Kansas City Royals at Minnesota Twins 9/8/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Saturday, September 8, 2018

Target Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jorge Lopez vs. Jose Berrios

The Kansas City Royals visit Target Field on Saturday, September 8, 2018 to play the Minnesota Twins. The probable starters are Jorge Lopez for the Royals and Jose Berrios for the Twins.

The opening line for this matchup has Kansas City at +199 and Minnesota at -215. The Royals have a 60-70-9 over/under record and a 64-75-0 run line mark. The Twins are 70-69-0 against the run line and have a 66-69-4 over/under record.

Valuable Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 60-70-9 against the over/under

The Kansas City Royals are 64-75-0 against the run line

Important Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 66-69-4 against the over/under

The Minnesota Twins are 70-69-0 against the run line

Key Kansas City Royals Injuries

09/05/18 P Danny Duffy Shoulder is out for season
07/31/18 3B Cheslor Cuthbert Back 60-day DL (05/16)
07/11/18 P Ian Kennedy Oblique 10-day DL (07/11)
06/27/18 P Justin Grimm Shoulder 10-day DL (06/24)
06/17/18 LF Jorge Soler Foot 60-day DL (06/16)
05/27/18 P Eric Skoglund Arm 60-day DL (05/26)
03/30/18 P Nathan Karns Elbow 60-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 CF Bubba Starling Oblique 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Jesse Hahn Elbow 60-day DL (03/06)

Key Minnesota Twins Injuries

09/02/18 LF Eddie Rosario Quad is out indefinitely
09/01/18 P Adalberto Mejia Wrist 60-day DL (08/10)
08/19/18 P Ervin Santana Finger 10-day DL (08/19)
07/14/18 P Aaron Slegers Shoulder 10-day DL (07/11)
06/10/18 C Jason Castro Knee is out for season
03/26/18 P Michael Pineda Elbow 60-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Trevor May Elbow 60-day DL (03/26)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Royals have a 46-93 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jorge Lopez has a 1-4 record with an earned run average of 4.24 and a WHIP of 1.49 this season. He has 33 strikeouts over his 40.1 innings pitched and he's given up 39 hits. He's allowed 8.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.12. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.17 and they have given up 494 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .272 against the bullpen and they've struck out 379 hitters and walked 211 batters. As a team, Kansas City allows 9.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.4 batters per nine innings. They are 29th in the league in team earned run average at 5.11. The Royals pitchers collectively have given up 1,322 base hits and 695 earned runs. They have allowed 181 home runs this season, ranking them 7th in the league. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 484 batters and struck out 1,006. They have walked 3.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.48 and their FIP as a unit is 4.74.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Kansas City is hitting .244, good for 21st in the league. The Royals hold a .386 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .304, which is good for 27th in baseball. They rank 24th in MLB with 8.2 hits per game. Whit Merrifield is hitting .304 with an on-base percentage of .369. He has 162 hits this season in 533 at bats with 51 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .437 and an OPS+ of 121. Salvador Perez is hitting .235 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .274. He has totaled 102 hits and he has driven in 65 men in 434 at bats. His OPS+ is 91 while his slugging percentage is at .438. The Royals have 1,146 hits, including 234 doubles and 131 home runs. Kansas City has walked 361 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,117 times as a unit. They have left 911 men on base and have a team OPS of .690. They score 3.81 runs per contest and have scored a total of 530 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Minnesota has a 63-76 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.92, Jose Berrios has a 11-10 record and a 1.15 WHIP. He has 171 strikeouts over the 167.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 144 hits. He's allowing 7.7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.05. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.59 and they have given up 530 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .264 against the Twins bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 514 batters and walked 175 opposing hitters. As a team, Minnesota allows 9.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.6 batters per nine innings. They are 23rd in the league in team earned run average at 4.63. The Twins pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,253 base knocks and 638 earned runs this season. They have given up 182 home runs this year, which ranks 5th in Major League Baseball. Minnesota as a staff has walked 482 hitters and struck out 1,186 batters. They give up a walk 3.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.40 while their FIP as a staff is 4.48.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .244, good for 19th in the league. The Twins hold a .403 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .313, which is good for 22nd in baseball. They rank 20th in MLB with 8.3 hits per contest. Joe Mauer comes into this matchup batting .276 with an OBP of .347. He has 112 hits this year along with 39 RBI in 406 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .374 with an OPS+ of 97. Max Kepler is hitting .226 this season and he has an OBP of .318. He has collected 105 hits in 464 at bats while driving in 47 runs. He has an OPS+ of 98 and a slugging percentage of .416. The Twins as a unit have 1,154 base hits, including 267 doubles and 148 homers. Minnesota has walked 458 times this year and they have struck out on 1,169 occasions. They have had 928 men left on base and have an OPS of .717. They have scored 4.37 runs per game and totaled 608 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Royals/Twins MLB game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Royals +199

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