Minnesota Twins vs Kansas City Royals Preview
At 7:40 PM ET, the Twins and Royals will face off in an AL Central matchup. This one is being played at Target Field in Minneapolis and the Twins have won three straight and are 30-24 overall. The Royals are 2nd in the AL Central with a record of 34-22.
Wednesday’s money line odds have the Twins favored at -132, while the Royals are sitting at +112. The over/under line is currently 7.5 runs, and the forecast in Minneapolis calls for clear skies and temperatures in the low 70s. Seth Lugo is starting for the Royals, and he is facing off against Bailey Ober for the Twins. BSKC is carrying the game on TV.
Check out BetCoco for Minnesota Twins – Kansas City Royals odds
Minnesota Twins Trends and Key Stats
- 2-3 is the record of Royals in their last five road games. They have also gone 3-2 vs. the runline.
- On the other side, the Twins have gone 2-3 (SU) and 1-4 in their previous five home contests.
- Over their last ten games when playing as the favorite, the Twins have won 5-5 straight-up, and have a 2-8 record vs. the runline.
- The Royals have a 5-5 straight-up record and a 7-3 record vs. the runline over their previous ten games as the underdog.
It was a low-scoring game in the most recent game of this Twins vs Royals series. Minnesota went into the matchup as +115 underdogs and squeaked out a 4-2 win. Both teams scored two runs in the first inning, and the Royals could only muster one more run in the 5th inning. As for the Twins, they scored the game’s go-ahead run in the 8th, and the Royals went down quietly in the 9th.
Byron Buxton and Manuel Margot were the only two Twins hitters to have more than one hit. Buxton, Carlos Santana, and Jose Miranda each had two RBIs for Minnesota’s offense.
Simeon Woods Richardson pitched well for the Twins in this one, going five innings and giving up just two hits and two earned runs. He finished the game with four strikeouts but issued two walks. Jhoan Duran got the save.
Minnesota Twins vs Kansas City Royals Prediction
Kansas City is 34-22 overall this season, and they are 11-7 against other teams in the AL Central. The Royals are 3.5 games behind the Guardians for the division lead, and they have dropped three straight games heading into today’s game at the Twins. At home, the Royals are 21-8 this year, and they are just above .500 at 13-14 on the road.
As the underdog, the Royals are 16-15 this year, and they are 18-7 when favored. Kansas City’s overall series record is 10-7 this season, and they have won three straight series.
When betting on the Royals this season, it’s been profitable to take them on the run line. They have covered the run line in 36 of their 56 games, including 16 of 27 on the road. Their average run margin on the road is +0.6, and they have covered the run line in 15 of 25 games as the favorite.
When the Kansas City Royals are on the road, they have a combined run average of 8.3 runs per game this season. Their over/under record is 23-31, and the average over/under line in their games is set at 8 runs. When the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs, their record is 2-6. This season, 76.8% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 7.5 runs.
Seth Lugo has been excellent out of the Royals’ rotation this season, as he comes into the game with a record of 8-1 and an ERA of 1.74. Lugo has made 11 starts, and opponents are batting .204 this season. In his 11 appearances, Lugo has turned in nine quality starts. Looking back at his most recent outing, Lugo gave up just one earned run in seven innings of work vs. the Rays. He ended up with the win in that outing. Lugo has won each of his last three starts. Per nine innings, he is averaging 7.59 strikeouts and just 1.87 walks.
So far this season, the Royals are averaging 4.8 runs per game, which is 6th in the league. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.5 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .251, which is 6th in the league, and are also among the league leaders in slugging percentage and OPS. The Royals have been tough to strike out this season, but they are just 20th in the league in walks.
Bobby Witt Jr. has been red hot of late, going 15/42 in his last 10 games with four homers and 13 RBIs. For the season, he is batting .303 with nine homers. Salvador Perez is also batting well, hitting .322 with nine homers. Perez is currently on a four-game hitting streak.
Minnesota will host the Royals today with an overall record of 30-24, which has them 3rd in the AL Central. Currently, they are 6.5 games behind the Guardians for the division lead. The Twins have taken the first two games of this series vs. the Royals, and their overall series record is 9-6-2 this year.
At home, the Twins are 15-12 this year, and they are also 15-12 on the road. So far, they have really taken advantage of being the favorite, going 24-12 in those games. As the underdog, the Twins are just 6-12 this year. Minnesota has put together an overall record of 6-4 over their last 10 games.
When the Twins win, they do so by an average of 3.5 runs per game. When they lose, they lose by an average of 4 runs per game. Overall, they are 26-28 against the run line, with a scoring margin of +0.1 runs per game. They are 11-16 against the run line at home, with a scoring margin of -0.0 runs per game. On the road, they are 15-12 against the run line, with a scoring margin of +0.3 runs per game. As the favorite, they are 17-19 against the run line, and as the underdog, they are 9-9.
The Minnesota Twins are at home today against the Kansas City Royals, and the over/under line for the game is set at 7.5 runs. The combined run average for Twins games this season is 8.8 runs per game, and their over/under record is 24-28. When the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs, their record is 7-6. Overall, 61.1% of their games have had higher over/under lines than 7.5 runs, while only 14.8% have had lower lines.
Twins starter Bailey Ober has made 10 starts this season and has a record of 5-2. His ERA is 4.33, and he has pitched much better at home, coming in with a mark of 2.62 compared to 12.28 on the road. Ober’s WHIP for the season is 1.04. In his last outing, he picked up the win, going five innings and giving up two earned runs on four hits. Before that, he had given up at least two earned runs in three straight outings. Opponents are batting .220 off Ober this season.
Over the past seven games, Jose Miranda has gone 7/24 for the Twins, including two home runs and six RBIs. Alex Kirilloff and Byron Buxton have also been swinging the bat well of late, with Kirilloff going 5/15 in his last six games and Buxton going 6/22. Both players have two homers during this stretch. Ryan Jeffers has been a consistent power threat for the Twins this season, as his 10 home runs are 8th in the league. He is also 14th in the MLB with 33 RBIs.
As a team, the Twins are averaging 4.4 runs per game, which is 11th in the league. However, they have been better on the road, averaging 5.1 runs per contest. So far, they are 11th in home runs and have the 4th best isolated power figure in the league. Currently, they are 16th in batting average and have the 16th best on-base percentage in the league.
Our predicted final score for this one is 6-5 in favor of the Twins, which has them winning by one run. However, we are going to take the Twins on the money line at -132. We see the Twins having a better chance of picking up the win than the Royals, and at -132, there is some good value there.
Looking at some potential player props, Bailey Ober is predicted to finish with five strikeouts, which has him 17th among starters. As for Seth Lugo, he is predicted to finish with five K’s, which has him towards the bottom of today’s starters.
Minnesota Twins vs Kansas City Royals Betting Tips
- Take the Twins on the moneyline
- On the run line we like the Royals (+1.5)
- Projecting a combined 11 runs, we like the over
Minnesota Twins Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Anthony DeSclafani | Out | Elbow |
| Zack Weiss | Out | Shoulder |
| Brock Stewart | Out | Shoulder |
| Royce Lewis | Out | Quadricep |
| Justin Topa | Out | Knee |
| Daniel Duarte | Out | Elbow |
Kansas City Royals Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Jordan Lyles | Out | Personal |
| Josh Taylor | Out | Biceps |
| Kyle Wright | Out | Shoulder |
| Kris Bubic | Out | Elbow |
| Michael Massey | Out | Back |
| Vinnie Pasquantino | Questionable | Leg |
