty factor has worn off. They’ve been one of the best teams in baseball all season and were expected to make a deep October run after acquiring Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist at the deadline. After being an October ghost for 29 years, there was something magical about their 2014 run that isn’t quite the same a year later.

The Mets, meanwhile, haven’t been to the World Series since 2000 and have gone to the playoffs only three times since the turn of the century. It’s natural that their ticket prices would be higher, especially after such low expectations coming into the season. There is also the factor of New York prices simply being higher for everything; New York City boasts three of the five most expensive living areas in the United States, with Queens coming in at No. 5, per CBS News.

Combine those factors together, and it makes sense that the Mets are leading the Royals when it comes to setting the ticket-price bar. Secondary ticket provider ScoreBig.com currently lists its lowest ticket as going for $1,053.84.

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If pitching truly wins championships, congratulations to the New York Mets on their 2015 World Series title.

The Mets finished the season No. 4 in team ERA (3.45), an edge that carried over into October. Through nine postseason bouts, they sport a 2.81 ERA, accumulating 91 strikeouts through 80 innings.

Despite their bullpen’s best efforts, the Royals have allowed 4.3 runs per playoff game against tough offenses. A flimsy starting staff remains their biggest flaw, entering the World Series with a 5.56 postseason ERA and 4.75 walks per nine innings.

Of course, anything can happen in a best-of-seven series. A Mets rotation with two rookies and two former Tommy John surgery recipients could finally succumb to fatigue while the Royals’ erratic starters keep cleaning up their messes with runners in scoring position. Or maybe the National League champions jump out to early leads before the American League representatives can fully utilize their prolific bullpen.

Keep an eye on these hurlers during the Fall Classic.

Mets

Noah Syndergaard, SP

Per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, Mets manager Terry Collins confirmed his World Series rotation:

This order sets up Noah Syndergaard to start at Citi Field, where the 23-year-old rookie has notched a 2.41 ERA through 13 starts. This is hardly a demotion for Thor, as the hard-throwing newcomer would be available to pitch a potential Game 7. 

Jacob deGrom and Matt Harvey receive more attention atop New York’s stellar rotation, but Syndergaard may prove the best of the trio down the road. After concluding the season with a 3.24 ERA and 9.96 strikeouts per nine innings, he has amassed 20 punchouts through 13 postseason innings, frequently reaching 100 on the radar gun.

As he told Newsday‘s Marc Carig during their pennant celebration, this group is going to be a force for a while:

The pure power hurler will clash against an aggressive offense that rarely strikes out. Although the Royals have succeeded against high heat, there’s a huge difference between 95 and 100 miles per hour.

Tyler Clippard, RP

There’s a security breach in New York’s stellar pitching staff. If the Royals can force the starters out before bridging to closer Jeurys Familia, Mets fans everywhere will leave the series with damaged fingernails. 

Tyler Clippard is a disaster waiting to happen. According to FanGraphs, a 5.30 expected fielding independent pitching (FIP) and 60.6 fly-ball percentage muddy a 2.92 ERA. Since Sept. 1, he has relinquished 13 runs, including five homers, through 18.1 frames.

For New York’s sake, let’s hope he got the regression out of his system during Game 4 of the National League Championship Series. Kris Bryant clobbered a hanging changeup in the eighth inning, but the two-run homer merely lessened the lead to five. As Collins’ preferred setup man to Familia, Clippard usually pitches in more high-leverage situations.

The Mets don’t have a conventional southpaw specialist, but the right-handed Clippard would help against left-handed hitters. Lefties hold a career .179/.265/.307 slash line against the 30-year-old reliever. Those splits could come in handy against Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Alex Gordon.

Royals

Johnny Cueto, SP

In two drastically different starts, Johnny Cueto went from allowing two hits in eight innings to eight runs through two innings. The great outing led Kansas City past the Houston Astros, but the debacle cost the team an 11-8 shootout against Toronto. 

According to ESPN Stats & Info, the letdown performance set a dubious record:

When the Royals acquired Cueto from the Cincinnati Reds in July, they hoped to gain an ace to lead their October rotation. He sunk any such confidence before the season ended, registering a 4.76 ERA and 1.45 WHIP for his new organization. 

Yost has not set his World Series rotation, but he may prefer Yordano Ventura and/or Edinson Volquez to open the series. Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star wondered if Cueto‘s catastrophe at Rogers Centre will cause the Royals to use him at home in Game 1 or Game 2:

Citi Field is not the same treacherous hitters’ park, but the Mets are no cupcake matchup. If the good, or at least decent, Cueto doesn’t show up, the Royals are in trouble.

Kelvin Herrera, RP

Wade Davis’ promotion to closer has derailed his overall worth. If Greg Holland were still around, manager Ned Yost would have certainly used his current stopper more than twice in the American League Championship Series. He also wouldn’t have waited for Ryan Madson to blow a 3-1 lead before reluctantly using Davis (gasps) outside of the ninth inning in Game 6.

Unless Yost alters his bullpen usage, Kelvin Herrera becomes the club’s most vital reliever. Free from the foolish save shackles, the middle reliever has appeared in eight of Kansas City’s 11 playoff bouts. He has shined through them all, allowing seven baserunners with 16 strikeouts through 8.2 innings.

As noted by Beyond the Box Score, he’s the only pitcher generating a higher whiff rate than New York’s power starters this postseason:

His playoff success is a huge relief for the Royals, as he limped out of the season with 10 runs relinquished over his last 14.1 innings. For the second straight year, he’s the guy Yost comfortably turns to in high-leverage spots. Given Kansas City’s tumultuous rotation, Herrera and the bullpen have no margin for error.

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It’s been a long time coming for the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals, but one of the two will end a treacherous title drought in the 2015 World Series.

The Royals came suffocatingly close to doing just that this time last year, when they took the San Francisco Giants the distance in a seven-game championship series. While they haven’t won the title since 1985, the Mets won it in 1986 and haven’t been back to the promised land since.

No matter how this one shakes out, a long time of suffering will end for a rabid fanbase. Let’s take a look into everything for the 2015 World Series.

2015 World Series Dates and TV Info

World Series Preview

They came so close in 2000 during the Subway Series and have flirted with contention once or twice since then, but the New York Mets finally appear to have found that championship gear.

It all begins on the back of some stellar pitching. While the rest of baseball tries to throw $30-million-a-year contracts at the biggest arms in the game, the Mets have proven you can grow a top-caliber rotation on your own.

Per Spotrac, the rotation of Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard and Matt Harvey is costing the Mets no more than $614,125 per player. Not only is the trio proving the best value in sports, but they’re also looking like one of the best rotations ever assembled, per J.J. Cooper of Baseball America:

New York needed every bit of that standout pitching throughout part of the season when the bats simply weren’t coming together, and that’s put the Mets alone in history, as John Buccigross of ESPN reported:

Of course, now things are coming together quite well in the Mets lineup. Trade-deadline acquisition Yoenis Cespedes is knocking the cover off the ball, while Daniel Murphy is in the midst of an all-time record six straight postseason games with a home run.

Tasked with slowing down that lineup—and finding a way to get past that scary pitching—are the Kansas City Royals.

As much as Kansas City struggled with Houston’s Dallas Keuchel in the American League Division Series, the Royals showed a daunting lineup isn’t to worry about. Against by far the most prolific offense in baseball in the American League Championship Series, Kansas City took down the Toronto Blue Jays by scoring in bunches.

It marked the Royals’ second straight AL pennant, as MLB Network showed:

Both clubs have shown throughout this exciting postseason that they can rise up above stiff challenges and also soundly beat clubs that have it going. It should make for a star-studded clash come Game 1 in Kansas City, when the Royals will begin their two-game homestand before turning to the Big Apple for three more.

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UPDATE: Royals manager Ned Yost named Edinson Volquez the Game 1 starter for Kansas City after this went live. This article has been updated.

One of these teams is four wins away from winning a World Series for the first time since the Reagan administration.

The New York Mets, behind their young stud pitchers and the magician Daniel Murphy, will be in Kansas City on Tuesday night to take on a Kansas City Royals team that looks to avenge last year’s heartbreaking seven-game loss in the Fall Classic to the San Francisco Giants.

Matt Harvey will get the ball for the Mets in Game 1. As of Sunday afternoon, Royals manager Ned Yost has yet to name a starter. Edinson Volquez will be getting the ball for the Royals.

Here are the details you’ll need to know for Tuesday.

New York Mets at Kansas City Royals, 8:07 p.m. ET

At the beginning of the year, the Royals seemed to be a lock to make it back to the World Series. The Mets, on the other hand, were not. New York wasn’t even projected to win the National League East, let alone come close to a playoff spot.

Most experts predicted the Washington Nationals to run away with the division. Alas, here we are. The Nationals are looking for a new manager, and the Mets are playing for their first World Series since the ball went through Bill Buckner’s legs in 1986.

Harvey has pitched only two games this postseason, which is a good thing for manager Terry Collins. He’s been able to keep Harvey fresh while monitoring his recovery from Tommy John surgery. The Mets ace will pitch for the first time in nine days on Tuesday. He went 7.2 innings in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series on Oct. 17.

Collins has plenty of confidence in his young arms, per ESPN.com’s Adam Rubin.

“We like going into Kansas City with our Nos. 1 and 2 guys,” Collins said. “Noah has pitched great at home. We thought that’s a good mix. And obviously we think Steven Matz showed us, even though it hasn’t been the depth into the games like he’s going to do in the future, for four or five innings he’s been pretty good.”

The task for Harvey is to cool the hot bats of the two-time AL Champs. ALCS MVP Alcides Escobar batted 11-for-23 in the six games against Toronto.

ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick detailed just how much of an impact Escobar made against the Blue Jays.

The middle of Kansas City’s lineup can get hot at any moment, particularly Eric Hosmer and Alex Gordon. Although the Royals’ stars batted .250 and .263, respectively, Harvey allowed 15 home runs this year to left-handed hitters. Those two are key to getting Kansas City off to a hot start on Tuesday.

For the Mets, it’s no surprise their offense begins and ends with Daniel Murphy. The man who has homered in six straight postseason games will be asked to carry the offense once again in Game 1. He won’t be able to beat the Royals by himself, though. David Wright went 4-for-14 against the Cubs, and Curtis Granderson was no better, batting 3-for-15. 

This is the first time this postseason the Mets are facing a team with successful postseason experience. As the series rolls on, New York may be able to settle down and make this a competitive series. But the Royals are at home, and that alone gives them an advantage.

Prediction: Kansas City 5, New York 3

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Matching ’em up and breaking ’em down, from top to bottom, side to side, east to west, Daniel Murphy to Alcides Escobar, Mr. Met to Sluggerrr: the World Series teams, the cities, the fastballs, the drama. Game 1, first pitch 8:07 p.m. ET on Fox on Tuesday night. Cracker Jack on us.

1. This World Series Explained in Two Paragraphs

No team in baseball threw as many pitches clocked at 95 mph or higher as the New York Mets, according to Baseball Savant.

No team in baseball had a higher batting average (.284) and lower strikeout percentage (13.0 percent) against 95 mph-and-above heat than the Kansas City Royals.

Edge: All of us watching. Man, could this be fun.

2. Streaking: Who’s Hotter?

Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy suddenly has developed into a hybrid Babe Ruth/Barry Bonds/Ted Williams. He has homered in a record six consecutive postseason games and has a total of seven postseason home runs, leading to the obvious question: Is there a pitcher out there, anywhere, who will bust him inside? Move him off the plate? Make him dance, moving his feet? (Hello, Yordano Ventura.) Nobody has done that yet, and it is baffling.

“Yeah, I’m surprised,” Murphy said of the homers, not the fact that nobody’s dusted him yet. “Each time I’ve been able to put a swing on a ball and it goes out of the ballpark, I feel like I’ve been in stretches where I’ve put good swings on balls, but they’re singles and doubles.”

Then there is Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar, leadoff man extraordinaire, MVP of the ALCS by virtue of hitting .478 and pushing his hitting streak to 10 games. He banged out hits in each of his first-inning at-bats leading off the first four ALCS games. His secret: He is not afraid to swing at the first pitch.

“Ninety-nine percent of the time, it is a fastball right there in the strike zone,” Escobar explained.

Edge: Mets

3. Streaking, Part II

When the New York Mets whacked the Chicago Cubs in a stunning sweep in the National League Championship Series, it was the first time the Mets ever swept a best-of-seven game series. Overall, the Mets have won five consecutive postseason games.

The Royals over the past two years have not lost a postseason game in which they were leading after six innings, going 10-0. Chalk up a “Bo Derek Perfect 10” (and counting) for the extraordinary Kansas City bullpen.

Edge: Royals

4. Melting the Radar Guns

The extraordinary starting pitching of the Mets has forged one of the most effective performances in memory.

Matt Harvey, who will start Game 1 here Tuesday night, already has started an All-Star Game. Jacob deGrom, with 27 strikeouts in three postseason starts, is the first Met to rack up three wins in a single postseason since Jesse Orosco in 1986. Noah Syndergaard reached 101 mph in the division series against the Dodgers. Rookie Steven Matz already has started two postseason games after only six regular-season starts. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only one pitcher started fewer MLB games before making his first postseason start: Philadelphia’s Marty Bystrom in 1980.

Yes, as noted above, the Mets threw more pitches clocked at 95 mph and above than anybody else, but they are pitchers, not simply flamethrowers: Their key to beating the Cubs was the unusually high number of breaking pitches they threw to a team that feasts on fastballs. Exhibit A, deGrom in Game 3, per Inside Edge:

As for Kansas City’s rotation, it remains a work in progress. Johnny Cueto remains maddeningly inconsistent. The Toronto crowd in Game 3 of the ALCS noticeably affected him, according to Royals sources.

“Johnny needs to be loved,” one source said, and he certainly wasn’t getting that from Blue Jays fans. Neither will he get it from Mets fans, which is why Kansas City almost certainly will arrange its rotation so that Cueto pitches in the comfort of home in Kauffman Stadium. Maybe they can get him a nice cozy pair of slippers and a robe, too.

Ventura, 24, is excitable and can lose his focus when his adrenaline pumps too rapidly, though he kept it together in the clinching Game 6 win over Toronto. Interestingly, he eschewed the windup and pitched from the stretch all night long—a move the Royals think helped him keep his focus. Starting July 26 through season’s end, Ventura went 9-1 with a 3.10 ERA, with his 91 strikeouts during this stretch tying for second in the American League.

Edinson Volquez has been far better than expected this season (and a good influence on a still-maturing Ventura). Veteran Chris Young got the Game 4 start in the ALCS; we’ll see what Ned Yost does here. Young is tall (6’10”) and deceptive, making the ball hard to pick up for opposing hitters.

Edge: Mets

5. Attacking the Heat

Maybe Kansas City can do what the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cubs couldn’t do this month against Mets pitching and knock them off balance. Not only are the Royals a terrific fastball-hitting team, but they also know their way around breaking pitches, as noted by Inside Edge:

While the Royals ranked 14th in the AL during the regular season with only 139 homers (or, roughly as many as Daniel Murphy hits before breakfast), there also are no soft spots in their lineup. From Escobar atop the order on through Ben Zobrist, Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer, Kendrys Morales, Mike Moustakas, Salvador Perez, Alex Gordon and Alex Rios, every inning starts with a potential rally.

Edge: Royals

6. July in October: Trick or Treat

The Mets’ fortunes completely changed in July with the acquisitions of slugger Yoenis Cespedes (from the Tigers) and infielders Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe (Braves) and the recall of rookie outfielder Michael Conforto. The Mets offense immediately went from 98-pound weakling to heavyweight champ.

Matching New York general manager Sandy Alderson, Kansas City’s Dayton Moore pulled the trigger on two key deals of his own, acquiring Cueto from the Reds and Ben Zobrist from Oakland. Zobrist was a huge upgrade over scuffling second baseman Omar Infante and filled in when Gordon was lost for a time to a groin strain.

Edge: Even

7. The Horse’s End of the Bullpen

Back end? You know all about Kansas City’s if you were paying attention last October. What’s different now: Closer Greg Holland is out for the season following Tommy John surgery, and the domino effect has Wade Davis moving from the eighth inning into the closer’s role. Setup man Kelvin Herrera is a key weapon, as are Luke Hochevar, Danny Duffy and Ryan Madson.

Do not overlook Mets closer Jeurys Familia, who ranked third in the NL this year with 43 saves in 48 opportunities. He is lights-out and could become a star by the time this World Series is finished. But getting to him is a dicey proposition for manager Terry Collins.

Tyler Clippard, Jonathon Niese, Addison Reed, Hansel Robles…the Mets at this point would rather take their chances cliff-diving than using that group as a bridge to Familia. Secret bullpen weapon for the Mets: Bartolo Colon.

Edge: Royals

8. The Managers

In Kansas City’s dugout, you’ve got Ned Yost, who declared the 45-minute rain delay in Game 6 of the ALCS against Toronto to be “a pain in the ass.” No kidding, because man did he ever take some deserved heat for using Ryan Madson against Jose Bautista in the eighth inning just before the rain hit instead of bringing in closer Wade Davis. Bautista’s game-tying home run hadn’t even landed yet before folks were fitting Yost for a dunce cap. Yet, once again, he had the last laugh.

Terry Collins is having a career year as manager with New York after previous stops in Houston and Anaheim turned more toxic than a football field laid out on top of arsenic. Into this postseason, he had managed 1,688 major league games without ever once reaching the postseason. Milking a young pitching staff through a season in which the club wanted to limit its workload, Collins and pitching coach Dan Warthen have done extraordinary work.

Edge: Royals

9. Celebrity Mascots

Still remember seeing cool regular-guy actor and diehard Royals fan Paul Rudd in line at Oklahoma Joe’s barbecue last October (get the burnt ends, they are tremendous, and know that since last autumn the restaurant inside of a gas station has changed its name to Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que). And Eric Stonestreet, who plays Cam on the monster hit show Modern Family, was hanging around his hometown team.

Everyone knows Jerry Seinfeld is the No. 1 Mets celebrity fan, and he even tweeted something I beat him to by several minutes last July when the Mets acquired Yoenis Cespedes. Why, you don’t suppose Jerry isn’t writing his own jokes anymore, do you?

Give Jerry credit for this five days later, however:

10. X-Factors

Mets: Opportunism. The Mets ranked 29th in the majors during the season with 51 stolen bases. This postseason, they’ve already swiped nine, which ties them with the Blue Jays for the top spot. Leadoff man Curtis Granderson has four of them and is hitting .303/.385/.364, which means he’s getting plenty of opportunities.

Royals: Resiliency. Kansas City trailed every single one of the five games during the division series against Houston yet came back to win. The Royals trailed Toronto 11-4 in Game 3 of the ALCS yet scored four times in the ninth inning and forced the Jays to warm up their closer. And the Royals faced a pivotal moment in Game 6 against the Jays, Jose Bautista’s game-tying homer in the eighth, by answering with what turned out to be the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth.

Edge: Royals

11. Historical parallels

The Mets have not won the World Series since 1986. Since then, they’ve played in only one World Series, in 2000 (and this is their fifth overall, having won in 1969 and ’86 and lost in ’73 and ’00).

The Royals have not won the World Series since 1985. They now are playing in their second consecutive World Series after playing in only two total during their first 45 years of existence.

Edge: Even

12. Ballparks

Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium is the most underrated park in the game, a perfect place to hold a World Series with the cool fountains beyond the center field fence.

New York’s Citi Field is a very nice new ballpark, though fairly nondescript, with the odd, mutant big apple rising from behind the center field fence whenever one of its own hits a home run.

Edge: Royals

13. Ballpark Staples

Citi Field: Shake Shack

Kauffman Stadium: Barbecue

Edge: Royals

14. Cities

New York is arguably the greatest city in the world, with a cosmopolitan vibe, any kind of culture and food you could possibly want and an Apple store that stays open 24 hours a day.

Kansas City is a fine Midwestern city with a low cost of living that creates a terrific place to raise a family. The spectacular fountains everywhere you look are very cool, and the barbecue is more seductive than that girl who used to wink at you in English class back in high school.

Edge: New York

15. Final Pitch

The Mets have had a long layoff since winning the clincher against the Cubs last Wednesday, which for most teams could be a detriment. Baseball is a game of timing, and clubs can get awfully stale awfully quickly. Will Murphy’s swing be the same after a week off? Will Granderson continue to kill it in the leadoff spot?

But for a group of very young starters that has thrown more innings this year than it ever has before, perhaps a few extra days will be beneficial. Maybe Syndergaard will find 101 again. Maybe it won’t take deGrom a couple of innings to find his groove. Stay tuned.

As for the Royals, I like that their young core has grown up together, won at every single level of the minor leagues and now has returned to the World Series for a second consecutive season. To a man, players from Cain to Hosmer and beyond maintain that losing last year’s World Series in Game 7 to San Francisco only made them more determined in 2015.

The power versus power thing will be the top matchup to watch, looking at how this group of quick-swinging Royals hitters handles all of those hard throwers from the Mets. Kansas City has the home-field advantage, just like last year, when the Giants clipped them in Kauffman Stadium at the very end.

I look for a different outcome this year. It’s the Royals’ turn.

Pick: Royals in seven

Scott Miller covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report.

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Between now and the start of the 2015 World Series, there’s going to be a lot of talk about the layoff, and for good reason.

The New York Mets haven’t played since last Wednesday, and extended breaks have not been kind to Fall Classic participants. Five of the last six teams that had five or more days off before the World Series ended up losing, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

While it will be worth watching out to see if the Mets can buck that trend, it’s far from the only narrative to keep an eye on as the World Series approaches.

From the emergence of Bartolo Colon as a middle reliever to the potential disappearance of Kendrys Morales, here are a few of the under-the-radar storylines that will make a major impact in this matchup between the Mets and the Kansas City Royals.

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Blue is the color in baseball this postseason. The final four teams remaining all have blue as their primary team color. The Chicago Cubs and Toronto Blue Jays fell by the wayside, leaving two survivors.

The New York Mets will represent the National League against the American League’s Kansas City Royals in what could be an epic World Series.

Here’s the schedule for the entire series, per MLB.com

Schedule

• Game 1: at Kansas City, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 8 p.m. ET on FOX
• Game 2: at Kansas City, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 8 p.m. ET on FOX
• Game 3: at New York, Friday, Oct. 30, 8 p.m. ET on FOX
• Game 4: at New York, Saturday, Oct. 31, 8 p.m. ET on FOX
• Game 5 (if necessary): at New York, Sunday, Nov. 1, 8 p.m. ET on FOX
• Game 6 (if necessary): at Kansas City, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 8 p.m. ET on FOX
• Game 7 (if necessary): at Kansas City, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 8 p.m. ET on FOX

Players to Watch

Daniel Murphy

Pitching has been the Mets’ most high-profile quality this postseason. Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard have been dominant. Even with their excellent play, a blazing hot position player is the man to watch.

It’s almost impossible to imagine someone being hotter than Daniel Murphy. The New York Mets’ 30-year-old second baseman has been an exemplary player and leader throughout the postseason. He’s homered in six straight games and seven times in the postseason overall.

Murphy is hitting .421, and he’s driven in 11 runs in nine playoff games. Per Peter Botte of New York Daily News, Murphy was asked by reporters, what planet he’s from. Murphy said: “Earth … planet Earth … Jacksonville, Florida. You guys get to use all the adjectives, that’s above my pay grade.”

It’ll be tough for Murphy to maintain the pace he’s set for himself, but there’s no question the Mets organization and its fans hope it lasts another series.

Alcides Escobar

Many times, an effective leadoff man wreaks havoc with his legs and on-base percentage, drawing walks on a consistent basis. American League Championship Series MVP Alcides Escobar hasn’t drawn a walk or stolen a base yet in the postseason.

He’s instead done his work with the bat.

His batting average in the postseason is .386, and his on-base percentage is still .408 despite not receiving a walk. Escobar has only been in two postseasons in his career, but he has created a habit of playing big when it matters most.

In 26 postseason games, Escobar is hitting .330 with a .348 on-base percentage. Royals manager Ned Yost knows the 28-year-old Venezuelan can be inconsistent during the regular season, but the lifetime .262 hitter flips the proverbial switch in the postseason.

Per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com), Yost said: 

“He’s such a talented player. But with the grind of a 162-game season, there are little periods where his focus will tend to waver a little bit. But during the playoffs, he just locks in. And when he’s focused, he’s as good as any player in the league.”

Leading up to the ALCS, Escobar has proven his manager correct.

X-Factors

David Wright

There was a time when David Wright would’ve been in the section just above this one. Wright was one of the game’s top hitters in the mid-2000s, but injuries have threatened his career and made him a decreased version of who he was before.

Against the Cubs, he scored five runs in four games, as he was routinely on base for Murphy’s heroics. Wright is hitting just .167 in the postseason, but he must continue to be willing to take walks so that he can give Murphy and Yoenis Cespedes opportunities to drive in runs.

Wright must also continue to play high-level defense at third base. A leaping catch in Game 4 against the Cubs helped stuff a potential Chicago rally.

Wright’s role may not be the same one he was expected to play in 2006—when he struggled to a .216 batting average in the playoffs—but the Mets still need him to do his part for this team.

Ben Zobrist

There was quite a competition for Ben Zobrist‘s services earlier this season, per CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman. The Royals won the derby as they completed a deal with the Oakland Athletics for the 34-year-old veteran. Zobrist has paid major dividends, especially in the postseason.

He is hitting .326 with 10 runs scored, and he has driven in six runs in the playoffs. His production has only augmented the work from Escobar.

The Royals’ lineup doesn’t have big boppers with 30 home runs. This group is a sum of its parts, and Zobrist‘s role as a No. 2 hitter has fit in perfectly. He must continue to usher RBI opportunities to Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain and Kendrys Morales if the lineup is to continue functioning like a well-oiled machine.

Prediction

If a team is looking to string together huge innings against the Mets’ stellar pitching staff, it won’t find success. The top three starters are too good for teams to expect to tally multiple hits against them in an inning.

The Royals have a lineup that is capable of playing small ball and even hitting the occasional, timely long ball. That’s the best profile to get to the Mets’ young stud pitchers.

Top to bottom, the Royals’ staff can’t match the Mets’ young and nasty group. However, the experience and chemistry of the Royals’ staff—and team as a whole—will prove to be too much.

The Royals will capture the World Series title that eluded them last season in an entertaining series that ends in six games.

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