Saturday Major League Baseball and I will have a Free Pick in the game between the Minnesota Twins and the Kansas City Royals, which will be played at the Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. First pitch is scheduled for a 7:15 PM (Eastern) start time and the game will be televised on FOX.
Betting Odds
Minnesota +152
Kansas City -162
Over/ Under: 8.5 U -110
This is game 3 of a 4 game series between these American League foes. These teams have split the first two games of this series in low scoring fashion as a total of 7 runs have been scored in the two games. The Twins are in the midst of a long road trip and have won just 3 of the 8 games played on the trip so far. They are in 2nd place in the AL Central, 4.5 games behind the Royals, who have struggled as well of late as they have won just 1 of their last 5 games. They are 23-14 at home for the season, while the Twins are 17-23 on the road for the year. The Twins rank 15th in scoring (4.16 rpg), while on the mound they are 15th in ERA (3.87). Kansas City ranks 12th in scoring (4.22 rpg), while on the mound they are 8th in ERA (3.52).
Trend for this game include: The Twins are 5-1 in their last 6 games following a loss, but just 14-37 in their last 51 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600 and 3-12 in Pelfreys last 15 road starts with the total set at 7.0-8.5. The Royals are 10-2 in their last 12 games as a favorite and 14-5 in their last 19 home games vs. a team with a losing road record, but just 1-6 in their last 7 vs. a team with a winning overall record.
Getting the ball for Minnesota tonight will be Mike Pelfrey, who is 5-5 with a 3.81 ERA in 15 starts this year overall, while on the road he has gone 2-4 with a 5.95 ERA. Mike is just 1-2 with a 6.05 ERA in 4 career starts vs the Royals, while at Kauffman he is 1-1 with a 5.28 ERA in 3 starts.
Toeing the rubber for the Kansas City tonight will be Joe Blanton, who is 2-1 with a 3.14 ERA in 10 games (3 starts) this year. As a starter he is 2-1 with a 4.61 ERA. Vs the Twins in his career he is 5-6 with a 4.50 ERA in 11 starts.
Pick: Gonna most likely use the Royals in a parlay tomorrow. Maybe with the Dodgers. Neither team is playing well right now, but the Twins are not that great on the road, especially vs teams that are very good at home, which the Royals are. Neither starter is in good form, but Pelfrey is in worse form and he has really struggled on the road this year, plus he is 1-2 with a 6.05 ERA an 4 starts vs the Royals in his career. Blanton has struggled vs the Twins in his carer, but also hasn't faced them since 2013. The Royals should get another home win here.
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