Royals vs. Twins Pick – MLB Predictions & Odds 4/1/23
Minnesota Twins (1-0) vs. Kansas City Royals (0-1)
April 1, 2023 4:10 pm EDT
The Line: Kansas City Royals +140 / Minnesota Twins -165; Over/Under: +8.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Minnesota Twins and the Kansas City Royals meet in an AL Central division matchup in MLB action from Kauffman Stadium on Saturday. Let’s dive into the odds, injuries, starting pitching matchup, history and make a prediction for this game.
Odds
Minnesota is listed as a -165 road favorite while Kansas City is a +140 home underdog. The total for this game is set at 8.5 runs.
Starting Pitching Matchup
Sonny Gray is listed as Minnesota’s starter and was 8-5 with a 3.08 ERA and 117 strikeouts last season. Kansas City is sending out Jordan Lyles here and was 12-11 with a 4.42 ERA and 144 strikeouts last season.
Injuries
For Minnesota, Alex Kirilloff is out indefinitely while Jorge Polanco is out until mid-April. For Kansas City, Ryan Yarbrough is questionable for this game.
Matchup History
Minnesota’s 2-0 win in Thursday’s season opener snapped Kansas City’s three-game win streak in this head-to-head matchup.
Trends
Minnesota is 1-4 in their last 5 games overall and 3-7 in their last 10 game two matchups while the under is 5-2-1 in their last 8 games overall. Kansas City is 2-8 in their last 10 division games and 2-8 in their last 10 games overall while the over is 7-1 in their last 8 games overall.
Pick
I’m leaning towards Minnesota here. I normally don’t run to back Sonny Gray, but I think he’s the more trustworthy pitcher here with the more reliable lineup behind him and as much as I can appreciate what Jordan Lyles did last season, I just don’t know how I feel about him with the Royals’ lineup behind him. I think the Twins get another win in this one, so give me Minnesota here.