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Kansas City Royals vs Minnesota Twins

Tuesday, Jul 28, 2026Target Field7:40 PM ETPreview
KC · Away · 45-62

Kansas City Royals

AL Central · 2nd · 11.0 GB
:
7:40 PM ET
H2H 76
MIN · Home · 53-54

Minnesota Twins

AL Central · 4th · 3.0 GB
Starting pitchers
Starter form · last 5 starts
Season4.36
Last 54.98
0.62 ERA worse in last 5
6 days restQS 60%Blow-up 1/5
307/01
607/07
207/12
107/17
307/22

↓ ERA trending down lately

Season3.69
Last 52.90
0.79 ERA better in last 5
5 days restQS 60%Blow-up 0/5
107/01
107/07
207/12
507/18
107/23

↑ ERA trending up lately

Matchup edge
Taj Bradley hotter lately (L5 2.90 ERA)·Twins 55 L10
PitchingTwins
Royals27Twins50
HittingTwins
Royals42Twins46
BullpenTwins
Royals43Twins47
Lineup not yet announced · posted ~1–2 hrs before first pitch
Projected hitters vs RHP / RHP
Royals vs RHP
Avg OPS 0.7962 hot hittersTop: Rave 0.924 · Maile 0.891 · Caglianone 0.821

Projected sample — season splits vs pitcher hand, not official order.

Twins vs RHP
Avg OPS 0.9045 hot hittersTop: Buxton 0.952 · Jeffers 0.930 · Jackson 0.927

Projected sample — season splits vs pitcher hand, not official order.

Kansas City Royals hitters vs RHP (projected)
Batter
AVG
OPS
HR
0.214
0.924
1
0.250
0.891
1
0.276
0.799
13
0.231
0.544
2
0.264
0.821
16
Minnesota Twins hitters vs RHP (projected)
Batter
AVG
OPS
HR
0.293
0.930
9
0.271
0.952
25
0.307
0.855
8
0.364
0.927
1
0.257
0.855
18
◆ Matchup preview

Kansas City Royals at Minnesota Twins (2026-07-28). Seth Lugo vs Taj Bradley at Target Field.

Starters — Lugo has a 4.36 ERA and 1.37 WHIP across 117.2 innings, with 7.19 K/9, 2.91 BB/9, and 1.15 HR/9. His last three starts were 7.0 IP/3 ER/5 K/2 BB, 6.0 IP/1 ER/3 K/2 BB, and 4.0 IP/2 ER/6 K/2 BB. The recent form has been fairly steady, but the listed trend is down. Bradley carries a 3.69 ERA and 1.22 WHIP over 114.2 innings, with a strong 10.13 K/9, 3.61 BB/9, and 1.33 HR/9. His last three starts were 7.0 IP/1 ER/5 K/3 BB, 5.0 IP/5 ER/6 K/3 BB, and 7.0 IP/2 ER/6 K/2 BB. The strikeout edge is clear, and his listed trend is up despite some home run risk.

Teams — Kansas City enters with a .712 OPS, 450 runs scored, a 4.85 team ERA, and a 1.43 team WHIP. The Royals are 7-3 over their last 10, which suggests better recent form than their full-season run prevention numbers. Minnesota has a .728 OPS, 511 runs scored, a 4.67 team ERA, and a 1.38 team WHIP. The Twins have been the better offensive club by OPS and total runs, while their pitching staff has also been slightly cleaner on the season, though their last 10 mark is a neutral 5-5.

Key facts
Bradley has the better season line with a 3.69 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 10.13 K/9Minnesota holds the team edge in OPS (.728 to .712) and runs (511 to 450)Kansas City is hotter recently at 7-3 in its last 10 games
Head to head (2025–2026)
76
Kansas City Royals lead series
13 meetings total
2025-09-07
Minnesota Twins @ Kansas City Royals
51
MIN
2025-09-06
Minnesota Twins @ Kansas City Royals
211
KC
2025-09-05
Minnesota Twins @ Kansas City Royals
12
KC
2025-08-10
Kansas City Royals @ Minnesota Twins
35
MIN
2025-08-09
Kansas City Royals @ Minnesota Twins
20
KC
Team picture · 2026
73
WWLLWWWLWW
55
WWLWWLLLLW
KC
MIN
Team AVG
0.246
0.246
Team OPS
0.712
0.728
Home runs
109
126
Runs scored
450
511
Team ERA
4.85
4.67
HR allowed
141
127

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