First pitch is set for 4:10 PM ET at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO. The pitching matchup features Pablo López for the Twins against Cole Ragans for the Royals. The Twins are the current favorites, with a money line payout of -118 compared to the Royals’ -102.

Looking at the over/under line, oddsmakers have set the total at 7.5 runs. The over is currently paying out at -119, while the under is at -103.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS VS MINNESOTA TWINS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Kansas City Royals Moneyline -102

This game will be played at Kauffman Stadium at 4:10 ET on Thursday, March 28th.

HOW TO BET THE TWINS VS ROYALS:

  • We have the Royals winning by a score of 5 to 4
  • If you’re looking for a run line pick, we also like the Royals to cover
  • As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 9 runs and like the over

Twins Records & Stats

Despite finishing with the best record in the AL Central last season, the Twins were unable to advance past the ALDS, falling to the Astros 3-1. Minnesota’s overall record last season was 87-75, which was good for 7th in the American League.

When playing at home, the Twins were 47-34 compared to 40-41 on the road. In terms of series records, Minnesota went 27-19-5 overall, including a mark of 15-8-3 at home and 12-11-2 on the road.

Last season, the Twins were the favorite in 69.1% of their games, going 52-60 vs. the run line in those games. Overall, their run line record was 82-80, including 44-37 on the road. In games that they covered the run line, their average scoring margin was +3.8 runs per game, compared to -2.4 runs per game in games they did not cover.

Minnesota’s games had an average over/under line of 8.3 runs last season, and their O/U record was 81-74. Today’s line is set at 7.5 runs, and last year, 69.1% of their games had higher O/U lines than that. Their games averaged a combined 8.9 runs per game, and 56.8% of their games had more than 7.5 runs.

Coming off a season in which he went 11-8, Pablo López will be looking to build on his success from last year. In 32 starts, López had a quality start in 20 of them and finished the season with an ERA of 3.67. Last season, he faced the Royals three times and went 3-0 with an ERA of 1.8. For the season, López allowed a total of 24 home runs and had a WHIP of 1.16. His strikeout-to-walk ratio for the season was 4.9, and he averaged 10.86 strikeouts per nine innings.

As a team, the Twins were 10th in the league in runs per game last season, averaging 4.8 runs per contest. They were also one of the top home run-hitting teams in the league, finishing 3rd with 233 homers. Despite being 14th in the league in batting average, the Twins were 8th in on-base percentage and 7th in slugging percentage. On the road, they were 20th in batting average compared to 16th at home.

Max Kepler is the top returning home run hitter for the Twins after hitting 24 home runs last season. Kepler finished the year with a slugging percentage of .484. Carlos Correa hit 18 home runs last year and batted .230. Carlos Santana is the team’s returning hits leader after batting .240 and hitting 23 home runs. Santana was acquired from the Brewers in the off season.

Royals Records & Stats

Despite being the underdog, the Royals were able to win 49 games last season when they were not favored. However, they were just 7-14 when they were the favorite. At home, Kansas City went 27-35 as the underdog and 6-13 as the favorite.

Last season, the Royals went 56-106, which was good for 14th place in the American League and 5th place in the AL Central. In the division, Kansas City went 20-32 and had an overall series record of 11-37-3.

Last season, the Kansas City Royals were the underdog in 87.0% of their games, finishing with a run line record of 66-75 in those contests. Overall, their run line record was 70-92, including a mark of 37-44 at home and 33-48 on the road. Their average run margin for the season was -1.1 runs per game, which dropped to -1.8 runs per game on the road.

Last season, the Royals had an over/under record of 78-77, and their average over/under line was 8.9 runs. In games with an O/U line of 7.5 runs, the over/under record was 5-3. Overall, 59.9% of their games finished with more runs than 7.5 runs.

Left-hander Cole Ragans is coming off a season in which he made 12 starts and 29 appearances for the Kansas City Royals. His record for the season was 7-5, and he finished the year with an ERA of 3.47. Ragans’ WHIP for the season was 1.16, and he finished the year with seven quality starts. Opponents hit just .198 off Ragans, and his slugging percentage allowed was .297. For the season, Ragans averaged 10.59 strikeouts per nine innings and 1.4 walks per game.

At home last season, the Royals averaged 4.8 runs per game, which was 10th in the league. Overall, they were 22nd in runs per game at 4.1. On the road, Kansas City’s offense struggled, ranking 30th in road batting average (.218) and 29th in road runs per game (3.5). For the season, the Royals were 16th in isolated power (ISO) at .153.

The Royals will be looking for another big season from Bobby Witt Jr. after he hit 30 home runs and drove in 96 runs last year. Salvador Perez is also back after hitting 23 home runs and batting .255. Hunter Renfroe is a new addition to the team after hitting 20 home runs and batting .233 for the Reds last season.