Post-season baseball could not have gotten off to a more thrilling start as the Oakland A's and Kansas City Royals traded runs for 12 innings. Eventually Kansas City managed to take the victory and earn the right to play a series with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim next. This was the first postseason victory for the Royals in 29 years.

What: ALDS Game 1

Where: Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA

When: Thursday, Oct. 2

Start Time: 9:07 PM ET/6:07 PM PT

Where to Watch: TBS

Still, there is no time to celebrate. The Angels are waiting in the wings and the real test has only begun for the Royals. The two teams split six games during the regular season, but the fact is that they have both improved by leaps and bounds since they met in the beginning of Summer. 

For the Angels, their efforts have led them to the best record in baseball; for the Royals, their tale as underdogs has earned them support throughout the country. This is a preview of everything that will go into this match-up and what to expect in what is sure to be an exciting series.

Angels

For the Angels, their dominance begins with the production of their starting line-up. Kole Calhoun and Mike Trout make for a great one-two punch in terms of getting runs on the board and explosive qualities. Throw in Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton and it is easy to see how this offense is able to be overwhelming early on.

Royals

Unfortunately for the Royals, they just cannot match the Angels offensive firepower. Not a single person on the team has hit 20 home runs this season and the amount of RBIs so far totals to 74. That is not to say that they won't put runs up, however. Kansas City led the AL in stolen bases and, as evidenced in the game with Oakland, they know how to catch hard hitting teams off guard. Still, give the Angels the advantage. Their offense has handled everyone thrown at them so far; it is not hard to hope for the same here.

Pitching

Angels should consider themselves fortunate for that high hitting offense because their rotation has taken a big hit this year. Tyler Skaggs and Garrett Richards being out for the season is a problem any way you look at it. The Royals on the other hand have a number of tricks up their sleeve for the play-offs including a healthy James Shields to pitch for them later in the series. Danny Duffie and Jeremy Gutherie are likely to start out the series, but the depth that Kansas City has allows them to hold off on their big weapons for later on.

Of course, you cannot bring up the Los Angeles Angels without bringing up the bullpen. Jason Grill and Houston Street have been brilliant closers have shown Angels GM Jerry DiPoto's understanding that the team needs effort throughout the game to be successful. That said, the bullpen for the Royals is great too. Brandon Finnegan was not on many peoples radars until Tuesday evening and is proof positive that the bullpen is the foundation of Kansas City.

X-Factor

Finally, the intangibles of postseason baseball have to be looked at. The Angels have the motivation of wanting to win for their best pitcher, Richards. They took advantage of a collapsing Oakland team and have the true motivation for needed for victory. Still, Kansas City just has more momentum going into this game. They have the underdog story and the production to make people believe in it. 

Prediction

All that said, the underdogs do not have a history of going all the way; you cannot expect to win the World Series on a good story alone. That is not to say that all the Royals have to offer is a comeback tale, but Los Angeles has just been a more complete team for a longer period of time. Expect the Angles to eventually assert their dominance and take the series.

Game 1 Prediction: Angels win 5-3.