Going into game three of this AL Central showdown, the Royals (31-75, 17-36 home) are giving the start to Ryan Yarbrough. On the other side, the Twins (54-52, 24-28 away) are rolling with Kenta Maeda. Don’t miss my prediction for today’s Minnesota Twins versus Kansas City Royals game 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 2:10 ET on Sunday, July 30th.

WHY BET THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS:

  • In their previous three games, the Royals are 2-1 vs. the runline.
  • Minnesota has failed to cover the runline in seven straight games when favored to win.
  • The Royals are 3-1 in Ryan Yarbrough’s last four starts.

MINNESOTA TWINS STRUGGLING VS RUNLINE OF LATE

For the season, the Twins have an overall record of 54-52, placing them 1st in the AL Central. Against other AL Central opponents, they are 21-14 along with going 30-24 and 24-28 at home and on the road, respectively. So far, they have played a total of 32 series, going 14-14-4.

Kenta Maeda will take the mound for the Twins with a 2-5 record across 10 appearances. His ERA is 4.62, and he’s striking out batters at a rate of 10.73 K/9. Maeda has also been impressive in terms of FIP, boasting a 3.36 mark, as well as an OBP of .293.

Kenta Maeda recently put together a quality start, but was unable to secure the win as the Twins edged out the Mariners 4-3. The right-hander went 6 1/3 innings, allowing one earned run on six hits.

Across their last ten games, the Twins’ offense is 9th in batting average, leading to an average of 5.3 runs per contest in that span. Overall, they are the 17th ranked scoring offense and posted a season-long OPS of .730 on 140 (7th).

Max Kepler has been on a hot streak for the Twins over their last five games, leading the team in hits and batting .300. For the 2023 season, Kepler is hitting .233 and has driven in 39 runs.

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

106 games into the season, the Royals have a record of 31-75, putting them 5th in the AL Central. This mark includes an overall series 4-26-2. At home, they are 17-36 compared to 14-39 on the road.

The Kansas City Royals will turn to Ryan Yarbrough as their starter. Through 13 appearances in the 2023 season, Yarbrough has a 3-5 record with an ERA of 4.71 and a K/9 of 4.91. Additionally, his FIP stands at 4.39 and OBP is .316.

Ryan Yarbrough earned a quality start and the win in his most recent outing, as Kansas City defeated the Guardians 5-3. The right-hander allowed one run and six hits in six innings of work.

So far this season, the Royals’ has gone deep 96 times, placing them 23rd in the league. Over Kansas City’s previous five games, they are 11th in runs scored, with their season average of 3.8 runs per game putting them 28th in the league. The Royals’ overall team batting average stands at .235 along with an OBP of .295.

Bobby Witt Jr. has been a major contributor to the Royals’ offense this season, with 18 home runs and a .263 batting average. Over their last five games, the young slugger has gone deep twice, leading the team in homers during that span.