The Minnesota Twins are trying to keep their playoff hopes alive on Wednesday when they host the Kansas City Royals.
The Twins won the first game of the series on Tuesday 6-3 and are favored with a -190 moneyline on Wednesday, while Kansas City’s moneyline is set at +160. The game also has an over/under of eight runs.
Before Tuesday’s win, the Twins had lost six of their last seven games. They have fallen apart during the month of September, going 3-8 since the calendar flipped.
Those struggles have pushed Minnesota five games back in the AL Central race and 8.5 games out in the Wild Card race, so time is quickly running out.
Of course, the Royals are just playing out the season, hoping to avoid 100 losses or falling behind the Tigers and finishing last in the AL Central.
They have endured another tough stretch lately, losing five of their last seven games. Kansas City is now 28 games under .500 on the season and 21 games under .500 on the road.
The Zack Attack
The Royals will have Zack Greinke on the mound for Wednesday’s game. The 38-year-old has put together a solid season, going 4-8 with a 4.00 ERA over 22 starts.
While he’s not the pitcher he used to be, Greinke looks poised to finish the season strong, allowing one run or less over at least six innings of work in three of his last four starts.
However, the Kansas City lineup isn’t giving much run support to the team’s pitching staff lately. The Royals are averaging just three runs per game over their last seven games, going 2-5 during that stretch.
Rookie Bobby Witt and veteran Salvador Perez have carried the lineup lately, although they are getting close to no help from the rest of the Kansas City lineup.
Gray Day
Sonny Gray will hope to take advantage of Kansas City’s struggling offense when he takes the mound on Wednesday. Gray has made 22 starts this year, going 7-4 with a 3.09 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP.
He pitched to a 2.03 ERA in August and has a 3.60 ERA over his first two starts of September, so Gray has been good for Minnesota down the stretch.
Of course, given the team’s recent struggles, the Minnesota offense has been inconsistent lately. The good news is the Twins have scored at least four runs in four of their last five games, including two games with six runs, so perhaps their bats are waking up.
Carlos Correa has been scorching hot lately, batting .406 with four home runs in his last seven games, while Luis Arraez, Jose Miranda, and others are helping as well despite some lingering holes in Minnesota’s lineup.
Staying Alive
While time is running out, the Twins aren’t done just yet. The Minnesota bats are waking up, and Gray has performed well lately, giving the Twins a big advantage over the Royals and their sluggish offense on Wednesday.
Bet on the Twins to win on Wednesday and stay alive in the playoff race, at least for now.
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