The Twins (54-51, 24-27 away) and Royals (30-75, 16-36 home) square off in two of this AL Central series. Jordan Lyles will take the mound for the Royals against Bailey Ober for the Twins. See who I like to come out on top in this Minnesota Twins vs. Kansas City Royals showdown in Kansas City.

MINNESOTA TWINS VS KANSAS CITY ROYALS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Kansas City Royals +1.5 Runs

This game will be played at Kauffman Stadium at 7:10 ET on Saturday, July 29th.

WHY BET THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS:

  • The Twins have gone just 1-4 in their last five games vs. the runline.
  • Minnesota have failed to cover the runline in two straight road games.
  • Bailey Ober has given up three home runs across his last two starts.

MINNESOTA TWINS LOOKING TO EXTEND AL CENTRAL LEAD

The Twins will be playing their 105th game of the season today and are 1st in the AL Central on a record of 54-51. So far, Minnesota has won 55.6% of their games at home compared to 47.1% on the road. Against divisional opponents, the Twins are 21-13 and have played a total of 32 series, going 14-14-4.

Bailey Ober takes the mound for Minnesota with a 6-4 record. The right-hander has made 16 appearances this season, posting an ERA of 2.76 and a K/9 of 8.56. His FIP is 3.59 and opponents are batting .256 against him.

In his most recent outing, Bailey Ober was not credited with the win in the Twins’ 5-4 victory over the White Sox. Despite this, he still put together a quality start, surrendering three runs on five hits over six innings of work.

For the season, the Twins are 17th in batting average, hitting a combined .237. Over their last ten games, they have hit .255 which is 10th in that span. Minnesota’s average of 4.4 runs per game puts them 16th in the league. In terms of home runs, they have gone deep 139 times and have a team slugging percentage of .413.

Over the last ten games, Matt Wallner has been a powerful presence in the Twins’ lineup, leading the team with three home runs and bringing his season total to four. Wallner has also been a reliable hitter, boasting an overall batting average of .268.

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

Leading up to today’s game, the Royals are 5th in the AL Central on a record of 30-75. Overall, they have played in 32 different series, going 4-26-2. When playing above .500 teams, the Royals are 30-75, and currently hold win percentages of 30.8% at home and 26.4% on the road.

Jordan Lyles has struggled in his 19 appearances for the Royals this season, owning a record of 1-12 with an ERA of 6.19 and a K/9 of 6.35. His FIP is 5.44, while his OBP is .298.

Jordan Lyles’ most recent start ended in a Royals loss to the Yankees, as he allowed nine hits and five earned runs over five innings.

Having gone deep 12 times in their last ten games, the Royals are 9th in that span. At 3.7 runs per game, Kansas City is 28th in the league. This figure has come on a team batting average of .233 while hitting a total of 94 home runs (23rd).

Salvador Perez is the home-run king for the Royals in 2023, with 17 long balls and 43 RBIs to his name. His slugging percentage is an impressive .433, making him a major contributor to the team’s offensive success this season.