by Chuck Sommers
Friday, May 20, 2022
Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
Venue: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Where to watch: Bally Sports North, Bally Sports Kansas City
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Twins -135, Royals +115
BetMGM: Twins -135, Royals +110
Caesars: NL
Season record
Twins: 22-16
Royals: 14-23
We're fresh into this baseball season and of course it's AAA Sports jumping out to an 34-19-0 run in Major League Baseball over the course of the last 30 days. An incredible start to the season. We've seen some exciting games and some awesome moments, but what will happen as we keep rolling through the month of May? Catch AAA's plays available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
Twins - Royals preview and analysis
Twins analysis
The Minnesota Twins struck early, and that's all that was needed for their 6-4 win over the Kansas City Royals on Friday. You look at a 6-4 game and you'd think the Twins had all the control in the world as it pertained to the offensive side of the plate.
The Twins had only nine total bases in this game, while the Royals had 20. While that doesn't make sense under any circumstance, again, it helps that the Twins plated three runs across in the first inning and the Royals really had nothing else to work with.
Devin Smeltzer, in his second MLB start, allowed just one run on five hits in 5.1 innings, while Kyle Garlick and Jose Miranda drove in a pair of runs each. All in all, it was just seven hits for the Twins, but that in theory was all that was needed in order to get the win.
"It felt great getting that first hit out of the way,” Miranda said. "Then getting the second one in a clutch situation when the team needed me, it just felt great to come through.”
The Twins are rounding into form at the right time after Carlos Correa returned to the lineup. I'd be concerned for the future at the very least as it pertained to Correa's future, but let me tell you that things like that don't matter when you're leading a lackluster AL Central.
Maybe the Twins just keep winning and he eventually changes his mind. That'd be fun.
Royals analysis
The Kansas City Royals are going to be dealing with these kinds of losses for a while as the youth movement keeps going. That's not surprising in the least, but falling behind as early as they did Friday did not help matters.
Daniel Lynch did not last four innings, getting pulled after 3.2 and allowed four runs on five hits. He just fell behind the 8 ball quickly after that rough first inning.
“(Lynch) was having some trouble finishing tonight and there was a reason for that," Kansas City manager Mike Matheny said. “He had some tightness come up in his back and felt good enough to pitch, but it was something he had to work through. ... We tried to help him figure out a way to get through it and he got better as he went.”
Whit Merrifield went 2-for-5, but Andrew Benintendi's average took another hit after going 1-for-5. He's creeping around now at .302, which of course is still good considering all the lack of offensive options the Royals have right now, but it's still a work-in-progress.
Prediction
I'm not feeling confident in the fact the Royals can win against the team they're chasing. The Twins are due for an easy one and I think Saturday is a good one. Twins win 6-1
Betting trends
Twins are 4-3 as a road favorite this season of -125 or higher.
Royals are 1-7 as a home dog of +125 or more this season.
Projected lineup
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 - Joe Ryan
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 - Brad Keller
Statistical leaders
Twins:
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
Royals:
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
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
