The Kansas City Royals will head north to take on their division rival Minnesota Twins at Target Field. The matchup will get going at 8:10 p.m. ET and fans looking to watch it can tune in to Fox Sports Kansas City.
Kansas City Royals at Minnesota Twins Odds
Minnesota (-200) is favored over Kansas City (+185) and Vegas has set the Over/Under for this one at 8.5 runs (-110 for both the over and the under). You can also bet on the games spread with the most recent runline odds sitting at -120 for the Royals +1.5 runs and +100 for the Twins -1.5.
The Royals are just 25-64 SU and are 39-49 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 27.7 units for moneyline bettors and 17.4 units ATS. Kansas City has covered the spread just twice over its last seven games and the over has hit in five of those seven. The Twins, on the other hand, are 39-48 SU and 47-39 ATS. The teams lost 11.2 units for bettors taking the moneyline while earning 4.8 units ATS. Minnesota has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in four of those seven.
Twins games have had an over/under record of 40-43-3 so far in 2018. The Royals have been a good under bet with a total record of 35-49-4.
The southpaw Danny Duffy is projected to start for the visiting Royals. Duffy (4-8, 5.19 ERA) has recorded 86 strikeouts in 100.2 innings so far. He’s 0-0 with four strikeouts and a 1.50 ERA against Minnesota this year.
The Twins will turn to righty Jose Berrios (8-7, 3.54 ERA) to the mound. Berrios has 114 punchouts and 26 walks to his name, as well as a 1.00 WHIP. Berrios hasn’t faced the Royals yet this year, but he made two starts against them in 2017, putting together a 0-0 record with a 5.25 ERA.
Kansas City’s pitching staff allowed 5.6 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 5.39 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 7.14 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 5.29, along with a WHIP of 1.46 and a K-per-9 of 6.91.
The Royals offense has slashed .238/.300/.364 on its way to 3.5 runs scored per game in 2018, including 3.8 runs per game against divisional foes and 3.8 per game over the teams last five outings (0-5 SU).
Kansas City’s hitters have been led by second baseman Whit Merrifield and third baseman Mike Moustakas. The speedy Merrifield is slashing .303/.371/.429 with five home runs, 29 RBIs, 37 runs and 16 steals, while Moustakas (.254/.309/.468) has produced 17 homers, 56 RBIs and 39 runs scored.
In the other dugout, Minnesota’s pitching staff has given up 4.6 runs per game overall this season. The teams starting pitching staff has a 4.27 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 8.7 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.43 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 9.3 K/9. In 30 divisional games, Twins starters have an ERA of 4.18 and the bullpens ERA is 2.49.
The Minnesota offense has put up 4.3 runs per outing, including 4.5 per game against divisional foes and 5.6 per game over its last five. The team has a slash-line of .269/.307/.461 over its last five games and is 4-1 SU during that stretch.
The Twins batters have been led by outfielder Eddie Rosario and shortstop Eduardo Escobar. Rosario is hitting .301/.342/.536 with 18 home runs, 53 RBIs and 58 runs scored, while Escobar’s line is .270/.326/.524 with 14 homers, 52 RBIs and 40 runs.
The Royals have lost 29.5 units and are 21-36 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in 23 of those games, compared to 30 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Twins have lost 6.0 units and are 14-10 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher. The overs hit in 10 of those games, compared to 13 which went under the total.
Kansas City Royals at Minnesota Twins MLB Tip
Predictions: SU Winner – Twins, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – UNDER
Betting Notes
- Kansas City has tallied 17 extra-base hits over its last five games. Minnesota has 18 XBH over its last five.
- The Royals have dropped 10 of their last 11 games SU.
- Minnesota has posted 24.8 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 23.6 over its last five.
- The Royals have hit six home runs in their last 10 games. The Twins have hit 13 over their last 10.
