Tyler Duffey (7-8, 5.93 ERA) and Dillon Gee (4-5, 4.54 ERA) take the hill in the second of a three-game series between the Minnesota Twins (46-70) and the Kansas City Royals (56-59) at Target Field. The Royals won the last game 7-3, and Kansas City leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 7:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 13 and can be seen on FSKC and FSN.
Duffey pitched 6.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering one run, striking out eight and walking one in a 3-1 win over the Astros. Brian Dozier (.264, 67 Rs, 24 HRs, 68 RBIs, 8 SBs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run, one home run, and two RBIs. Gee went 2.0 innings, surrendering zero runs and striking out three in a 3-2 win over the White Sox in his most recent start. Kendrys Morales (.248, 41 Rs, 19 HRs, 55 RBIs) has been successful at the plate for the Royals, going 2 for 2 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
Minnesota is a -120 favorite against Kansas City and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at nine runs. The Twins have recorded an overall money line of -1,247 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 are one of the best in the MLB in terms of extra base hits with 385. Minnesota is one of the best in the AL in terms of walks, earning an average of 3.2 per game. Turning to the pitchers, the Twins are the second-best team in the AL at limiting walks to their opponents, allowing only 2.6 walks per game so far this season.
In the other locker room, Kansas City is coming in with an overall money line of -102 and a disappointing record of 27-47 as the underdog. Despite an underwhelming record as the underdog against AL Central opponents (10-14), they pulled off an impressive 25-16 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 7.5 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, 6-1. The Twins have a bad 15-29 record at home (31-54 overall) against right-handed starting pitchers, which is what they’ll be facing when Gee takes the mound. Duffey (RHP) will be on the hill against the Royals, who have a 43-44 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – MIN, O/U – Under
Notes
When leading after seven innings, Minnesota is 25-27, while Kansas City is 22-28.
The Royals are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Twins have a 3-17 record when opponents give up one walk or less.
When they are outhit, the Twins are 8-58. The Royals have a 6-40 record when opponents outhit them.
Kansas City ranks near the bottom of the league at 27th when it comes to home runs, hitting 96 this season. Minnesota ranks in the top half with 140.
Minnesota and Kansas City both rank in the top 10 of the league in hits. Minnesota sits at seventh with 8.94 hits per game and Kansas City ranks eighth with 8.93.
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 .753.
The Royals are 35-48 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Twins are 33-58 when they allow at least one homer.
