The Kansas City Royals will head north to Target Field to face off against their divisional rival Minnesota Twins. Fox Sports Kansas City will broadcast the matchup and the game is scheduled to get underway at 7:10 p.m. ET.
Kansas City Royals at Minnesota Twins Odds
Oddsmakers are listing Kansas City (+210) as the underdog to Minnesota (-230). The total is sitting at 8.5 runs and bettors can wager on the over for -125 and the under for +105. You can also bet on the game’s runline with the odds coming in at Royals +1.5 runs (-105) and Twins -1.5 runs (-115).
The Twins are 59-48 against the spread (ATS)despite being only 49-58 straight up (SU). They’ve lost 11.0 units for moneyline bettors while gaining 8.4 units (ATS). Minnesota has a 3-4 ATS mark over its last seven games and the under has cashed in six of those seven. The Royals have gone 34-74 SU this year and are 50-58 ATS. Overall, the team’s lost 25.8 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 17.3 units ATS. Kansas City’s covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in three of those seven.
Twins games have an over/under record of 50-54-3 in 2018. Royals games have gone under 57 times, gone over 45 times and pushed on six occasions.
Right-hander Burch Smith is projected to start for the visiting Royals. Smith is 1-2 with a 6.00 ERA and 55 strikeouts. He’s 0-0 with seven strikeouts and a 15.63 ERA against Minnesota this year.
The Twins are putting the ball in the right hand of Jose Berrios (10-8, 3.56 ERA), who has 142 strikeouts and 33 walks this season as well as a 1.05 WHIP. Berrios is 1-0 with eight strikeouts and a 1.29 ERA in one start against Kansas City this year.
Kansas City’s pitchers have allowed 5.5 runs per game and its starters own a 5.25 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 7.39 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 5.41, along with a K-per-9 of 7.01.
Royals hitters have slashed .240/.303/.375 on their way to 3.7 runs scored per game in 2018, including 4.2 runs per game against divisional foes and 5.0 per game over the team’s last five outings (2-3 SU).
Kansas City’s hitters have been paced by second baseman Whit Merrifield and third baseman Mike Moustakas. The speedy Merrifield is hitting .297/.367/.423 with six home runs, 35 RBIs, 51 runs and 24 stolen bases. Moustakas has a .249 average with 20 homers, 62 RBIs and 46 runs scored.
For the home team, Minnesota’s pitching staff has allowed 4.7 runs per game overall this year. Its starters have a 4.32 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 8.6 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.70 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 9.4 K/9. In 39 games against divisional foes, Twins starters have an ERA of 4.29 and the bullpen’s ERA is 2.89.
Minnesota’s offense is putting up 4.4 runs per outing, including 4.3 per game against divisional foes and 2.2 per game over its last five. The team has a slash-line of .194/.256/.290 over its last five matchups and is 1-4 SU during that span.
Outfielder Eddie Rosario and shortstop Eduardo Escobar have led the Twins’ batters this year. Rosario is hitting .297/.340/.499 with 19 home runs, 64 RBIs and 69 runs scored, and Escobar’s line is .274/.338/.514 with 15 homers, 63 RBIs and 45 runs scored.
The Royals have lost 23.4 units and are 30-43 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has cashed in 32 of those games, as opposed to 36 that’ve gone under against righty starters. On the other hand, the Twins have lost 7.7 units and are 40-37 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over has hit in 39 of those games, compared to 36 that went under.
Kansas City Royals at Minnesota Twins Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Twins, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – UNDER
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Notes
Betting Notes
The over has cashed in just one of Minnesota’s last seven games.
The Twins have lost five of their last six games SU.
Kansas City has posted 23.6 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 21.4 over its last five.
The Royals have hit 13 home runs in their last 10 games, including eight over their last five.
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