The Kansas City Royals will play their divisional foe Minnesota Twins at Target Field. The first pitch is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET and Fox Sports Kansas City will be televising the action.
Kansas City Royals vs. Minnesota Twins Odds
Oddsmakers are listing Kansas City (+135) as the underdog to Minnesota (-145). The total sits at 9 runs and bettors can take the over for -125 or the under for +105. Bettors can also wager on the game’s runline with the odds sitting at Royals +1.5 runs (-160) and Twins -1.5 runs (+140).
The Royals have gone 34-76 SU this year and are 50-59 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 26.8 units for gamblers taking the moneyline and 18.4 units ATS. The Twins, on the other hand, are 51-58 SU and 60-48 ATS. They’ve lost 10.0 units for bettors taking the moneyline while earning 9.4 units ATS.
Twins games have an over/under record of 51-54-3 in 2018. Kansas City has been a good under bet with a total record of 46-57-6.
Southpaw Danny Duffy will get the nod for the visiting Royals. Duffy (7-9, 4.50 ERA) has recorded 120 strikeouts in 132 innings so far. He’s 1-0 with 17 strikeouts and a 0.95 ERA against Minnesota this year (three starts).
The Twins are handing the ball to righty Ervin Santana (0-0, 6.10 ERA), who has six strikeouts and three walks to his name, as well as a WHIP of 1.55. Santana hasn’t faced the Royals yet this year, but he made four starts against them in 2017, putting together a 2-1 record with a 5.25 ERA.
Kansas City’s pitching staff allowed 5.5 runs per game and its starters own a 5.31 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 7.40 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 5.41, along with a K-per-9 of 7.12.
The Royals offense has slashed .240/.303/.373 on its way to 3.7 runs scored per game in 2018, including 4.1 runs per game against divisional foes and 4.8 per game over the team’s last five outings (2-3 SU).
Second baseman Whit Merrifield and third baseman Mike Moustakas continue to lead Kansas City’s offense. The speedy Merrifield is slashing .301/.370/.424 with six home runs, 35 RBIs, 53 runs and 25 steals, while Moustakas (.249/.309/.468) is up to 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 season. Its starting pitching staff has an ERA of 4.30, a WHIP of 1.34 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.5. The bullpen has a 4.65 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 9.4 K/9. In 41 games against divisional opponents, Twins starters have an ERA of 4.25 and the bullpen’s ERA is 2.86.
The Minnesota offense is putting up 4.5 runs per contest, including 4.4 per game against divisional foes and 4.2 per game over its last five. The team’s hit .259/.343/.405 over its last five games and is 3-2 SU during that span.
Left fielder Eddie Rosario and shortstop Eduardo Escobar have paced the Twins’ batters this year. Rosario is slashing .298/.339/.502 with 20 home runs, 66 RBIs and 72 runs scored, while Escobar’s line sits at .274/.338/.514 with 15 homers, 63 RBIs and 45 runs.
The Royals have lost 24.4 units and are 30-44 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in 33 of those games, compared to 36 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Twins have lost 3.4 units and are 19-11 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher. The over’s hit in 11 of those games, compared to 18 which went under the total.
Kansas City Royals at Minnesota Twins MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Twins, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – UNDER
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Betting Notes
The under has hit in five of Minnesota’s last seven games.
Kansas City fielders have committed zero errors over their last five games, compared to three errors for Minnesota over its last five.
The Royals have hit 12 home runs in their last 10 games. The Twins have hit six over their last 10.
*****
