Twins vs. Royals Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Friday, April 28, 2023

Led by Byron Buxton (two-game homer streak), the Minnesota Twins (15-11) are favorites versus the Kansas City Royals (6-20) Friday at 4:10 PM ET. Sportsbooks have named the Twins as -279 favorites for the game, which airs on MLB Network.

Pablo Lopez will get the ball for Minnesota while Kansas City will counter with Jordan Lyles.

Twins vs. Royals Odds

• Twins odds to win: -279
• Royals odds to win: +229
• Spread: Twins -1.5
• Total: 7.5 runs

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Game Time and Information

• Date: Friday, April 28, 2023
• Time: 4:10 PM ET
• TV: MLB Network

Who Will Win Twins vs. Royals?

Twins and Royals Betting Trends

The Twins are 13-4 in games they were listed as the moneyline favorite (winning 76.5% of those games).

Minnesota has played as moneyline favorites of -279 or shorter in just one game this season, which it lost.

This season, the Royals have won six out of the 25 games, or 24%, in which they’ve been the underdog.

Kansas City has played as an underdog of +229 or more once this season and lost that game.

The Twins have played in 26 games with an over/under set, and have combined with their opponents to go over the total 10 times (10-13-3).

The Royals and their opponents have hit the over in 12 of their 26 games with a total this season.

Twins Stats & Insights

The Twins rank 16th in runs scored with 116, 4.5 per game.

Minnesota ranks eighth in MLB action with 33 home runs. They average 1.3 per game.

The Twins rank 21st in MLB with a .232 batting average.

Minnesota strikes out 9.4 times per game, the fourth-worst mark in the majors.

The Twins pitching staff ranks first in the majors with a collective 10 strikeouts per nine innings.

Minnesota has the sixth-ranked team ERA across all MLB pitching staffs (3.43).

Royals Stats & Insights

The Royals are among the lowest scoring teams in the league, ranking 29th with just 83 total runs (3.2 per game) this season.

Kansas City ranks 26th in Major League Baseball with just 19 home runs as a team.

The Royals rank 28th in MLB with a team batting average of just .215.

Kansas City ranks 24th with an average of 9.2 strikeouts per game.

The Royals strike out 8.6 batters per nine innings as a pitching staff, 19th in MLB.

Kansas City pitchers have a combined ERA of 5.35 ERA this year, which ranks 28th in MLB.

Twins Key Players to Watch

Lopez makes the start for the Twins, his sixth of the season. He is 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings pitched.

Joey Gallo leads Minnesota in home runs this season with seven while driving in 14 runs.

Buxton leads Minnesota in batting with a .244 average while slugging five homers and driving in 13 runs.

Trevor Larnach is among the top hitters for Minnesota with a .235 average, three homers and 18 RBI.

Jose Miranda has collected 23 hits this season and has an OBP of .294. He’s slugging .310 on the year.

Royals Key Players to Watch

The Royals will hand the ball to Lyles (0-4) for his sixth start of the season.

Vinnie Pasquantino leads the Royals with five home runs while racking up a team-best batting average of .283.

Bobby Witt Jr. is batting .243 with three doubles, two triples, four home runs and six walks.

Salvador Perez is hitting .244 with seven doubles, two home runs and three walks.

Edward Olivares has two doubles, a triple, two home runs and four walks while hitting .250.

Twins and Royals Injuries

Twins: Kyle Farmer: 10 Day IL (Face), Alex Kirilloff: 10 Day IL (Wrist), Ronny Henriquez: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Royce Lewis: 60 Day IL (Knee), Gilberto Celestino: 60 Day IL (Thumb), Chris Paddack: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Tyler Mahle: day-to-day (Elbow), Kenta Maeda: day-to-day (Undisclosed)

Royals: Drew Waters: 10 Day IL (Oblique), Kris Bubic: 15 Day IL (Flexor), Daniel Lynch: 15 Day IL (Shoulder), Jake Brentz: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Angel Zerpa: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Diego Hernandez: 60 Day IL (Shoulder)

Twins vs. Royals Prediction

Score Prediction: Twins 5, Royals 3

Total Prediction: Over 7.5 runs

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