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The Royals make the trip to Minnesota to face the Twins! These two teams have been playing very well and are in the playoff hunt in the AL. The Twins have been streaky, while the Royals have been one of the biggest surprises this season. Our MLB odds series has our Royals-Twins prediction, odds, and pick for Wednesday.
The Royals have played well to start the year with a 34-21 record and they just lost two straight after winning eight straight before that. Their pitching is a top-10 unit, while their batting has jumped to being a top-10 unit. Seth Lugo has made a potent pitching combination to go with Brady Singer, Alec Marsh, and Cole Ragans. Their bats have also improved, and have been red-hot recently. Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. have been the main standouts for the Royals behind the plate, but Maikel Garcia and Vinnie Pasquantino have also played decent as well. The Royals have played well so far this season and this matchup is big for the fate of the AL Central.
The Twins have been streaky this season. They currently have a 29-24 record and they have won five out of their last six games. The Twins have struggled behind the plate, ranking near the bottom of the league, while they are only slightly better on the mound with their pitching. Alex Kirilloff, Edouard Julien, Byron Buxton, Willi Castro, Carlos Santana, and Ryan Jeffers are some notable names on this Minnesota offense despite being around average. On the mound, Joe Ryan, Simeon Woods Richardson, and Bailey Ober are the names to watch as standouts on a pitching staff that has struggled. The Twins have struggled recently and played a massive game in the division against a fellow contender like the Royals.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Royals-Twins Odds
Kansas City Royals: -1.5 (+168)
Moneyline: +104
Minnesota Twins: +1.5 (-205)
Moneyline: -122
Over: 7.5 (-110)
Under: 7.5 (-110)
How to Watch Royals vs. Twins
Time: 7:40 pm ET
TV: Bally Sports North
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Royals Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Royals are starting Seth Lugo on the mound. He has an 8-1 record, a 1.74 ERA, and a 0.97 WHIP on the year. Through 72.1 innings, he has allowed 15 runs on 55 hits with 15 walks and 61 strikeouts. He has started in 11 games so far this season and the Royals are 8-3 in those games. In his last start, he pitched seven innings and allowed one run on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts in a Royals win. Lugo has been great and gets a favorable matchup against a Twins team that has not had much success behind the plate.
The Royals offense has been inconsistent this season, but playing much better recently. They are seventh in team batting average at .253 after finishing last season with the same batting average. Their offensive output has been led by Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. in all of the batting categories. Perez leads the way in batting average at .323, in home runs at nine, in RBI at 39, and in OBP at .386. Witt Jr. then leads the way in total hits at 67. The Royals have played great offense recently and this is an interesting matchup against Bailey Ober on the mound for the Twins.
Why The Twins Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Twins are starting Bailey Ober on the mound where he has a 5-2 record, a 4.33 ERA, and a 1.04 WHIP. He has allowed 25 runs on 42 hits with 12 walks and 54 strikeouts through 52 innings. The Twins are 4-5 in the nine games that he's started this season so far. In his last start, he pitched five innings and allowed two runs on four hits with three walks and five strikeouts in a Twins win. Ober has been solid for the Twins and this is a decent matchup against a Royals offense that has been gaining momentum as the season has gone on.
The offense for the Twins has been inconsistent to start the season. They have jumped all over the place and are currently 23rd in the MLB in team batting average at .231 after having a team-batting average of .243 last season. Willi Castro and Ryan Jeffers lead the way for the Twins in most of the batting categories. Jeffers leads the way in batting average at .258, in 10 home runs, in RBI at 33, and in OBP at .342. Willi Castro then leads the way in total hits at 45. This is a tough matchup against one of the best pitchers in the MLB Seth Lugo on the mound for the Royals.
Final Royals-Twins Prediction & Pick
The Royals and Twins are destined for a low-scoring pitching matchup with Lugo and Ober on the mound. Lugo has a slight edge and the Royals are the better offense compared to the Twins. However, this should be a close game in Minnesota, so expect the Twins to cover, even if the Royals win.
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Final Royals-Twins Prediction & Pick: Twins +1.5 (-205)
