The Kansas City Royals are set to host their AL Central foe Minnesota Twins at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium. The matchup can be viewed across the country on Fox Sports One and the game gets underway 7:15 p.m. ET.
Minnesota Twins at Kansas City Royals Odds
Kansas City (-115) is favored over Minnesota (+105) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under for this one at 9 runs. The odds for betting on the game’s total stand at -125 for the over and +105 for the under. Bettors can also wager on the game’s runline with the odds standing at -200 for the Twins +1.5 runs and +170 for the Royals -1.5.
The Royals are 51-96 straight up (SU) and 71-75 against the spread (ATS). The team has lost 26.0 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 13.1 units (ATS). Kansas City has a 3-4 ATS mark over its last seven games and the total has gone under in four of those seven. The Twins are 67-80 SU and have gone 74-72 ATS. Overall, the team’s lost 12.8 units for moneyline bettors and 2.3 units ATS. Minnesota’s covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the over has cashed in four of those seven.
Kansas City games have an over/under record of 62-73-11 in 2018. The Twins have an over/under record of 71-72-3.
Chase De Jong will get the nod for the visiting Twins. The right-handed De Jong (0-0, 0.00 ERA) has racked up five strikeouts in four innings so far. He’s 0-0 with five strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA against Kansas City this year.
The Royals are turning to righty Ian Kennedy (1-8, 4.92 ERA), who has 93 punchouts and 37 walks to his credit as well as a 1.42 WHIP. Kennedy is 0-0 with nine strikeouts and a 3.00 ERA across two starts against Minnesota this year.
Kansas City’s pitchers have yielded 5.2 runs per game overall in 2018 as a unit. Its starters have an ERA of 5.01, a WHIP of 1.42 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 7.3. The bullpen has a 5.08 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 7.4 K/9. In 66 divisional games, Royals starters have an ERA of 4.84 and the bullpen’s ERA is 5.03.
The Kansas City offense has put up 3.9 runs per outing, including 4.3 per game against divisional foes and 5.2 per game over its last five. The team has hit .261/.361/.461 over its last five contests and is 4-1 SU during that stretch.
The Royals’ offense has been led by second baseman Whit Merrifield and catcher Salvador Perez. Merrifield is slashing .302/.366/.434 with 12 home runs, 56 RBIs, 79 runs and 36 stolen bases, and Perez is batting .237 with 26 homers, 75 RBIs and 47 runs scored.
In the visiting dugout, Minnesota’s pitching staff allowed 4.9 runs per game and its starters own a 4.57 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 8.24 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.71, along with a K-per-9 of 9.04.
The Twins offense has slashed .245/.315/.401 on its way to 4.4 runs scored per game in 2018, including 4.4 runs per game against divisional foes and 4.6 per game over the team’s last five outings (2-3 SU).
Minnesota’s offense has been sparked by left fielder Eddie Rosario and first baseman Joe Mauer. Rosario is slashing .287/.323/.477 with 23 home runs, 76 RBIs and 85 runs scored. Mauer is slashing .275/.344/.376 with six homers, 44 RBIs and 52 runs scored.
The Twins have lost 4.6 units and are 54-50 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has cashed in 52 of those games, compared to 50 that’ve hit the under against righty starters. On the other hand, the Royals have lost 20.6 units and are 47-54 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over has hit in 46 of those games, compared to 47 that’ve gone under.
Minnesota Twins at Kansas City Royals MLB Tip
Predictions: SU Winner – Royals, ATS Winner – Twins, O/U – OVER
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Notes
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Minnesota has recorded 13 extra-base hits over its last five outings. Kansas City has 19 XBH over its last five.
The Twins have hit six home runs in their last 10 games. The Royals have hit nine over their last 10.
The Minnesota defense has allowed three errors over its last five games, compared to zero errors for Kansas City over its last five.
The Royals have won four of their last five games SU.
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