Royals at Twins
GAME: Kansas City Royals (7-1) at Minnesota Twins (2-6)
DATE/TIME: Thursday, April 16 – 1:10 PM EST
WHERE: Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota
LINE: -119, 110 TOTAL: 8.5
TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, MLBN, FSN Kansas City
PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals LH Jason Vargas (1-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. Twins LH Tommy Milone (1-0, 0.00)
PREDICTION: Royals 4, Twins 1
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The Royals will give the ball to starter Jason Vargas in this one. Left hander Vargas is 1-0 this season with a 3.00 ERA.

Starting this game for the Twins will be Tom Milone. The left hander has a 0.00 ERA to go along with a 1-0 record this season.

Oddsmakers currently have the Royals listed as 113-moneyline favorites versus the Twins, while the game’s total is sitting at 8.

In their last action, Kansas City was a 3-1 loser on the road against the Twins. Bettors on Minnesota at +112 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (4) sent UNDER bettors home happy as well.

Kansas City:
Team record: 7-1
Kansas City is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
Kansas City is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Kansas City is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing Minnesota
Kansas City is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Minnesota

Minnesota:
Team record: 2-6
Minnesota is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 16 of Minnesota’s last 21 games at home
Minnesota is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing Kansas City
Minnesota is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Kansas City

The post Kansas City at Minnesota Preview appeared first on IdealCapper.

Royals at Twins
GAME: Kansas City Royals (6-0) at Minnesota Twins (1-5)
DATE/TIME: Monday, April 13 – 4:10 PM EST
WHERE: Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota
LINE: -126, 116 TOTAL: 8.5
TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, FSN Kansas City, FSN North (Minnesota)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals LH Danny Duffy (0-0, 9.00 ERA) vs. Twins RH Trevor May (2014: 3-6, 7.88)
PREDICTION: Royals 6, Twins 4
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Left hander Danny Duffy will take the mound for the Royals to start this game. Duffy is 0-0 this season with a 9.00 ERA.

The Twins will counter Duffy with Trevor May. Right hander May has a 0.00 ERA to go along with a 0-0 record this season.

Oddsmakers currently have the Royals listed as 122-moneyline favorites versus the Twins, while the game’s total is sitting at 8½.

After a breakout 2014 campaign in which he ranked fifth among American League pitchers with at least 140 innings with a 2.53 ERA, Duffy stumbled a bit out of the gate with five runs on eight hits in five frames against Chicago on Wednesday. He faced the Twins six times in 2014, more than any other opponent, and went 2-0 with a 1.63 ERA. Both of those victories came at Target Field, where the 26-year-old let up three earned runs in 13 1/3 innings.

May appeared in 10 games (nine starts) down the stretch for Minnesota last year, showing flashes of potential amid some rough patches. After going 0-4 with a 10.42 ERA through his first five outings, he managed a 3-2 mark with a 6.08 ERA in five September starts while striking out 29 batters in 26 2/3 innings. The former fourth-round pick gave up 18 runs and 32 hits in 19 2/3 innings at home.

Minnesota lost its last outing, a 6-2 result against the White Sox on April 12. Bettors who backed the White Sox at -167 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (8) sent OVER bettors to the payout window.

Team record: 1-5
Minnesota is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Minnesota’s last 19 games at home
Minnesota is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Kansas City
Minnesota is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Kansas City

Kansas City looks to continue its best start in 12 years when it travels to Minnesota for the Twins’ home opener Monday afternoon. The Royals followed up a three-game sweep at home against the Chicago White Sox with three straight wins at the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, whom they also swept in last year’s American League Division Series.

Salvador Perez homered and Alcides Escobar drove in three runs in Sunday’s 9-2 win as Kansas City improved to 6-0 for the first time since opening the 2003 season with nine straight wins. The Royals dropped all three games in an April series at Minnesota last year before taking 11 of the final 16 encounters between the teams. The Twins are hoping for some more early-season success at home after they dropped five of six on the road to begin the year, capped by Sunday’s 6-2 loss to the White Sox. Monday marks a homecoming for outfielder Torii Hunter – who played his first 12 seasons for the Twins while they were in the Metrodome – and will also be the home debut for new manager Paul Molitor.

Kansas City was a 9-2 winner in its last match on the road against the Angels. They won as +108 underdogs, while the total score of 11 made winners of OVER bettors.

Team record: 6-0
Current Streak: won 6 straight games.
Kansas City is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Kansas City’s last 6 games
Kansas City is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games on the road
Kansas City is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Minnesota

The post Kansas City vs. Minnesota Preview appeared first on IdealCapper.

But Pujols won’t see one of his Angels teammates at the event.

Reigning AL Rookie of the Year and MVP runner-up Mike Trout will skip the WBC for Team USA to focus on a normal spring training, his agent, Craig Landis, told the Los Angeles Times. Last spring, Trout battled an illness that caused him to lose 20 pounds. The outfielder ended up starting the season in Triple A.

Pujols, meanwhile, had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in October, something the Angels described as a minor cleanup procedure.

The first baseman’s agent, Dan Lozano, told MLB.com that Pujols “feels great so far” in his recovery. When asked if Pujols would play in the WBC, Lozano told the website, “At this point, yes.”

In other WBC news, Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton has committed to play for Team USA, sources told CBSSports.com.

The website also reported that Bruce Chen, a left-hander for the Kansas City Royals, has committed to play for China in the WBC. That would make him the first major-league player to participate for China in the tournament.

Chen pitched for Panama in the 2009 WBC. He was born in Panama City but is of Chinese descent.

First-round play in the WBC begins March 2. Provisional rosters for all 16 nations will be announced Thursday.

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