Twins at Royals 9/14/18 - MLB Picks & Predictions

The Minnesota Twins play the second game of a four-game series on the road Friday against the Kansas City Royals. The Twins beat the New York Yankees on Wednesday 3-1. Minnesota starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning before the Yankees’ Greg Bird doubled. However, the Twins went on to win for the second straight time against the Yankees.

The Royals two-game winning streak was snapped on Wednesday in a 4-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox. The Royals bullpen gave up a 12th inning two-run home run to Tim Anderson. In the loss, Adalberto Mondesi has four hits and the team’s only two RBIs. Eddie Rosario leads Minnesota with a .287 batting average and team highs in hits with 156, home runs with 23 and RBIs with 75. Minnesota has a team batting average of .244, while opposing hitters are averaging .259 at the plate against Twins pitching. On Friday, the Twins will send Jose Berrios to the mound. The right-hander this season is 11-11 with an ERA of 3.83, 176 Ks and 51 BBs.

Whit Merrifield leads the Royals with a .302 batting average and team high 169 hits. Salvador Perez is the team leader in home runs with 24 and RBIs with 68. Kansas City has a team batting average of .243 while opposing hitters are averaging .273 at the plate against Royals pitching. On Friday, the Royals will send Jorge Lopez to the mound. The right-hander this season is 2-4 with an ERA of 3.72, 37 Ks and 22 BBs.