Royals vs. Twins Pick
Can the Minnesota Twins keep surging in the AL Wild Card race when they host the Kansas City Royals tonight at 8:10PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Twins are favored at home, as they are getting odds of -115 to win, while the Royals are listed with a money line of -105 to win. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 9.5 runs. The Royals have won three of their last four meetings with the Twins.
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The pitching matchup for tonight’s game has Jason Hammel (6-10, 4.76 ERA) on the mound for the Royals to face Dillon Gee (1-1, 3.53) of the Twins. Hammel has been struggling, allowing at least three runs in eight of his last 10 starts. He has 116 strikeouts with 41 walks and a 1.33 WHIP. Gee had been pitching well for the Twins, but allowed four runs over four innings in his last start against the Blue Jays. Gee has 31 strikeouts this season with nine walks and a 1.29 WHIP.
The Royals have been struggling, losing six of their last seven games. KC has scored just five total runs in those six losses. The Royals are 65-67 overall and 29-35 on the road. Kansas City is averaging 4.31 runs per game this season while allowing 4.73 per contest. Mike Moustakas is leading the team with 35 home runs and 78 RBI while Eric Hosmer has 24 doubles, 22 home runs and 76 RBI.
Minnesota is riding a four-game win streak entering this series, including a sweep of the White Sox at home. The Twins are now 70-63 overall and 34-35 at home this season. Minnesota is putting up 4.86 runs per game while allowing 4.97 per contest. Miguel Sano has led the team this season with 28 home runs and 77 RBI, but he is dealing with a shin injury that has him on the DL. Brian Dozier has 26 home runs, 25 doubles and 74 RBI to lead the team now.
Despite being without Sano, Minnesota has been hitting the ball very well lately. The Twins have scored 44 runs over their last six games. That solid hitting should be able to continue against Hammel, who has been giving up handfuls of runs in each of his starts. Gee is coming off a rough start, but he should be able to bounce back tonight against a KC lineup that is struggling to score runs.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: MINNESOTA TWINS -115