Kansas City Royals vs Minnesota Twins Betting Pick & Prediction 8/14/24
The forecast for Wednesday’s matchup between the Royals and Twins calls for broken clouds and temperatures in the mid-60s. This one is getting started at 1:10 PM ET from Target Field in Minneapolis. The Twins are 67-52, while the Royals are 65-55.
Kansas City is starting Cole Ragans, while Louie Varland is on the mound for the Twins. Minnesota is currently on a two-game winning streak and is the slight money line favorite today at -106. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs.
MINNESOTA TWINS VS KANSAS CITY ROYALS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Minnesota Twins Moneyline -106
This game will be played at Target Field at 1:10 ET on Wednesday, August 14th.
HOW TO BET THE ROYALS VS TWINS:
- We have the Twins winning by a score of 6 to 5
- If you’re looking for a run line pick, we also like the Twins to cover
- As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 11 runs and like the over
It was all Minnesota in the last game of this series, as the Twins took down the Royals by a score of 13-3. The Twins offense only had two more hits than the Royals and struck out seven times, but still picked up a convincing win. Heading into the game, they were favored at -123 on the money line.
Kansas City got on the board first with one run in the 2nd inning, but the Twins responded with three runs in the bottom half of the 2nd and added four more in the 5th. As for the Royals, they scored their final two runs in the 6th.
Zebby Matthews only went five innings for the Twins but gave up just two hits and two earned runs. He finished the game with five strikeouts and didn’t issue a walk. On the other side, Seth Lugo was tagged for seven runs in four innings of work for the Royals.
Royals Records & Stats
Kansas City is six games out of first place in the AL Central, and they are 65-55 overall this season. The Royals have dropped two straight games, and they are losing the series vs. the Twins 0-2 heading into today’s game. So far, they have been good against other teams in the AL Central, putting up a record of 25-13.
At home, the Royals have gone 38-25 this year, and they are just above .500 at 27-30 on the road. As the favorite, the Royals are 38-23 this year, and they are 27-32 as the underdog. The Royals’ overall series record is 17-18-2, and they have won two straight series on the road.
When the Kansas City Royals are on the road, they have a run line record of 30-27, but they have failed to cover the run line in their last four road games. Their average run margin on the road is +0.3 runs per game, and their overall run line record is 66-54. They have been a better bet on the run line as an underdog, going 35-24.
The Kansas City Royals are on the road against the Minnesota Twins today. The Over/Under line for the game is set at 8 runs. The combined run average for Royals games this season is 8.9 runs per game. The Royals have an Over/Under record of 55-62 this season, and their average Over/Under line is set at 8 runs. When the line is set at 8 runs, the Royals have a record of 11-10-2. The Over has hit in seven straight games for the Royals.
Kansas City is sending left-hander Cole Ragans to the mound today vs. the Twins. He has made 24 starts this season and has a record of 9-7 with a 3.27 ERA. Ragans has turned in 16 quality starts this year and has a WHIP of 1.17. In his 24 appearances, he has allowed a total of 12 home runs and is averaging 10.65 strikeouts per nine innings. Ragans most recent outing came vs. the Red Sox, where he picked up the win after going 6 1/3 innings, giving up one earned run and two homers. Before that, he had given up at least four earned runs in three straight starts.
So far this season, the Royals are averaging 4.8 runs per game, which is 9th in the league. At home, they have been even better, averaging 5.3 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .253, which is 7th in the league, and they have the 11th best on-base percentage in the league. One thing to keep an eye on is their team walk numbers, as they are currently 26th in the league in that category.
Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez have been the team’s top power threats this season, with Witt Jr. leading the team with 23 homers and Perez just behind him at 22. Witt Jr. is also batting .347 for the season and has gone 9/23 with three homers over his last six games. Perez is currently on a seven-game hitting streak.
Twins Records & Stats
With an overall record of 67-52, the Twins are 3.5 games behind the Guardians for the AL Central lead. Minnesota has gone 28-16 against other teams in the AL Central. The Twins have won two straight games, and they are 6-4 across their last 10.
At home, the Twins are 36-23 this season and 31-29 on the road. As the favorite, the Twins have gone 54-31 and 13-21 as the underdog. Minnesota has an overall series record of 21-13-3 this season.
Minnesota has played to a run line record of 59-60 this season, but they have been slightly better on the road (32-28) than at home (27-32). The Twins’ average run margin for the season is +0.6, and they have been a better bet to cover the run line as the underdog (18-16) compared to when they are the favorite (41-44). In their wins, the Twins have outscored opponents by an average of 3.8 runs per game, while they have been outscored by an average of 3.6 runs per game in their losses.
Minnesota is back home after a road trip and will host the Kansas City Royals. The over/under line for today’s game is set at 8 runs. The combined run average for Twins games this season is 9.3 runs per game. Their over/under record on the season is 62-53, and their average over/under line is also 8 runs. When the line is set at 8 runs, their record is 8-15-4. Overall, 40.3% of their games have had higher lines than 8 runs, and 37.0% have had lower lines. The over has hit in each of their last two games.
Right-hander Louie Varland gets the start for the Twins today as he faces the Royals at home. Varland has made six starts and seven appearances this season, finishing with a record of 0-4 and ERA of 6.46. So far, he has pitched 30 2/3 innings and has a WHIP of 1.66. Opposing batters are hitting .313 off Varland this season. In his last outing, he finished with a no-decision, giving up three earned runs in 4 2/3 innings of work. Varland has finished with a no-decision in each of his last three outings.
Minnesota’s offense has been one of the league’s best this season, as they are 6th in scoring at 4.9 runs per game. At home, they have been even better, averaging 5.2 runs per contest. Overall, they are 6th in home runs and have the 6th best team batting average in the league. The Twins have a few hitters who have been swinging the bat well of late, including Christian Vázquez, who is hitting .500 over his last four games and has a six-game hitting streak.
Ryan Jeffers and Byron Buxton are the Twins’ top home run hitters this season, with 17 and 16 homers, respectively. Jeffers is also the team’s leader in RBIs, while Buxton is 2nd on the team in RBIs and is batting .275 for the season. Buxton has two homers in his last five games and is 4/15 in that stretch.