Minnesota will look to continue its recent dominance over the Kansas City Royals when the sides meet Friday afternoon at Target Field in Minneapolis. The Twins (15-11), who have won all four meetings this season and 15 of the past 20, are 8-5 at home this season. The Royals (6-20), who are 5-8 on the road, are just 2-8 in their last 10 games. Minnesota has outscored its opponents 116-95 this season, a differential of plus-21, while Kansas City has been outscored 142-83, a minus-59 differential.
The game is slated to begin at 4:10 p.m. ET. The Twins are batting .234 as a team, 21st-best in MLB, while the Royals are hitting .215, 30th-best. Minnesota is a -278 favorite (risk $278 to win $100) on the money line in the latest Royals vs. Twins odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total runs scored is 7.5. Before making any Twins vs. Royals picks, be sure to check out the latest MLB predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every MLB game 10,000 times. It went 331-285 on top-rated MLB money-line picks (+357) over the past two seasons, and it is on a 26-21 run dating back to the end of last season. Anybody who has followed it has seen profitable returns.
Now, the model has dialed in on Twins vs. Royals and revealed its predictions and best bets. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's MLB picks. Here are the MLB odds and betting trends for Royals vs. Twins:
- Royals vs. Twins money line: Royals +222, Twins -278
- Royals vs. Twins over/under: 7.5 runs
- Royals vs. Twins run line: Twins -1.5 (-135)
- KC: The Under is 5-0 in the Royals' last five games overall
- MIN: The Twins are 7-1 in their last eight games vs. American League Central foes
- Royals vs. Twins picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why you should back the Twins
Minnesota is expected to send right-hander Pablo Lopez (1-2, 3.00 ERA) to the mound and he'll be backed by a lineup that has some hot hitters. First baseman Joey Gallo has a four-game hitting streak after going 1-for-4 with a double in Thursday's win over the Royals. Gallo homered and drove in a pair of runs in Wednesday's loss to the New York Yankees. For the season, Gallo is hitting .261 with seven home runs, 14 RBI and 10 runs scored. He has feasted on Royals pitching through the years. In 54 career games against the Royals, Gallo is hitting .272 with eight doubles, 14 homers and 31 RBI.
Also helping Minnesota is catcher Christian Vazquez, who already has five multi-hit games this season. He was 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored in Thursday's win. For the season, Vazquez is hitting .281 with four RBI and nine runs scored. He has faced Kansas City 21 times, hitting .267 with four doubles, two triples and 12 RBI. See which team to pick here.
Why you should back the Royals
Right-hander Jordan Lyles (0-4, 4.88 ERA) will start for Kansas City. Despite losing his last two starts, Lyles has been solid. In a 4-0 loss to Texas on April 17, he pitched eight innings, allowing just four hits, four runs -- three earned -- and three walks, while striking out three. In a 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, he went six innings, but allowed four earned runs on four hits with one walk and five strikeouts. In three career starts against the Twins, he is 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA with five walks and 16 strikeouts.
First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino has been red hot. He has hits in eight of his last nine games, including five in a row. He homered in Thursday's loss, and was 3-for-4 with a double in Monday's 5-4 loss at Arizona. For the season, Pasquantino is hitting .283 with five homers, eight RBI and 12 runs scored. In 12 career games against Minnesota, he is hitting .256 with one double, one homer and three RBI. See which team to pick here.
How to make Royals vs. Twins picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the run total, as the simulations have the teams combining for 8.3 runs. It also says one side of the money line has all the value. You can only get the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Twins vs. Royals? And which side of the money line has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the money line to jump on, all from the advanced model that is on a 26-21 roll since the end of last season, and find out.
