Kansas City Royals vs. Minnesota Twins Free Pick 09/22/19

The Kansas City Royals are preparing to take on their AL Central rival Minnesota Twins. Fox Sports Kansas City will be airing the action and the game gets going at 2:10 p.m. ET.

Kansas City Royals vs. Minnesota Twins Odds

Oddsmakers are listing Minnesota (-215) as the favorite over Kansas City (+195). If you think the game’s total will finish under 10.5 runs, then Vegas is teeing up even money odds (+100). Playing the over can return -120 odds. Bettors can also wager on the game’s spread with the most recent runline odds coming in at Royals +1.5 runs (-110) and Twins -1.5 runs (-110).

The Royals have gone 57-99 SU this year and are 73-82 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 24.1 units for gamblers taking the moneyline and 22.3 units ATS. The Twins, on the other hand, are 95-60 SU and 85-69 ATS. They’ve gained 21.3 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 9.9 units ATS.

Minnesota games have had an over/under record of 78-71-5 in 2019. Kansas City has an over/under record of 76-71-8.

Jorge Lopez will get the start for the visiting Royals. The right-handed Lopez is 4-8 with a 5.93 ERA and 106 strikeouts. He’s 1-0 with five strikeouts and a 3.52 ERA against Minnesota this year.

The Twins will turn to lefty Martin Perez (10-7, 4.92 ERA), who’s got 129 strikeouts and 64 walks, in addition to a WHIP of 1.49. Perez is 0-1 with 12 strikeouts and a 7.02 ERA over three starts against Kansas City this year.

Kansas City’s pitching staff allowed 5.3 runs per game and its starters own a 5.20 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 7.22 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 5.02, along with a K/9 of 8.67.

Royals hitters have slashed .246/.310/.399 on their way to 4.2 runs scored per game in 2019, including 4.8 runs per game against divisional foes and 4.2 per game over the team’s last five contests (1-4 SU).

Kansas City’s offensive production has been sparked by second baseman Whit Merrifield and outfielder Jorge Soler, who have combined to swat 61 home runs. Merrifield is slashing .299/.347/.460 with 16 home runs, 74 RBIs, 101 runs and 18 stolen bases, while Soler (.260/.349/.555) has produced 45 homers, 111 RBIs and 89 runs scored.

For the home team, Minnesota’s pitching staff has allowed 4.7 runs per game overall this year. The team’s starting pitching staff has an ERA of 4.19, a WHIP of 1.30 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.5. The bullpen has a 4.24 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 9.5 K/9. In 69 divisional games, Twins starters have an ERA of 4.16 and the bullpen’s ERA is 3.06.

The Minnesota offense is putting up 5.8 runs per contest, including 5.7 per game against divisional foes and 5.4 per game over its last five. The team has hit .244/.333/.448 over its last five matchups and is 3-2 SU during that stretch.

The Twins’ hitters have been led by shortstop Jorge Polanco and left fielder Eddie Rosario. Polanco is slashing .297/.360/.489 with 22 home runs, 78 RBIs and 103 runs scored, and Rosario’s line is .274/.297/.494 with 31 homers, 101 RBIs and 89 runs scored.

The Royals have lost 6.3 units and are 19-22 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has hit in 20 of those games, compared to 17 that’ve gone under against lefties. On the other hand, the Twins have netted 22.2 units and are 65-52 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over’s cashed in 56 of those games, compared to 58 that went under the total.

Kansas City Royals at Minnesota Twins Free MLB Tip

Predictions: SU Winner – Twins, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – OVER