Royals vs Twins Preview: Battle for AL Central Supremacy | Point Spreads (2024)

Royals vs Twins Preview

The Minnesota Twins try to make it two straight against their AL Central rivals, the Kansas City Royals when they continue their four-game series with a matchup on Tuesday. Minnesota took the series opener on Monday, 6-5, and hopes to continue that success against the team right above it in the division standings. The Royals vs Twins Preview sees the former favored on the odds.

Kansas City has dropped two in a row after an eight-game winning streak. The Royals standings in the AL Central have them second in the division, 2.5 games behind the first-place Cleveland Guardians.

The Twins have won five of their last six after dropping seven in a row in mid-May. Minnesota sits four games behind the Royals and three games ahead of the fourth-place Detroit Tigers in the AL Central.

The MLB odds for the second game of this series have the Royals as the favorite to get the straight-up win, as they’re listed at -135 on the moneyline. The Twins are +115 to come away with the victory.

If you’re betting on the run line, you can get Minnesota at -145 when it is getting 1.5 runs, while Kansas City is +125 when giving those runs. The over/under for the contest has been set at 7.5 runs, with -110 on each side.

Royals Rough On Road

Kansas City has shown itself to be a solid playoff contender this season, but if the Royals want to make the postseason, they must be better on the road. Monday’s loss put Kansas City at 13-13 on the season when playing away from Kauffman Stadium, including losses in five of their last nine games as the visiting team.

Left-hander Cole Ragans will try to stop that trend when he makes his 12th start of the season on Tuesday night. Ragans is 4-3 on the season with a 3.34 ERA and 76 strikeouts (tied for seventh in baseball) in 62 innings.

Ragans has been better on the road this season, with a 2.84 ERA in four starts. He’s also coming off one of his best starts of the season, going six shutout innings against the Tigers on Wednesday, allowing just one hit while striking out 12 and walking three.

Catcher Salvador Perez has been the star of the Royals’ lineup in 2024, ranking sixth in the majors with a .323 batting average and tying for seventh with 39 RBI. Perez is on a three-game hitting streak after going 1-for-4 with a run scored in Monday’s contest. He also has 11 doubles, nine home runs and 22 runs scored.

Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. is also a bright light for Kansas City this season, hitting .309 to rank 12th in baseball. Witt extended his current hitting streak to 10 games by going 2-for-5 at the plate in the season opener. The 23-year-old has 15 doubles, six triples, nine home runs, 36 RBI, and an MLB-best 48 runs scored.

Twins’ Bats Coming Alive

The Twins’ seven-game losing skid a week ago saw the team score two or fewer runs in five of those seven setbacks, with four runs being the high mark of the streak. Since that time, however, Minnesota is averaging 4.8 runs in going 5-1, including putting up six runs in the series opener against Kansas City.

Jose Miranda and Trevor Larnach made Twins news with home runs on Monday, as Minnesota opened up a 5-0 lead before hanging on for the victory. For Miranda, it was his fifth round-tripper of the season, while Larnach found the seats for the fourth time in 2024.

Catcher Ryan Jeffers has been the big bat for Minnesota this season, leading the team with 10 home runs and 33 RBI. He’s batting .258 after going 2-for-4 at the plate on Monday, and he also has 13 doubles and 23 runs scored, as he’s on pace for his best MLB season to date.

Minnesota will send 23-year-old right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson to the mound for his eighth start of the season. Woods Richardson is 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA, striking out 26 in 35 innings.

After giving up five runs to the Toronto Blue Jays two starts ago, Woods Richardson has settled down, allowing just one earned run over his last 10 innings. Against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday, Woods Richardson threw 4.2 shutout innings, allowing just three hits while striking out and walking one.

Royals Bounce Back With Win

Our Royals vs Twins preview has shown what each team has going for it entering this matchup, and after all of that, we like Kansas City to come out with the win in the second game of the series. The Royals have just one win against Minnesota this season, but we like Tuesday to bring their second.

The more experienced Ragans should have the edge on the mound, and Kansas City’s bats will get it going against Woods Richardson. When making your MLB picks today, put your wager on the Royals to pick up the road win against the Twins.

Royals vs Twins Odds

For MLB stat leaders, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

Can’t get enough? Here’s more!

• New York Yankees at Los Angeles Angels Preview And Odds
• Bet On Tigers To Take Series Opener vs Visiting Pirates
• The Astros Have a Major Opportunity This Week
• MVP Candidate Juan Soto Returns to San Diego
• How To Bet on the MLB Cy Young Award