Minnesota Twins vs. Kansas City Royals Prediction: Can Austin Cox Rack Up the Strikeouts?
The Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals meet for a three-game tonight. Can Austin Cox rack up the strikeouts tonight? Handicapper Ben Rajavuori breaks it down.
Ben Rajavuori - July 3, 2023, 1:38 PM EDT
5 minMinnesota Twins vs. Kansas City Royals Prediction: Can Austin Cox Rack Up the Strikeouts?
The Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals meet for their third head-to-head series of the season tonight in a three-game set in Target Field over the 4th of July. The Twins lead the season series 6-1 and are barely hanging on to first place in the AL Central. If the Cleveland Guardians beat the Atlanta Braves tonight and the Twins lose, the Guardians take first place in the division. This is a big series for the Twins, and Austin Cox of the Royals will be tasked with trying to shut them down.
Twins vs. Royals Start Time and Where to Watch
- Date: July 3, 2023
- Time: 8:10 pm ET
- Where to Watch: MLB.TV
Minnesota Twins vs. Kansas City Royals Prediction
I'm a big Twins fan, and I love the Twins, but boy, oh boy, they cannot score runs to save their lives. If it weren't for the Twins having the second-lowest team ERA in the MLB, they would be just as bad as the Royals. The pitching is carrying the team from the starting rotation to the bullpen and closers. Over the last five games, the Twins have only scored over two runs ONCE. Somehow, the Royals actually have worse stats overall at the plate, but not against lefties.
Only one team in the entire league has worse numbers against left-handed pitching than the Twins, and that's the Brewers. The Twins are hitting just .218 off lefties and have a measly .661 OPS. As a result, the Twins have been swinging and missing against lefties A LOT. This season, they have a 26.5% strikeout rate against lefties, the third-highest strikeout rate in the MLB against Southpaw pitchers. Enter Austin Cox, a lefty.
Austin Cox is a massive pitcher who made his debut in 2023. He stands 6' 4" and weighs 235 pounds, which allows him to throw from a higher arm angle and release the ball closer to home plate, which is an excellent advantage for the pitcher. Although he has less movement on his pitches, his massive frame helps him get the extra oomph for strikeouts. Cox is primarily a four-seam fastball pitcher, but his off-speed stuff is pretty good. His main put-away pitch is a nasty cutter with a 36.8% whiff rate and a 42.9% put-away rate. He only throws it 14% of the time, but it's his main strikeout weapon.
Cox started his first appearance out of the bullpen, but his role has increased slightly. Due to a thinned starting rotation, Cox has filled a slot and made his first MLB start his last time out against the Guardians. It didn't go as planned, as he gave up four runs in 3.2 innings, but he has been money outside of that. The start before that, he came out for 3.2 innings in a bullpen game against the Rays and pitched 3.2 scoreless innings while sitting down four batters. In 12.1 innings before his last outing, Cox had yet to give up a run.
The Twins have never seen Cox before, so the lengthy frame is bound to give them some trouble, as has been the theme for Cox early in his MLB career. The Twins are a good candidate for a good outing for a lefty right now, as the Twins have sucked against lefty pitching all season. They strike out at one of the highest rates and have no consistency on offense. Cox's role is increasing, and he should pitch at least three innings tonight and will maybe get even 4-5 out of this outing, depending on his success. His line tonight is 3.5 strikeouts with plus money on the over, which I think is a great bet in this spot.
Minnesota Twins vs. Kansas City Royals Pick
Pick: Austin Cox O3.5 Strikeouts +110 is currently the best odds. Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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