Jorge Polanco and the Minnesota Twins will face off against their divisional rival Kansas City Royals at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium in a Saturday showdown. The matchup will begin at 2:15 p.m. ET and fans hoping to watch it can tune in to Fox Sports Kansas City.
Minnesota Twins vs. Kansas City Royals Odds
Las Vegas has Kansas City (+165) as the underdog to Minnesota (-175). The total currently stands at 9.5 runs and bettors can play the over for -120 and the under for even money (+100). This game currently has a runline of Twins -1.5 (-120) and Royals +1.5 (+100).
The Twins have gone 49-26 SU this year and are 42-32 against the spread (ATS). They’ve gained 17.7 units for moneyline bettors and 7.0 units ATS. Minnesota’s covered the spread only twice over its last seven games and the under has hit in four of those seven. The Royals, on the other hand, are 26-50 SU and 36-39 ATS. They’ve lost 14.8 units for moneyline bettors and 12.8 units ATS. Kansas City has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the over has cashed in three of those seven.
Royals games have an over/under record of 35-33-7 so far in 2019. The Twins have been a decent over bet with a total record of 38-31-5.
Jose Berrios is getting the nod for the visiting Twins. The right-handed Berrios is 8-3 with a 2.86 ERA and 94 strikeouts. He’s 0-0 with four strikeouts and a 3.86 ERA against Kansas City this year.
The Royals are putting the ball in the left hand of Danny Duffy (3-3, 4.64 ERA, 1.40 WHIP), who’s got 46 strikeouts and 21 walks this season. Duffy hasn’t faced the Twins yet this year, but he made four starts against them in 2018, compiling a 1-1 record with a 2.88 ERA and 23 strikeouts.
Minnesota’s pitching staff allowed 4.3 runs per game and its starters own a 3.67 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 8.33 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.47, along with a WHIP of 1.18.
Twins hitters have slashed .272/.341/.503 on their way to 5.8 runs scored per game in 2019, including 5.5 runs per game against divisional foes and 3.4 per game over the team’s last five contests (2-3 SU).
Shortstop Jorge Polanco and outfielder Eddie Rosario continue to lead Minnesota’s offense. Polanco is slashing .326/.386/.550 with 11 home runs, 38 RBIs and 48 runs scored, while Rosario is hitting .271 with 19 homers, 55 RBIs and 48 runs scored.
In the home-team dugout, Kansas City’s pitching staff has given up 5.1 runs per game overall in 2019. Its starting pitching staff has a 5.11 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.83 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 8.9 K/9. In 31 games against divisional opponents, Royals starters have an ERA of 3.57 and the bullpen’s ERA is 5.44.
The Kansas City hitters are putting up 4.3 runs per outing, including 4.5 per game against divisional foes and 5.6 per game over their last five. The team has a slash-line of .275/.322/.462 over its last five contests and is 3-2 SU during that stretch.
Second baseman Whit Merrifield and shortstop Adalberto Mondesi have led the Royals’ offense this year. Merrifield is slashing .300/.347/.498 with 10 home runs, 39 RBIs, 54 runs and 11 stolen bases, while Mondesi’s line is .269/.302/.441 with six homers, 44 RBIs, 40 runs and 27 stolen bases.
The Twins have gained 2.1 units and are 11-6 ATS when facing a lefty starter this season. The over has cashed in 10 of those games, compared to five that’ve gone under against left-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Royals have lost 12.6 units and are 25-28 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 26 of those games, as opposed to 23 that’ve cashed the under.
Twins at Royals MLB Tip
Predictions: SU Winner – Twins, ATS Winner – Twins, O/U – UNDER
Betting Trends
- The over has hit in three of Kansas City’s last seven games.
- The Minnesota defense has coughed up 16 errors over the last 10 games, compared to only five errors for Kansas City over its last 10.
- The Twins have hit 16 home runs in their last 10 games. The Royals have hit 10 over their last 10.
- The Twins have an OPS of .844 this season and an OPS of .878 against left-handed pitchers. The Royals’ OPS sits at .714 overall and .672 against southpaws.
