In this article, we will formulate a Twins vs Royals Prediction for this MLB game on Friday, September 5th at the Kauffman Stadium in the opening game of this series. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this MLB matchup.
Kansas City Royals Preview
The Kansas City Royals have a 71-69 record this season and are sitting on the second place of the AL Central. The Royals have a 38-34 home record and are 59-80 in over/under. They are coming off a 4-3 home victory over the Angels, that ended their three-game losing streak. Under is 6-0 in their last 6 games and are playing the Phillies and the Guardians next.
The Royals have a .245 batting average this season, .306 OBP and .393 Slugging percentage. Kansas’ pitching staff has a 3.66 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. Bobby Witt Jr. leads the Royals with 160 hits, and he is the team’s best hitter with a .295 batting average. Vinnie Pasquantino leads the team in RBI, with 96, and a team-high 29 home runs.
Michael Wacha (R) is the projected starter for the Royals, and he has an 8-11 record, 3.52 ERA and 1.19 WHIP.
Minnesota Twins Preview
The Minnesota Twins have a 62-78 record this season and are sitting on the 4th place of the AL Central. The Twins have a 27-42 road record and are 66-65 in over/under. They are coming off an 8-11 home defeat by the White Sox, and are 1-5 in their last 6 games. Over is 12-2 in their last 14 games and are playing the Angels and the Diamondbacks next.
The Twins have a .239 batting average this season, .312 OBP and .398 Slugging percentage. Minnesota’s pitching staff has a 4.55 ERA and 1.32 WHIP. Trevor Larnach leads the Twins with 115 hits, while Byron Buxton adds team-highs both in RBI, with 72, and in home runs, with 29. He is also the team’s best hitter with a .273 batting average.
The Twins have not yet announced a starting pitcher for this game.
Why the Kansas City Royals will win
- The Twins have lost each of their last six games against AL Central opponents.
- The Royals have won 22 of their last 24 home games against AL Central opponents that held a losing record.
- The Twins have failed to cover the run line in each of their last six games against AL Central opponents.
- The Royals have covered the run line in four of their last five games as home favorites against AL Central opponents.
- The Twins have trailed after 3 innings in nine of their last 10 road games.
- The Twins have trailed after 5 innings in four of their last five road games.
- The Royals have won the first inning in four of their last five games as home favorites against AL Central opponents.
Why the Minnesota Twins will win
- The underdogs have won each of the Twins’ last four games.
- The Royals have lost three of their last four games as favorites.
- The Royals have failed to cover the run line in eight of their last nine night games against AL Central opponents following a home win.
- The road team has covered the run line in each of the Royals’ last four games.
- The Twins have led after 3 innings in three of their last four games against the Royals.
- The Twins have led after 5 innings in each of their last four games against opponents that held a winning record.
- The Twins have won the first inning in each of their last four games as road underdogs against AL Central opponents.
Total Runs Facts
- Each of the Royals’ last nine games as favorites against the Twins have gone UNDER the total runs line.
- Each of the Twins’ last six games as underdogs have gone OVER the total runs line.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Royals’ last six games as home favorites against AL Central opponents.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in nine of the Twins’ last 10 games as road underdogs.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Royals rank 1st in the league for strikeouts against this season (948).
- The Royals rank 29th in the league for walks this season (368).
- The Twins rank 3rd in the league for walks allowed this season (393).
- The Twins rank 26th in the league for opponent batting average this season (.259).
Twins vs Royals Prediction
The Twins are 4-2 in their last 6 meetings against the Royals, but the Royals are 3-1 in their last 4 meetings in Kansas City. Under is 8-2 in their last 10 meetings.
In this Twins vs Royals Prediction, the Royals are coming as -135 home favorites. The Twins look like they have given up on the season, and got swept in their previous series against the White Sox. On the flip side, the Royals are fighting for a wild card spot in the American League, and are putting Wacha on the mound, who has been excellent at home, with a 3.01 home ERA. The Royals also have a better bullpen than the Twins to back him up, so I expect the Twins’ woes to continue in this game, as the hosting Kansas City Royals get away with the home victory.