The Kansas City Royals (34-20) travel to face off against the Minnesota Twins (28-24) on Monday, May 27th. This game will be played at Target Field in Minneapolis and televised on BSN. Both the Royals and Twins are looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. First pitch is set for 2:10 ET.
Royals vs Twins
To close out their series vs. the Rays, the Royals fell by a score of 4-1. Kansas City was the +106 underdog on the money line going into this matchup. Things started off well for the Royals, as they got on the board with a run in the 1st inning but gave up the lead right away as the Rays scored three times in the bottom of the first.
Michael Wacha put together a good start for the Royals, going six innings and giving up just two runs on three hits. He only had one strikeout in the outing and took the loss. The Royals’s offense scored their only run on a Bobby Witt Jr. homer in the 6th.
Kansas City is 34-20 overall and 2nd in the AL Central, 2.5 games behind the Guardians for the division lead. The Royals will be on the road today to take on the Twins, who are 7.5 games out of first place in the division. So far, they have gone 11-5 in divisional games this year.
At home, the Royals have been strong, going 21-8 this year. They have been just above .500 on the road, coming in with a mark of 13-12. As the favorite, the Royals have gone 18-6 this year, and they are 16-14 when listed as the underdog. Kansas City has won three straight series and closed out their series vs. the Rays with a win.
When the Royals win, they win big. They are 35-19 against the run line this season, and their average run margin in those games is +4.1. They are 20-9 against the run line at home, and 15-10 on the road. They are 15-9 against the run line as the favorite, and 20-10 as the underdog.
The Kansas City Royals are on the road today against the Minnesota Twins. The over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs, which is right around their season average of 8.3 runs per game. The over/under record for the Royals this season is 22-30, and when the line is set at 8 runs, they are 6-4-1. The majority of their games this season have had over/under lines set at 8 runs or higher, with 59.3% of their games falling into that category.
Alec Marsh Gets The Start For The Royals
The Royals are sending right-hander Alec Marsh to the mound today as he faces the Twins on the road. Marsh has made eight starts this season and has a record of 4-1 with an ERA of 2.72. So far, he has turned in two quality starts and is averaging 7.53 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, Marsh picked up the win, going six innings and giving up three earned runs on five hits. Before that, he had gone three straight outings without giving up a home run, but he has given up two homers in one of his starts. Marsh’s WHIP for the season is 1.07.
Royals Offense Breakdown
Over the past seven games, Bobby Witt Jr. has been on fire, going 12/29 with four home runs and 13 RBIs. For the season, he is batting .307 with nine homers and 36 RBIs. Salvador Perez also has nine homers for the Royals, and he is batting .325 overall and is 6th in the league with 39 RBIs.
As a team, the Royals are 6th in the league in scoring at 4.9 runs per game. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.5 runs per game. Overall, they are one of the best-hitting teams in the league, batting .252 as a team.
The Twins will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Rangers with a 6-2 loss. This was especially tough, as it was the Twins’ third straight loss. Minnesota was the heavy favorite at -169 at home going into the game.
Pablo Lopez got the start for the Twins and took the loss. He only lasted 4 2/3 innings, giving up six earned runs on seven hits. The Twins also issued three walks and hit a batter. Carlos Correa was hot at the plate, going 2/4 with a run scored.
Minnesota is 3rd in the AL Central heading into today’s game vs. the Royals. They are 7.5 games behind the Guardians for the division lead and have an overall record of 28-24. The Twins are 12-10 against other teams in the AL Central. This year, they have gone 13-12 at home and 15-12 on the road.
As the favorite, the Twins have been good this year, putting together a mark of 23-12. When coming in as the underdog, Minnesota is just 5-12. The team’s overall series record is 9-6-2, and they have won two straight series. Looking at their most recent games, the Twins took two of three from the Rangers.
When betting on the Twins this season, it’s been a good idea to take the run line, as they have covered it in 25 of their 52 games. They’ve been especially good on the run line on the road, going 15-12. They’ve been a slight underdog in more games than they’ve been a favorite, and they’ve been better against the run line as the underdog, going 8-9. Their average run differential this season is just barely in the positive, at 0.1 runs per game.
The Minnesota Twins are hosting the Kansas City Royals today, and the over/under line is set at 8 runs. The Twins have been involved in high-scoring games this season, with their combined run average sitting at 8.8 runs per game. Overall, the over/under record for Minnesota games is 23-27, and when the line has been set at 8 runs, their record is 4-7-2. So far this season, 38.5% of Twins games have had over/under lines set above 8 runs.
Joe Ryan Gets The Start For The Twins
Right-hander Joe Ryan is getting the start for the Twins today vs. the Royals and comes into the game with a record of 3-3 and ERA of 3.15. In his 10 starts, Ryan has pitched seven quality starts and is averaging 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings. Looking back at his last outing, Ryan was fantastic, going seven innings vs. the Nationals and not allowing a run. He gave up just three hits in the outing. Before that, he had given up at least one homer in three straight starts. Ryan’s ERA at home is 5.06 compared to 1.49 on the road.
Twins Offense Breakdown
Over the last nine games, both Carlos Correa and Jose Miranda have gone 9/30, with Correa hitting two homers and driving in five, while Miranda has three RBIs and two homers. Alex Kirilloff has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 5/17 with three homers in his last eight games. For the season, Kirilloff is batting .294.
As a team, the Twins are averaging 4.4 runs per game, which is 13th in the league. They have been a better offensive team on the road, averaging 5.1 runs per contest. So far, they are 9th in home runs and have the 4th best isolated power mark in the MLB.
Royals vs Twins Prediction
Our prediction for this Twins vs. Royals matchup is to take the Twins on the money line. We have the Twins winning this one 6-5, and with the payout sitting at -168, we see this as a solid payout.
Another way to play this one would be to take the over, as we have the game going over eight runs. The Twins are projected to score six runs, compared to the Royals with five.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Alec Marsh is projected to finish with seven strikeouts compared to Joe Ryan with six.
As for the Twins lineup, they are projected to finish with nine hits, and they are also one of the top teams in terms of projected home runs.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:May 27, 2024 Royals, Twins