Ervin Santana (7-4, 4.10 ERA) and the Minnesota Twins (83-76) meet Chris Young (11-6, 3.15 ERA) and the Kansas City Royals (92-67) in the first of a three-game division series at Target Field. The game starts at 8:10 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 2 and will air on FSKC and FSN.
In his most recent outing, Santana pitched 7.0 innings, giving up one run, striking out five and walking two in a 7-1 victory over the Tigers. Eddie Rosario (.270, 59 Rs, 13 HRs, 50 RBIs, 11 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run. The Royals were also victorious the last time Young pitched. He had a good outing, pitching 5.0 innings, allowing zero runs, striking out two and walking one in a 3-0 victory over the Indians.
Minnesota is a small -115 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at eight runs. The Twins are 20-16 as the favorite and have an overall money line of +2,356. They have a SU record of 40-33 against teams in their division and an 11-7 record when they were the favorite in those games. The Twins are second in the AL in walks allowed with just 2.5 per game.
Switching gears, the Royals come into this game with a win percentage of .545 when playing as the underdog (36-30) and an overall money line of +1,499. Against teams in their division, they are 40-32 SU and have played well as the underdog with a 16-11 record. One of the top hitting teams in the AL are the Royals, who average 9.2 hits per game. The Royals have racked up 102 steals on the year, making them one of the most threatening base-running teams in the league.
The Royals have gotten the better of the Twins in head-to-head matchups this season, going 9-7. This game will feature Young (RHP) on the mound against the Twins, who have a 55-49 record when they take on a right-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Royals will be the right-hander Santana. They sport a 62-41 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – KC, O/U – Over
Notes
Minnesota has won 49% (29-30) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Kansas City has won 63% (39-23) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Royals managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Twins who are heading in with a 33-13 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Twins are 58-8. The Royals have a 72-8 record when outhitting opponents.
Both falling in the top 10 of the league based on total runs this season, Minnesota ranks 10th with 693 runs and Kansas City is sixth with 710.
Ranking 30th, Kansas City is at the bottom of the league in walks, notching 368 this season. Minnesota ranks near the bottom at 22nd with 427.
When the Twins hit at least one home run, they are 64-36, well-matched with the Royals who are 63-31 when hitting one or more homers.
