The Kansas City Royals will head north to Target Field to square off against their divisional rival Minnesota Twins. The game gets underway 7:10 p.m. ET and Fox Sports Kansas City will be televising the action.
Kansas City Royals at Minnesota Twins Odds
Oddsmakers are listing Minnesota (-230) as the favorite over Kansas City (+210). Gamblers can bet on the games total with odds sitting at -125 for over 8.5 runs and +105 for under 8.5. You can also bet on the games spread with the runline odds coming in at Royals +1.5 runs (-105) and Twins -1.5 runs (-115).
The Royals are 34-74 SU and are 50-58 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 25.8 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 17.3 units ATS. The Twins, on the other hand, are 49-58 SU and 59-48 ATS. The team has lost 11.0 units for moneyline bettors while gaining 8.4 units ATS.
Twins games have had an over/under record of 50-54-3 in 2018. The Royals have been a good under bet with a total record of 45-57-6.
Burch Smith will get the nod for Kansas City. The right-handed Smith is 1-2 with a 6.00 ERA and 55 strikeouts. He’s 0-0 with seven strikeouts and a 15.63 ERA against Minnesota this year.
The Twins will turn to righty Jose Berrios (10-8, 3.56 ERA), who has 142 strikeouts and 33 walks as well as a 1.05 WHIP. Berrios is 1-0 with eight strikeouts and a 1.29 ERA in one start against Kansas City this year.
Kansas City’s pitchers have allowed 5.5 runs per game and its starters own a 5.25 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 7.39 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 5.41, along with a K/9 of 7.01.
The Royals offense has slashed .240/.303/.375 on its way to 3.7 runs scored per game this season, including 4.2 runs per game against divisional foes and 5.0 per game over the teams last five outings (2-3 SU).
Second baseman Whit Merrifield and third baseman Mike Moustakas continue to lead Kansas City’s hitters. The speedy Merrifield is hitting .297/.367/.423 with six home runs, 35 RBIs, 51 runs and 24 stolen bases, while Moustakas (.249/.309/.468) has produced 20 homers, 62 RBIs and 46 runs scored.
In the other dugout, Minnesota’s pitching staff has allowed 4.7 runs per game overall in 2018. The clubs starting pitching staff has an ERA of 4.32, a WHIP of 1.35 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.6. The bullpen has a 4.70 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 9.4 K/9. In 39 divisional games, Twins starters have an ERA of 4.29 and the bullpens ERA is 2.89.
Minnesota’s offense has put up 4.4 runs per outing, including 4.3 per game against divisional foes and 2.2 per game over its last five. The team has a slash-line of .194/.256/.290 over its last five contests and is 1-4 SU during that stretch.
Left fielder Eddie Rosario and shortstop Eduardo Escobar have paced the Twins offense this year. Rosario is hitting .297/.340/.499 with 19 home runs, 64 RBIs and 69 runs scored, while Escobar’s line is .274/.338/.514 with 15 homers, 63 RBIs and 45 runs scored.
The Royals have lost 23.4 units and are 30-43 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in 32 of those games, compared to 36 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Twins have lost 7.7 units and are 40-37 ATS when facing a righty starter. The overs hit in 39 of those games, compared to 36 that went under the total.
Kansas City Royals vs. Minnesota Twins MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Twins, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – UNDER
Betting Trends
- The under has hit in three of Kansas City’s last seven games.
- The Twins have lost five of their last six games SU.
- Kansas City has recorded 23.6 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 21.4 over its last five.
- The Royals have hit 13 home runs in their last 10 games, including eight over their last five.
