The Kansas City Royals (34-22) travel to face off against the Minnesota Twins (30-24) on Wednesday, May 29th. This game will be played at Target Field in Minneapolis and televised on BSKC. The Twins are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Royals are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Twins. First pitch is set for 7:40 ET.
Royals vs Twins
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 4th inning. As for the Twins, they scored the game’s go-ahead run in the 5th, and both offenses went silent after that.
Byron Buxton was the difference for the Twins, as he homered twice, scored three times, and finished with two RBIs. Manuel Margot also had a two-hit game for Minnesota. As for the Royals, Carlos Santana went 2/3 with an RBI.
Simeon Woods Richardson got the win for the Twins, going five innings and giving up two earned runs. Jhoan Duran got the save. Cole Ragans had a rough outing for the Royals, taking the loss.
Kansas City is 34-22 overall this season, and they are 11-7 against other teams in the AL Central. The Royals trail the Guardians by 3.5 games in the AL Central and are looking to snap a three-game losing streak today. These three straight losses have come after winning seven of eight games.
At home, the Royals have gone 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 have dropped three straight on the road as the underdog. Kansas City’s overall series record is 10-7, and they have won three straight series.
When the Royals are on the road this season, they have been a solid bet to cover the run line, going 16-11. Their average run differential on the road is +0.6, and their average run differential in all games is +1.4. They have been a better bet to cover the run line as an underdog, going 21-10, compared to 15-10 as a favorite.
The Kansas City Royals are on the road against the Minnesota Twins today, and the over/under line for the game is set at 7.5 runs. The combined run average for Royals games this season is 8.3 runs, and their over/under record is 23-31. The average over/under line for their games is 8 runs, and their record when the line is set at 7.5 runs is 2-6. The majority of their games have had higher over/under lines than 7.5 runs, with 76.8% of their games having lines set above that number.
Seth Lugo Gets The Start For The Royals
Seth Lugo has been excellent this season for the Royals, coming into the game with a record of 8-1 and an ERA of 1.74. He has made 11 starts, and opponents are batting .204 off the right-hander this season. Lugo has made nine quality starts this year and is coming off an outing in which he went seven innings, giving up just one earned run. In that outing, he only gave up four hits and two walks. Lugo has won each of his last three starts. Per nine innings, he is averaging 7.59 strikeouts and just 1.87 walks.
Royals Offense Breakdown
Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. are both in the top 10 in home runs so far this season, with each having nine homers. Perez is also batting .322 for the season, and Witt Jr. has been even better, hitting .303. Witt Jr. has been especially hot of late, going 15/42 in his last 10 games, with four homers and 13 RBIs. Maikel Garcia is also swinging a hot bat right now, going 17/45 in his last 10 games.
As a team, the Royals are 6th in the league in scoring at 4.8 runs per game. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.5 runs per contest. Overall, they are batting .251 (6th) and have the league’s 8th best OPS.
Minnesota is 30-24 overall and trails the Guardians by 6.5 games in the AL Central. The Twins have taken the first two games of this series vs. the Royals, who are 3.5 games behind the Guardians in the division. So far, they have gone 14-10 in AL Central play.
As the favorite, the Twins have put together a record of 24-12 this season and are 6-12 as the underdog. At home, they are 15-12 this year and have gone 15-12 on the road. Minnesota’s overall series record is 9-6-2, and they have won two straight series.
When it comes to betting the run line, the Twins have been a better play on the road this season, going 15-12 compared to 11-16 at home. As the favorite, Minnesota is 17-19 against the run line, while as the underdog, they are 9-9. The Twins’ average run differential in winning games is +3.5, while it’s -4.0 in losses.
The Minnesota Twins are playing at home against the Kansas City Royals today. 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. Their over/under record for the season is 24-28, and when the line is set at 7.5 runs, their record is 7-6. So far this season, 61.1% of their games have had higher over/under lines than today’s line of 7.5 runs.
Bailey Ober Gets The Start For The Twins
Right-hander Bailey Ober gets the start for the Twins today vs. the Royals and comes into the game with a record of 5-2 and an ERA of 4.33. So far this season, he has made 10 starts, and opponents are batting .220 off him this season. Ober has made four quality starts this year and is averaging 9.35 strikeouts per nine innings. 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. Ober has been much better at home, coming in with a 2.62 ERA compared to 12.28 on the road.
Twins Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Twins are averaging 4.4 runs per game, which is 11th in the league. However, they have been much better on the road, averaging 5.1 runs per game. As a team, they are batting just .233, which is 16th in the league and have the 11th best slugging percentage in the league. Minnesota has been good at avoiding strikeouts, as their 8 strikeouts per game is 17th in the league.
Ryan Jeffers has been the Twins’ top power threat this season, as his 10 home runs is 8th in the league and leads the team. His 33 RBIs is also 14th in the MLB. Jeffers has also been swinging a good bat of late, going 5/15 in his last six games. Alex Kirilloff and Byron Buxton have also been swinging the bat well, with Kirilloff going 5/15 in his last six games and Buxton going 6/22.
Royals vs Twins Prediction
The best bet in this Royals vs. Twins matchup is to take the Twins on the money line, with the payout sitting at -132. We have the Twins winning this one by a final score of 6-5, and at -132, there is some good value on the Twins to win this one outright.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Bailey Ober is projected to finish with five strikeouts, which has him sitting 17th among starters. As for Seth Lugo, his projection of five K’s has him at eighth worst. Offensively, the Twins are predicted to finish with nine strikeouts, while the Royals are projected to finish with seven.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
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Last updated:May 29, 2024 Royals, Twins