Minnesota Twins vs Kansas City Royals Picks and Prediction for Tuesday August 4 2026

The Minnesota Twins will visit the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on Tuesday, August 4, 2026. The opening pitch is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. ET, with television coverage available through Twins.TV and Royals.TV. At the time of this writing the odds were not released. Readers searching for more analysis across Tuesday’s schedule can also check out our free MLB picks.

Starting Pitchers

Joe Ryan is expected to start for Minnesota with a 6-7 record, a 3.52 ERA, and 135 strikeouts this season. The right-hander has provided the Twins with dependable strikeout production despite his losing record. Kansas City is expected to counter with Randy Dobnak, who enters at 1-0 with a 1.04 ERA and 14 strikeouts. Dobnak recently faced Minnesota and delivered seven scoreless innings in a 4-0 Royals victory, making Tuesday’s rematch more interesting than the teams’ overall records might suggest.

Minnesota Looks to Recover from Consecutive Walk-Off Losses

The Twins enter Tuesday with a 56-57 overall record and a 26-30 mark away from home. Minnesota went 2-3 across its final five games before Monday. The Twins split two home games against Kansas City, losing 4-0 before answering with a dramatic 4-3 victory. They then opened their series in Seattle with a 5-3 win but lost the next two contests by scores of 4-3 and 7-6. Both defeats came on walk-off hits, leaving Minnesota with a frustrating conclusion to its road trip.

Minnesota has scored 532 runs while allowing 561 through its first 113 games. The Twins’ negative scoring differential helps explain why they remain one game below .500 despite staying within reach of the American League Central race. Their offense demonstrated resilience Sunday by overcoming an early deficit and scoring six runs, but the pitching staff could not protect the late lead.

The key for Minnesota is receiving a longer and more controlled performance from Ryan. His 135 strikeouts and 3.52 ERA give the Twins a clear path to limiting a Kansas City lineup that scored only eight combined runs during its weekend series in Colorado. Minnesota must also find a better offensive approach against Dobnak after failing to score during his seven innings against the Twins last week. The visiting lineup cannot afford to wait until the late innings to become aggressive again.

Kansas City Returns Home Following a Difficult Sweep

The Royals enter Tuesday with a 46-67 overall record, including a 26-28 mark at Kauffman Stadium. Kansas City lost four consecutive games and five of its final six before Monday. The Royals defeated Minnesota 4-0 last Wednesday but suffered a 4-3 walk-off loss the following day. They were then swept in Colorado, surrendering 23 runs while losing all three games.

Kansas City has scored 467 runs while allowing 576 this season, producing a minus-109 scoring differential. The Royals have scored 65 fewer runs than Minnesota while allowing 15 more. Those numbers demonstrate the broader difficulties that have left Kansas City 21 games below .500. The offence scored six runs Saturday but managed only two combined runs across the other two games of the Colorado series.

The most encouraging factor for Kansas City is Dobnak’s recent success against this exact opponent. His seven scoreless innings last Wednesday helped the Royals secure their only victory over the final six games before Monday. However, repeating that performance will be challenging, particularly after Minnesota saw his complete pitch mix less than a week ago. Kansas City also needs its bullpen to perform considerably better after a rough weekend in Colorado. Returning home should help, but the Royals must improve both their run prevention and offensive consistency.

Minnesota Twins vs Kansas City Royals Picks and Prediction

Pick:

• Kansas City Royals +1.5

I am taking Kansas City on the run line because Dobnak has already demonstrated that he can control Minnesota’s lineup. He pitched seven scoreless innings against the Twins last week, and Kansas City held Minnesota to four combined runs across the two-game series. Ryan gives the Twins an advantage in experience and strikeout production, but Minnesota has lost consecutive games and has only a 26-30 road record. The Royals have struggled badly, yet their 26-28 home record is considerably more competitive than their overall mark. Kansas City +1.5 offers the better value in a matchup that could remain close into the later innings.

Pick:

• Under 9

I am leaning under if the total is set at 9 runs. The previous two meetings last week produced only four and seven combined runs, while both projected starters bring encouraging numbers into Tuesday’s game. Ryan owns a 3.52 ERA with 135 strikeouts, and Dobnak carries a 1.04 ERA after shutting out Minnesota over seven innings. Kansas City scored one run or fewer in two of its three games at Colorado, and its season-long offensive production trails Minnesota by 65 runs. The bullpens create some late risk, but Under 9 provides push protection and enough room for a final score in the range of 5-3 or 4-3.

This game preview was written before game play on Monday.