The Kansas City Royals will play host to their division nemesis Minnesota Twins at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium. Fox Sports Kansas City is in line to televise the matchup and the game is scheduled to get going at 7:15 p.m. ET.
Minnesota Twins vs. Kansas City Royals Odds
Oddsmakers are listing Minnesota (+100) as the underdog to Kansas City (-110). Bettors can wager on the games total with odds sitting at -120 for over nine runs and +100 for under nine. You can also bet on the games spread with the runline odds standing at -210 for the Twins +1.5 runs and +175 for the Royals -1.5 runs.
The Twins are 21-27 SU and are 28-19 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 5.8 units for gamblers taking the moneyline, despite having gained 7.0 units ATS. Minnesota has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in six of those seven. The Royals, on the other hand, are 18-35 SU and 24-28 ATS. They’ve lost 12.8 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 8.7 units ATS. Kansas City has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the under has hit in four of those seven.
Royals games have had an over/under record of 20-29-3 so far in 2018. Minnesota has an over/under record of 22-24-1.
Right-hander Lance Lynn is getting the start for the visiting Twinkies. Lynn is 2-4 with a 6.34 ERA and 45 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Royals this year and only made one start against them in 2017 (0-0, 3.00 ERA and three strikeouts over six innings).
The Royals will put the ball in the right hand of Jakob Junis (5-3, 3.52 ERA), who’s got 55 strikeouts and 13 walks as well as a 1.09 WHIP. Junis made two starts against the Twins in 2017, putting together a 0-0 record with a 3.27 ERA and 11 strikeouts.
As a unit, Kansas City’s pitchers have yielded 5.5 runs per game overall in 2018. Its starting pitching staff has an ERA of 5.35, a WHIP of 1.43 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 7.4. The bullpen has a 5.19 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 6.8 K/9. In 23 games against AL Central opponents, Royals starters have an ERA of 5.32 and the bullpens ERA is 4.65.
Kansas City’s hitters have put up 4.0 runs per contest, including 3.7 per game against divisional foes and 5.0 per game over their last five. The team has a slash-line of .247/.306/.371 over its last five contests and is 3-2 SU during that span.
Left fielder Jon Jay and second baseman Whit Merrifield have led the Royals hitters this year. Jay is slashing .293/.351/.337 with 60 hits, 14 RBIs and 22 runs scored, and Merrifield is batting .289 with four homers, 21 RBIs, 26 runs and 12 stolen bases.
In the visiting dugout, Minnesota’s pitching staff allowed 4.4 runs per game and its starters own a 4.03 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 8.94 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 4.48, along with a WHIP of 1.30 and a K/9 of 9.28.
Twins hitters have slashed .236/.309/.389 on their way to 4.0 runs scored per game this year, including 4.2 runs per game against divisional foes and 2.4 per game over the teams last five outings (1-4 SU).
Minnesota’s offense has been powered by outfielder Eddie Rosario and shortstop Eduardo Escobar, who have combined to swat 16 home runs. Rosario is slashing .298/.320/.527 with nine home runs, 29 RBIs and 30 runs scored, while Escobar is hitting .270/.321/.494 with seven homers, 23 RBIs and 25 runs scored.
Rosario seemed to take a step back when hitting righties on the road last season. Across 195 such plate appearances, he maintained a slash line of .235/.282/.380 (his total season line was .290/.328/.507).
The Twins have lost 5.3 units and are 19-15 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in 17 of those games, compared to 16 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Royals have lost 14.5 units and are 13-20 ATS when facing a righty starter. The overs cashed in 12 of those games, compared to 18 that’ve gone under.
Minnesota Twins at Kansas City Royals Free MLB Tip
Predictions: SU Winner – Royals, ATS Winner – Twins, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The Twins have hit four home runs in their last 10 games. The Royals have hit eight over their last 10.
- Minnesota has recorded 16.1 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 13.6 over its last five.
