Opening Day of the 2023 MLB season is finally here. Thursday, March 30's schedule includes intriguing matchups, including a showdown between the Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals.
- Twins vs Royals Game Info
- Twins vs Royals Odds & Spread
- Twins vs Royals Betting Trends
- Twins vs Royals Prediction & Pick
- Twins vs Royals Best Bet
Twins vs Royals Game Info
- Date:'Thursday, March 30, 2023
- Time:'4:10 p.m. ET
- Venue:'Kauffman Stadium — Kansas City, Missouri
- Coverage:'MLB TV
The AL Central rivals collided 19 times during the 2022 campaign, resulting in 12 victories for the Twins. Unfortunately, those victories couldn't help the Twins avoid missing the playoffs in back-to-back campaigns while the Royals failed to make the postseason for the seventh consecutive year.
Needless to say, an Opening Day win for either side is more than needed.
Twins vs Royals Odds & Spread
- Moneyline:'MIN: (-154) | KC: (+130)
- Spread:'MIN: -1.5 (+105) | KC: +1.5 (-126)
- Total:'8.5 — Over: (-122) | Under: (+100)
The Twins enter this contest as road favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 4:10 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 8.5 runs with the over being favored at -122 odds.
Twins vs Royals Betting Trends
- Minnesota is 12-5 straight up in its last 17 games against Kansas City.
- Kansas City is 2-5 straight up in its last seven games played in March.
- The total has hit the under in six of Minnesota's last eight road games on a Thursday.
- The total has hit the over in each of Kansas City's last seven games.
Twins vs Royals Prediction & Pick
Pablo Lopez gets the nod as the Twins' Opening Day starter after arriving in a four-player deal just two months ago. The talented right set a career-high with 10 victories in 32 starts with the Miami Marlins last season, pitching to a 3.75 ERA and 1.167 WHIP. Considering how bad the Marlins were, Lopez's stats are fairly solid.
Meanwhile, the Royals are countering with Zack Gre inke, who's playing in his 20th MLB campaign. While the veteran hurler was solid last year with a 3.68 ERA in 26 starts, he hasn't beaten the Twins since April 2014. In fact, Greinke is just 2-9 with a 5.03 ERA in his last 17 outings against Minnesota.
The Royals are projected to be the AL Central's worst team, whereas the Twins should be in contention for the division crown right until the end. This contest is a mismatch and once you consider that Greinke lost to Minnesota four times in 2022, it's clear that this is the Twins' game to lose.
Final Score Prediction:'Twins: 5 | Royals: 3
Twins vs Roya ls Best Bet
Taking the Twins as 1.5-run favorites on the spread is a no-brainer. In Greinke's five starts against Minnesota last year, the Twins outscored the Marlins by an average of 3.4 runs. With the veteran pitcher not getting any younger, I wouldn't be shocked if he got lit up early, playing a big role in the road team covering the spread.