Twins vs. Royals Prediction, Betting Tips & Picks 5/20/2022

The Kansas City Royals (14-23) enter Friday’s matchup with the Minnesota Twins (22-16) following their 2-3 series defeat to the White Sox. The Twins, coming off of a series win against the Athletics, are listed as -129 favorites for Game 1. The series begins at Kauffman Stadium, starting at 8:10 PM ET. Minnesota’s Devin Smeltzer and Kansas City’s Daniel Lynch have been named the starters for this contest.

Twins vs. Royals Spread and Betting Line

Computer Predictions for Twins vs. Royals

Our computer pick: Kansas City Royals (+109) and Over (8.5)

Twins vs. Royals Game Info

• Minnesota Twins probable starting pitcher: Devin Smeltzer
• Kansas City Royals probable starting pitcher: Daniel Lynch
• Game Day: Friday, May 20, 2022
• Game Time: 8:10 PM ET
• Location: Kansas City, Missouri
• Stadium: Kauffman Stadium

Minnesota Twins vs Kansas City Royals Pitching Matchup

Twins Starter Devin Smeltzer

• The Twins will look to Smeltzer (0-0) in his second start this season.
• In his last appearance on Saturday, the lefty threw five innings against the Cleveland Guardians, allowing one earned run while surrendering three hits.
• Opposing hitters have compiled a batting average of just .176 against him this season. He has a 1.80 ERA and 3.6 strikeouts per nine innings over his one appearances.
• He will face a Royals offense that ranks 26th in the league with 133 runs while batting .231 as a squad. It has a collective .349 slugging percentage (26th in MLB action) and has hit a total of 25 home runs (27th in MLB).

Royals Starter Daniel Lynch

• The Royals’ Lynch (2-2) will make his seventh start of the season.
• The left-hander’s last start was on Sunday, when he tossed 5 1/3 innings without allowing a run on three hits in a matchup with the Colorado Rockies.
• The 25-year-old has an ERA of 3.30, a 2.231 strikeout to walk ratio and a WHIP of 1.300 in six games this season.
• He has started six games this season, earning a quality start (6 or more IP, 3 or fewer ER) in one of them.
• In six starts this season, Lynch has lasted five or more innings five times, with an average of 5.0 innings per appearance.
• The Twins are batting .241 this season, 12th in MLB. They have a team slugging percentage of .394 (eighth in the league) with 40 home runs.
• The Twins have gone 4-for-18 in five innings this season against the left-hander.

Twins Betting Picks & Insights

• The Twins have entered the game as favorites 22 times this season and won 16, or 72.7%, of those games.
• Minnesota has a record of 15-4, a 78.9% win rate, when favored by -129 or more by sportsbooks this season.
• The sportsbooks’ moneyline implies a 56.3% chance of a victory for the Twins.
• Games involving Minnesota have gone over the total set by sportsbooks in 14 of 38 chances this season.
• The Twins are 17-21-0 ATS in their 38 games with a spread this season.

Royals Betting Picks & Insights

• The Royals have been victorious in 13, or 37.1%, of the 35 contests they have been chosen as underdogs in this season.
• This season, Kansas City has come away with a win eight times in 28 chances when named as an underdog of at least +109 or longer on the moneyline.
• The Royals have an implied victory probability of 47.8% according to the moneyline set for this matchup.
• Kansas City and its opponents have gone over the total this season in 17 of their 41 opportunities.
• In 41 games with a line this season, the Royals have a mark of 19-22-0 against the spread.

Twins Leaders & Batting Stats

• Byron Buxton has put up a team-best 11 home runs.
• Max Kepler has a club-leading .259 batting average.
• Kepler ranks 53rd in homers and 84th in RBI in the majors.
• Kepler has three games in a row with at least one hit. In his last five games he is hitting .438 with a double, two walks and four RBI.
• Jorge Polanco has accumulated a team-high 22 runs batted in.
• Luis Arraez is batting .323 with five doubles, a home run and 16 walks.

Royals Leaders & Batting Stats

• Andrew Benintendi paces the Royals with 16 runs batted in while racking up a team-high batting average of .306.
• In all of the majors, Benintendi ranks 173rd in homers and 84th in RBI.
• Benintendi brings a hitting streak of three games into this matchup. During his last five outings he is batting .250 with a double, two walks and an RBI.
• Hunter Dozier is hitting .296 with eight doubles, two triples, four home runs and seven walks.
• Dozier is 74th in home runs and 166th in RBI among all MLB hitters this season.
• Whit Merrifield has racked up a team-best 16 runs batted in.
• Bobby Witt Jr. has nine doubles, two triples, four home runs and six walks while batting .225.

Betting Tips for Twins vs. Royals

We have the Royals on the moneyline at +109 on the moneyline as our best bet in this contest after analyzing all of the key stats and trends for this matchup. Our computer picks see the scoring going over the total of 8.5 runs.