Royals vs. Twins Pick
Will the Minnesota Twins take the rubber match with the Kansas City Royals when the two meet up this afternoon at 2:10PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Twins are favored at home, as they are getting odds of -155 to win, while the Royals are listed with a money line of -+135 to win. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 9.5 runs.
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The pitching matchup today has Ervin Santana (14-7, 3.27 ERA) on the mound for the Twins to face Ian Kennedy (4-10, 5.47) of the Royals. Santana has won his last three decisions despite allowing at least three runs in four of his last five starts. Santana has 146 strikeouts this season with 57 walks and a 1.14 WHIP. Kennedy is coming off a 7-run effort over 2.2 innings against the Rays. He has given up at least three runs in six straight starts. Kennedy has 112 strikeouts this season with 54 walks and a 1.34 WHIP.
The Royals took the first game of the series on Friday, 7-6, but the Twins bounced back on Saturday with a 17-0 blasting of the Royals. Minnesota is now 71-64 on the season and 35-36 at home. Kansas City is 66-68 overall and 30-36 on the road.
The Twins started fast, scoring 10 runs over the first two innings, and never looking back. Onelki Garcia lasted just a third of an inning, giving up four runs in the process. Kyle Gibson managed six scoreless innings for the Twins in one of his best outings. Eduardo Escobar had two home runs and drove in six runs to lead the Twins. Brian Dozier hit hits 27th home run of the season and drove in three runs as well.
The Royals were shutout once again on Saturday and by a struggling pitcher in Kyle Gibson. Kansas City isn’t a batting lineup that you can count on at any point. Santana should be able to have a strong start against them today. The Twins shouldn’t have an issue hitting against Kennedy, who has been giving up runs by the handful. Stick with the Twins to cruise to another win this afternoon.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: MINNESOTA TWINS -155