Minnesota Twins vs. Kansas City Royals Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 5/20/2022

Time: 8:10 p.m. ET

Venue: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO

Where to watch: Bally Sports North, Bally Sports Kansas City

DraftKings: Twins -125, Royals -105

BetMGM: Twins -125, Royals -105

Caesars: Twins -125, Royals -105

Twins: 22-16

Royals: 14-23

The Minnesota Twins have been without Carlos Correa for a hot second, but they keep finding ways to win games and establish some distance between them and the rest of the American League West.

The Twins have won four of their last six and are coming off winning two of three in Oakland against the lowly Athletics, especially with the last as a 14-4 victory on Wednesday.

Correa returned to the lineup with two hits, including an RBI double, and the rout began after a three-run first inning. Luis Arraez also went 3-for-5 with two RBI, putting the infielder’s batting average to .323.

“It was really nice to get back out there with the guys,” Correa said. “Being back out there, it definitely felt like opening day a little bit to me.”

Gary Sanchez also added three RBI with a double on a 2-for-4 night.

The Twins have been somewhat of a surprise here, but definitely took a hit once Correa went on the injured list with a bruised middle finger. The all-star missed 11 games and definitely needed to get back for Minnesota’s offense.

“Very solid day all the way around from our offensive group," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “There was a lot of action. There were a lot of baserunners. That’s what we’re looking for. We found a way to get them home.”

The Kansas City Royals are just trying to find their identity right now, whatever that may be. After splitting the four-game series with the Chicago White Sox, the Royals find themselves ready to wrap up this seven-game homestand with the two best teams in the AL Central.

Kansas City got six runs on 12 hits in its 6-2 win over the White Sox on Wednesday to preserve the split. Bobby Witt Jr. went 2-for-4 with a homer, while Andrew Benintendi went 1-for-4 while seeing his hot start dip to just .302. MJ Melendez, playing catcher in place of the injured Salvador Perez, went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer.

"It felt really good," Melendez said. "Going into that at-bat, I had a really good plan. I felt really confident. Anything to the outfield I felt pretty confident to get that run in."

Witt felt just as good after connecting on his fourth homer of his MLB career, firing it 436 feet off Lucas Giolito.

"(He) hits the ball hard," Matheny said. "That's what he's always done all the way through the minor league system. Even as an amateur, that's the thing that's always stood out. To have consistently hard contact. He's in a really good place now. He's got enough power when he's short to the ball."

The Royals are in that weird rut of trying to play good baseball while, at the same time, being patient with the youth at their disposal. Clearly, they can drive in some runs and look like a force in the division for years to come. But there's going to come a point where if we want to start taking them seriously, they need to start winning some series and not come away with splits against these better teams.

I'm going to take the Twins because I want to see how much they can continue this offensive tear with Correa now back in the fold. I figured it would take a little bit, but I'm intrigued to see what's to come with this team and how far they can go with a healthy group. Twins win 8-4

Twins are 12-4 this season as a favorite between -125 and -175.

Twins are 9-3 against division opponents this season.

Royals are 8-11 at home this season.

Royals are 4-8 as a home underdog this season.

Twins:
Byron Buxton (R) CF
Luis Arraez (L) 1B
Carlos Correa (R) SS
Jorge Polanco (S) 2B
Max Kepler (L) RF
Gary Sanchez (R) DH
Gio Urshela (R) 3B
Ryan Jeffers (R) C
Nick Gordon (L) LF
SP - Devin Smeltzer

Royals:
Whit Merrifield (R) RF
Andrew Benintendi (L) LF
Bobby Witt Jr. (R) SS
Hunter Dozier (R) 1B
MJ Melendez (L) DH
Emmanuel Rivera (R) 3B
Kyle Isbel (L) CF
Sebastian Rivero (R) C
Nicky Lopez (L) 2B
SP - Daniel Lynch

Batting average: Max Kepler -- .259

Hits: Jorge Polanco -- 32

Home runs: Byron Buxton -- 11

RBI: Jorge Polanco -- 22

Wins: Joe Ryan -- 4

Saves: Emilio Pagan

ERA: N/A

Batting average: Andrew Benintendi -- .306

Hits: Andrew Benintendi -- 41

Home runs: Salvador Perez -- 6

RBI: Three tied -- 16

Wins: Collin Snider -- 3

Saves: Scott Barlow -- 4

ERA: Brad Keller -- 2.89