The Twins (54-50, 24-26 away) travel to take on the Royals (29-75, 15-36 home) in game one of this AL Central matchup. Sonny Gray is getting the start for the Twins while Brady Singer is starting for the Royals. See who I like to pick up the win in today’s Minnesota Twins vs. Kansas City Royals showdown at Kauffman Stadium.

MINNESOTA TWINS VS KANSAS CITY ROYALS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Kansas City Royals +139

This game will be played at Kauffman Stadium at 8:10 ET on Friday, July 28th.

WHY BET THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS:

  • Kansas City is taking on the Twins at the right time, as the Twins have dropped two straight games.
  • The Twins have lost their two most recent games when favored on the moneyline.
  • Sonny Gray has struggled of late, coming in with an ERA of 6.65 over his last five starts.

MINNESOTA TWINS SEEK TO IMPROVE THEIR ROAD RECORD

Heading into this divisional matchup vs. the Royals, the Twins have an overall record of 54-50. This mark includes going 21-12 against divisional foes. Currently, they are 1st in the AL Central. Minnesota’s overall series record sits at 14-13-4.

Today marks Sonny Gray’s 21st appearance of the season, with an overall record of 4-4. His ERA stands at 3.15, and he has allowed an OBP of .305. Gray has struck out 110 batters thus far, and his WHIP is 1.29. On the road, his ERA is slightly higher than at home – 3.33 compared to 3.09 respectively.

Sonny Gray was unable to secure the victory in the Twins’ 3-2 win over the White Sox, despite a quality start. The right-hander tossed six innings, allowing two earned runs on seven hits.

During their last five games, Minnesota is the 11th ranked offense in terms of batting average. In these games, they have hit a combined .260 and are averaging 5.2 runs per game. Across the entire season, the Twins are hitting .237 with an OBP of .315 while averaging 4.4 runs per contest. This figure puts them 18th in the league.

Carlos Correa has been one of the Minnesota Twins’ most potent offensive weapons in 2023. The shortstop is batting .228 with 45 RBIs and 12 home runs on the season.

WILL THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

The Royals’ record of 29-75 has them ranked 5th in the AL Central. So far, they have a below .500 series record of 4-26-2. This season, they have gone 15-36 at home and 14-39 on the road.

Brady Singer is set to make his 21st start of the season, with a 6-8 record and an ERA of 5.55. Opposing teams have a .286 batting average against him, while they have a .470 slugging percentage for the season. On the road, Singer has gone 2-4 with an ERA of 8.44; at home he is 4-4 with a 5.25 ERA.

Brady Singer was unable to secure a win in his most recent start against the Yankees, as the Royals ultimately fell 5-2. The right-hander pitched six innings, earning a quality start and allowing five hits and two earned runs.

Over their last five games, the Royals are ranked 19th in the league in scoring at 2.8 runs per game. Their season-long scoring average of 3.7 per contest puts them 29th in baseball. In terms of on-base percentage, Kansas City is 21st, with an OBP currently sitting at .293. The team’s collective batting average is .233 (21st).

Over the Royals’ past five contests, Salvador Perez has topped the team in hits, batting .287 during this span. For the 2023 campaign, Perez is hitting .249 with 43 RBIs.