The Minnesota Twins hope to improve their record to 2-0 when they face the Kansas City Royals on Saturday at Kauffman Stadium. We're here to share our MLB odds series, make a Twins-Royals prediction, and pick while showing you how to watch.
The Twins defeated the Kansas City Royals 4-1 on Thursday on Opening Day at Kauffman Stadium. Significantly, things started hot for the Twins when Royce Lewis blasted a solo home run to deep left to give Minnesota a 1-0 advantage. But the Twins surrendered the run back when Maikel Garcia clobbered a solo home run to deep left-center field in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game.
The Twins retook the lead in the third inning when Carlos Correa clubbed a double to drive a runner home. Later, the Twins added some insurance in the ninth inning when Edouard Julien drew a walk with the bases loaded. Correa singled to make it 4-1.
Pablo Lopez pitched seven innings while allowing one earned run on four hits while striking out seven. Moreover, he only needed 84 pitches to get through these innings. Brock Stewart tossed a perfect eighth inning in relief. Then, Griffin Jax tossed a great ninth inning while striking out one and walking one.
Joe Ryan will pitch for the Twins today and comes in after a season of going 11-10 with a 4.51 ERA over 29 starts. Amazingly, he is 5-0 with a 1.50 ERA over six career starts against the Royals.
Seth Lugo makes his Royals debut today. He is 0-0 with a 2.57 ERA over two starts and four games against the Twins. Lugo hopes to solve a difficult lineup and get his pitches over the plate.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Twins-Royal Odds
Minnesota Twins: -1.5 (+116)
Moneyline: -136
Kansas City Royals: +1.5 (140)
Moneyline: +116
Over: 8.5 (-115)
Under: 8.5 (-105)
How to Watch Twins vs. Royals
Time: 4:10 PM ET/1:10 PM PT
TV: Bally Sports North and MLB Extra Innings
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Twins Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Twins did enough to win the game on Opening Day. However, the offense got off to a slower start than we would expect, as it did not score the third or fourth runs until the ninth inning.
Byron Buxton went 1 for 4 in the leadoff spot, drawing a one and also striking out once. Meanwhile, Lewis finished 2 for 2 with one run and one RBI. Correa got off to an explosive start, going 3 for 4 with two RBIs, a double, and a walk. Likewise, Santana went 1 for 4 while striking out twice. The Twins left 11 runners on the basepaths.
While the offense struggled, the pitching was solid. After Lopez was brilliant through six, the bullpen held the fort for the next two months while clinging to a one-run lead. Finally, they were able to shut the door in the ninth after the lineup gave them two extra runs as insurance.
The Twins will cover the spread if the lineup can do a better job of driving the runners home. Then, they need to pitch well, starting with Ryan.
Why The Royals Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Royals started the season in the worst way possible, losing the opener while also struggling to hit the ball. Ironically, they did not get enough runners on base to leave anyone stranded for the most part.
Garcia finished 1 for 4 with a home run and a strikeout. Then, Bobby Witt Jr. went 1 for 3 with a walk but also struck out twice. Vinnie Pasquantino struggled at the plate, going 0 for 4. Likewise, Salvador Perez also went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts. MJ Melendez went 1 for 4 with a double while also striking out once. Overall, the Royals left four runners on the basepaths.
The Royals have decent pitching. Ultimately, Cole Ragans pitched six innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits, striking out nine, and walking three. The bullpen tossed two shutout innings in relief to give Kansas City a chance. Unfortunately, Chris Stratton struggled, and the Royals could not catch up.
The Royals will cover the spread if their lineup can get a spark early. Then, they need good pitching from Lugo and another solid game from the bullpen.
Final Twins-Royals Prediction & Pick
Many people look at past stats and claim them irrelevant. Yet, it is very challenging to ignore all the great work Ryan has done against the Twins. Those are dominant numbers over six starts, so it is certainly no fluke. We expect the Twins to score slightly more runs. Moreover, we also expect Ryan to pitch well again. He won't toss a complete game, but he will go at least five innings and dominate this game.
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Final Twins-Royals Prediction & Pick: Minnesota Twins: -1.5 (+116)
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