Both the Twins and Royals will send a starting pitcher to the mound on Saturday, as Bailey Ober is starting for the Twins, while the Royals are starting Alec Marsh. First pitch from Kauffman Stadium is set for 7:15 PM ET, and the forecast is clear in Kansas City.
The money line odds have the Twins as the favorite, with their odds sitting at -141, while the odds of a Royals win are at +120. Today's over/under line is at 8 runs, and the under is currently favored at -110. In the AL Central, the Twins are 3rd, while the Royals are 2nd. Alec Marsh will be looking to help the Royals extend their two-game winning streak, while the Twins are starting Bailey Ober.
Minnesota vs. Kansas City Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Twins at Royals
- Where: Kauffman Stadium Kansas City
- Date: Saturday, September 7th
- Betting Odds MIN -141 | KC +120 O/U 8
Twins vs Royals Last Game Recap
Thanks to a five-run 5th inning for the Royals' offense, they cruised to a 5-0 win over the Twins in the most recent game of this series. Heading into the game, the Royals were favored at -141 on the money line.
The starting pitching matchup for this game featured Cole Ragans for the Royals, and he went six innings while striking out seven and didn't give up a run. Zebby Matthews got the start for the Twins, going five innings and giving up four runs.
Kansas City got a huge performance from Michael Massey, as he went 3/3 with a home run and three RBIs. Both Hunter Renfroe and Tommy Pham each drove in two for the Royals' offense.
Twins Preview
Minnesota has a 37-35 road record this season and is 4-6 in their last 10 games. As the favorite, they are 60-37, and as the road favorite, they are 28-14. On the run line, they are 66-75 overall and 37-35 on the road.
This season, 39.0% of Twins games have had over/under lines of 8 runs, and their O/U record in those games is 12-17-4. Their overall O/U record is 71-65, and their average run total per game is 9.1.
Right-hander Bailey Ober gets the start for the Twins today as he faces the Royals on the road. He has made 26 starts this season and has a record of 12-6 with an ERA of 3.95. Ober's WHIP for the season is currently 1.02, and he has pitched one complete game and has 16 quality starts. In his last outing, Ober finished with a no-decision, going six innings and giving up one earned run on three hits. Before that, he had given up at least two earned runs in three straight starts. Opponents are batting .207 off Ober this season.
Carlos Santana and Ryan Jeffers are tied for the team lead in home runs this season, with both players having gone deep 20 times. Santana also leads the Twins with 60 RBIs, while Jeffers is 2nd on the team in RBIs, with 59. Byron Buxton is 2nd on the team in homers, with 16, and is batting .275 for the season. Over his last 10 games, Jose Miranda is batting .333, and Carlos Santana has two homers but is batting just .219.
As a team, the Twins are averaging 4.7 runs per game and are 8th in team batting average at .251. They are also among the league leaders in slugging percentage and OPS. So far, they have been a good home run hitting team, as they are 9th in the league in homers.
Royals Preview
Kansas City has a 77-65 record and is 4.5 games behind the Guardians in the AL Central. The Royals have won two straight games and covered the run line in two consecutive home games. Their run line record for the season is 78-64, with an average run margin of 4.1 runs per game.
At home, the Royals are 14-13 as underdogs and 41-32 against the run line. The over/under record for their games is 64-73, and the average runs per game is 8.9. This season, 62.0% of their games have had over/under lines higher than today's total of 8 runs, and they are currently on a two-game under streak.
Right-hander Alec Marsh gets the start for the Royals today as he faces the Twins at home. Marsh has made 21 starts this year and has a record of 7-8 with a 4.70 ERA. Looking at his overall numbers, Marsh has a WHIP of 1.24 and has pitched much better at home, coming in with a 4.73 ERA compared to 5.62 on the road. His last outing came on September 1st, where he took the loss, giving up three earned runs in five innings of work. Marsh has allowed at least one homer in each of his last three outings.
Heading into today's game, the Royals are averaging 4.8 runs per game, which is 9th in the league. At home, they are even better, putting up 5.1 runs per contest. Overall, they have the league's 5th best batting average at .254. As a team, the Royals are tough to strike out, as they have the league's 2nd fewest strikeouts.
Over his last seven games, Bobby Witt Jr. has gone just 5/26, but he does have two home runs in that stretch. For the season, he is batting .337 with 30 homers and 97 RBIs. Salvador Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino have also been big run producers this season, with both players having 97 RBIs. Perez is batting .271, and Pasquantino comes in with a batting average of .262.
Twins vs. Royals Prediction: Royals ML +120
Our pick for this Twins vs. Royals matchup is to take the Royals on the money line at +120. With the payout and our projections, we see this as a great value pick. Offensively, we have the Royals finishing with nine hits compared to the Twins with nine.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Alec Marsh has a better chance of picking up a win today compared to Bailey Ober. Marsh is projected to finish with five strikeouts, and Ober is projected to finish with five as well.
