The Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins square off on Thursday with first pitch set for 7:40 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. The Royals will send Daniel Lynch (2-3, 4.01 ERA) to the mound while the Twins will counter with Devin Smeltzer (1-0, 1.74 ERA).
The Kansas City Royals have had major struggles and they’ll be sellers at the deadline to continue to build their farm system. Andrew Benintendi has been the Royals best hitter by far and he’s a guy that could be dealt in a few months. He’s currently hitting .327 with two home runs and 18 runs batted in. The Royals will have Daniel Lynch on the bump and he was a big prospect for them a few years ago. He’s been up and down for far this season. In May, Lynch is 0-2 with a 4.58 ERA.
The Twins struggled a bit to start the season, but have been red-hot lately. They’re 8-2 in their last 10 games. Luis Arraez has been their best hitter for average, but the rest of their hitting has been all around for this team. Byron Buxton leads the team in home runs with 11, but aside from that, he’s struggled as he’s hitting just .202. On the mound for the Twins, David Smeltzer will be getting his third start of the season. He’s been efficient so far this season as he has a 1.74 and a 1.06 WHIP.
Royals vs. Twins
Pitchers: Daniel Lynch vs. Devin Smeltzer
First pitch: 7:40 p.m. ET
Royals local broadcast: Bally Sports Kansas City
Twins local broadcast: Bally Sports North
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)
Odds, picks & predictions
Run line: Minnesota -1.5
Run total: 8
Moneyline odds: Kansas City +155, Minnesota -180
Moneyline pick: Minnesota -180
With as good as the Twins have played lately, they’re coming off a tough loss to the Tigers. In his last start again the Twins just five days ago, Daniel Lynch gave up four earned runs in just 3.2 innings. Look for them to get started off strong tonight in a big win over the Royals.
Player prop pick: Carlos Correa over 1.5 total bases (-120)
In his career against Lynch, Correa is 4-11 with an RBI. As of late, he has been playing his best baseball as Correa is 9-26. He’s gone over 1.5 total bases in his last two games. It’s been a few weeks since Correa has hit a home run, so he could put one out tonight against Kansas City.
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