Kyle Gibson (4-6, 4.86 ERA) and Yordano Ventura (7-9, 4.64 ERA) are on the hill in the first of a three-game series between the Minnesota Twins (46-69) and the Kansas City Royals (55-59) at Target Field. Action begins at 8:10 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 12 and can be seen on FSKC and FSN.
Gibson pitched 5.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering two runs, striking out two and walking four in a 6-3 win over the Rays. Brian Dozier (.262, 66 Rs, 23 HRs, 66 RBIs, 8 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday. Ventura went 6.2 innings, surrendering one run, striking out four and walking four in a 7-1 win over the Blue Jays in his most recent start. Cheslor Cuthbert (.303, 33 Rs, 9 HRs, 36 RBIs, 1 SB) has been successful at the plate for the Royals, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run and one RBI.
Minnesota is a narrow -106 favorite at home against Kansas City. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at eight runs for this matchup. The Twins have recorded an overall money line of -1,147 and have shown a weak performance as a favorite this season with a record of 10-15. Minnesota has had a discouraging season against division opponents, earning records of 2-6 and 14-26 as the favorite and SU, respectively. The Twins have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 6.7 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 4.6 runs per game. The Twins are one of the best in the MLB in terms of extra base hits with 382. Minnesota is one of the best in the AL in terms of walks, earning an average of 3.2 per game. Crossing over to the pitching staff, the Twins are the top team in the AL at limiting walks to their opponents, allowing only 2.6 walks per game so far this season.
As for their opponent, Kansas City is coming in with an overall money line of -202 and a disappointing record of 27-47 as the underdog. Despite an underwhelming record as the underdog against teams in their division (10-14), they pulled off an impressive 24-16 SU record. Offensively, the Royals have really picked up the pace in division games. They have exceeded their season average of 3.8 runs per game by averaging 4.7 in those contests. Kansas City is excellent at making contact with just 7.4 strikeouts per game, ranking fifth in the AL. Moving on to Kansas City’s pitching staff and defense, the Royals allow just four runs per road game, ranking them third in the AL.
The Royals have controlled the season series, 5-1. The Twins have a bad 15-28 record at home (31-53 overall) against right-handed starting pitchers, which is what they’ll be facing when Ventura takes the mound. Gibson (RHP) will be on the hill against the Royals, who have a 42-44 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – MIN, O/U – Over
Notes
In their last game, the Royals won by a margin of one run. The Twins are 11-19 in one-run games. The Royals have a 17-15 record in close games.
When leading after seven innings, Minnesota is 25-26, while Kansas City is 21-28.
The Royals are coming into this game after allowing no walks during their last outing. The Twins have a 0-7 record when opponents don’t give up any walks.
When they are outhit, the Twins are 8-57. The Royals have a 6-40 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 27th in home runs, Kansas City has hit 95 this season. Minnesota ranks 14th with 138 home runs.
Minnesota and Kansas City both rank in the top 10 of the league in hits. Minnesota sits at eighth with 8.91 hits per game and Kansas City ranks seventh with 8.97.
Ranking 26th, Kansas City is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.707). Minnesota ranks in the top half at 12th with an OPS of .754.
When the Royals allow at least one home run, they are 34-48. When the Twins allow one or more homers, they have a 33-57 record.
