Minnesota Twins vs Kansas City Royals Prediction and Betting Odds May 26
Minnesota Twins vs Kansas City Royals Betting Preview
WagerTalk MLB handicapper Andy Lang offers his Minnesota Twins vs Kansas City Royals betting preview for Thursday, May 26 with first pitch scheduled for 7:40pm ET / 4:40pm PT. We have a battle of young southpaws as Daniel Lynch gets the nod for Kansas City while Devin Smeltzer goes to mound for Minnesota.
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| Thursday, May 26 | MLB Betting Notes, Courtesy of Caesars |
|---|---|
| Moneyline: | Minnesota Twins -175 vs Kansas City Royals +160 |
| Runline: | Twins -1.5 (+115) / Royals +1.5 (-135) |
| Total: | 8 Runs (Over -125 / Under +105) |
| Game Time: | 7:40pm ET / 4:40pm PT |
| Where: | Target Field in Minneapolis |
| Weather: | 60 and Clear with Light Winds Blowing Left to Right |
Minnesota Twins vs Kansas City Royals Analysis
The Kansas City Royals travel to Target Field to begin a four-game series with the Minnesota Twins on Thursday evening. The Twins lost in extra innings yesterday but still took two of three games at home against the Detroit Tigers. The Royals were swept in a two game mini set in Arizona against the Diamondbacks.
Twins Seek Fifth-Straight Series Victory
The Minnesota Twins were rolling prior to yesterday’s 4-2 loss in extra innings, winning their prior six and eight of their last ten games. Dylan Bundy tossed 5.2 innings of one run baseball, but the bullpen ultimately allowed three more runs in the loss. Outfielder Trevor Larnach went 2-for-3 with a two-run bomb.
The Twins will look to avoid losing back-to-back games for the first time since April outside of three-straight losses to the Houston Astros. The Twins enter the game ranking 11th in batting average and fourth in on-base percentage.
Joe Ryan was supposed to draw the start tonight but tested positive for Covid-19. Instead they will trot out quasi-starter Devin Smeltzer. Smeltzer made his first spot start of the season ten days ago and allowed one run on three hits in five innings. The Twins have relied heavily on their pitching with a team ERA of 3.33 that ranks 6th best in the league.
Royals Hope To Snap Six-Game Skid
The Kansas City Royals are on a six-game losing streak after getting out-slugged twice at Chase Field against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Their record sits at 14-28 after yesterday’s 8-6 loss.
Catcher M.J. Melendez hit a two-run home run and RBI double but it wasn’t enough as the Kansas City pitching staff got lit up. The bullpen allowed another five runs in the remaining four innings.
Kansas City is in a complete rebuild mode but this pitching staff is about as bottom of the barrel as you can get. They rank second to last in team ERA with a 4.91 while striking the fewest batters.
The young lefty Daniel Lynch will look to turn the tide. However, that might be a lot to ask as he has hit a rough patch after a solid start to the season. In his last start against the Minnesota Twins he only lasted 3.2 innings while allowing four runs on five hits.
Minnesota Twins vs Kansas City Royals Prediction
The Royals are simply struggling to score runs on a consistent basis. Smeltzer is making a spot start but did help the Twins win a 6-4 game against the Royals in his last start. Lynch did the exact opposite as he was on the other side of that two-run loss.
The Minnesota bullpen is middle of the pack in ERA while Kansas City is second-to-last. The Twins offense isn’t lighting the world on fire but I trust their hitters much more than the Royals. It isn’t my favorite pick on the board, but let’s make a play on the Twins run line at +115 odds.
Prediction: Minnesota Twins -1.5 (+115)
Interested in placing a bet on Thursday’s Minnesota Twins vs Kansas City Royals AL Central showdown? Caesars Sports is offering up to a $1,500 match bet for first-time deposits in New Jersey, West Virginia, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Virginia, Tennessee, Arizona, New York and Louisiana.
First Pitch | MLB Betting Preview for May 26
Join Drew Martin and a rotating panel of guests for First Pitch as we break down the daily baseball slate from a betting perspective. Nestor Cortes has taken the Bronx by storm this spring with a 1.80 ERA in eight starts. Can he keep the run going against Tampa Bay tonight? Join WagerTalk’s team of MLB betting experts every weekday at 1:45pm ET / 10:45am PT for First Pitch as we discuss the baseball betting slate.
Daily MLB Game Previews and Predictions
See all of the daily MLB predictions and picks by WagerTalk and Sportsmemo handicappers to assist you in betting. We breakdown various games from a betting perspective all across the league. View all of our daily game previews using the links below!
WagerTalk Live Odds Screen
WagerTalk’s Live Odds Screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the MLB moneylines, run lines and betting percentages for all of Thursday’s baseball games, including this Minnesota Twins vs Kansas City Royals showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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Meet the Author
Andy Lang has lived in Indianapolis his whole life, and like most people from the Hoosier State, he became fascinated with motor sports. That interest in motor sports turned into a desire to make money off the sport through fantasy contests and sports betting. Like most, he took his lumps when he first got started, but now he is one of the most respected NASCAR bettors in the industry. Andy has expanded that sports betting experience to become profitable in a number of other sports, transforming this interest from a side hobby to a major source of income.
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