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The Cubs and Twins are set to face off in an interleague matchup at 8:05 PM ET at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL. The forecast for Monday calls for light rain and temperatures in the mid-70s.
Minnesota is currently on a four-game winning streak, and they are 62-48 overall, which places them 2nd in the AL Central. Chicago is 4th in the NL Central with an overall record of 55-59. Kyle Hendricks will go for the Cubs, while the Twins are starting David Festa. Monday’s money line odds have the Twins at -121 compared to the Cubs at +101. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs.
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Minnesota vs. Chicago Key Information
- Teams: Twins at Cubs
- Where: Wrigley Field Chicago
- Date: Monday, August 5th
- Betting Odds MIN -121 | CHC +101 O/U 8
The Twins Can Win If…
David Festa will be making his 4th start of the season for the Twins, and it will be his 2nd road start of the year. He is coming off a loss to the Mets, where he gave up 2 earned runs over 5 innings of work. In his first start of the year, he picked up a win against the Diamondbacks.
Over the past nine games, Willi Castro has been swinging a hot bat for the Twins, going 11/38 with one home run and nine RBIs. Castro is also on a three-game hitting streak. Byron Buxton has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 8/30 with three homers in his last nine games. This has helped him move into a tie for 2nd on the team with 14 homers.
As a team, the Twins are 4th in the league in scoring at 4.9 runs per game. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.1 runs per contest. Overall, they are 8th in home runs and have the 5th best isolated power mark in the league. Minnesota’s team OPS of .755 is 4th best in the MLB.
- The Twins are 7-3 in their last ten games.
- Over their last five games, the Twins are 4-1 vs. the run line.
- Minnesota has an over/under record of 7-2-1 in their last ten games.
- The Twins have an average of 7.4 runs per game over their last five games.
- Across their last ten road games, the Twins are 5-5
- Looking back across the Twins last five games as the favorite, they are 4-1
- Minnesota has gone 2-1 in their last three games as the underdog
- In their ten most recent road games, the Twins have averaged 3.6 runs per game on offense
The Cubs Can Win If…
Chicago is sending Kyle Hendricks to the mound today vs. the Twins, and he will be looking to build off his last outing, where he gave up just three earned runs in five innings of work. In that outing vs. the Reds, he picked up the win. Looking back over his last four outings, Hendricks has alternated between wins and losses. His overall record is 3-9, and he has an ERA of 6.86. Opposing batters are hitting .288 off Hendricks this season. The right-hander has made 15 starts, two of which were quality starts. Per nine innings, he is averaging 6.33 strikeouts and 2.74 walks.
So far this season, the Cubs are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 21st in the league. They have been a little better on the road, averaging 4.3 runs per game. As a team, they are batting just .234, which is 18th in the league, and are also 18th in home runs. One bright spot has been their ability to draw walks, as they are 7th in the league in this category.
Over his last nine games, Michael Busch has three home runs and is batting .241. Nico Hoerner is also on a good stretch, as he has an eight-game hitting streak coming into the game. Ian Happ comes into the game as the team’s leader in home runs (17) and RBIs (62), but he is batting just .228 for the season.
- The Cubs are 6-4 in their last ten games.
- Over their last five games, the Cubs are 5-0 vs. the run line.
- Chicago has an over/under record of 6-4 in their last ten games.
- The Cubs have an average of 6.8 runs per game over their last five games.
- Across their last ten home games, the Cubs are 5-5
- Looking back across the Cubs last five games as the favorite, they are 2-3
- Chicago has gone 2-1 in their last three games as the underdog
- In their ten most recent road games, the Cubs have averaged 5.3 runs per game on offense
Twins’ Offense Fires Up as Series Opens Against Cubs
The Minnesota Twins are heading to Wrigley Field, brimming with confidence from their recent winning streak, to take on the Chicago Cubs in the first game of a three-game interleague series on Monday. Both teams are riding high on recent successes, making this matchup a thrilling one with high stakes.
Twins Riding High on Offensive Surge
The Twins are on fire, coming off a four-game winning streak and a three-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox. Their offense has been lighting it up, averaging an impressive 9.25 runs per game during this streak. In their latest game, a 13-7 win, the Twins’ bats were on fire. Willi Castro and Jose Miranda each had three hits, while Royce Lewis drove in three runs.
“Obviously, any time you can sweep a team it feels great,” Miranda said. “This upcoming series is important. We know the type of team the Cubs are. We’re just trying to stay focused and play hard every game. We’re going to go on the road and try to win another three.”
Miranda, batting .324 this season, has been a standout, especially at Target Field, where he has driven in 13 runs over the past 17 games. Heading into Monday’s game, Minnesota’s 544 runs are tied with the Boston Red Sox for the fifth-most in the majors.
Twins’ Pitching Staff Under Pressure
The Twins’ pitching staff has been resilient, allowing just nine runs in four games before their last slugfest. They hope to give their bullpen some rest with rookie right-hander David Festa (1-2, 6.98 ERA) set to start on Monday. Festa, making his fourth career start, is coming off a solid appearance against the Mets, where he allowed two runs over five innings. This will be his first career start against the Cubs.
Cubs Aim to Keep Postseason Hopes Alive
The Cubs, winners in four of their last five games, are battling to stay in the postseason race. They’re six games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks for the third National League wild-card spot. In their latest win, a 6-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, Justin Steele delivered a quality start, and home runs from Mike Tauchman and Miguel Amaya powered the offense.
“We had to win,” Tauchman said. “We’ve got to play our best baseball. We’ve got to stack wins and keep winning series. Everybody knows the stakes here. There’s not a lot of room for error. We believe that we have the right people in here to rattle off some wins. The results have to show in the next eight weeks.”
Pitching Matchup: Festa vs. Hendricks
Kyle Hendricks (3-9, 6.86 ERA) will take the mound for the Cubs. The 34-year-old veteran is looking to improve his season record after a win against the Cincinnati Reds, where he allowed three earned runs over five innings. Hendricks has a mixed history against the Twins, with a 1-2 record and a 4.34 ERA over 18 2/3 innings in three career starts.
High Stakes Series
For the Twins, continuing their offensive dominance will be crucial to securing wins on the road. For the Cubs, every game is critical as they push to close the gap in the wild-card race. Both teams will rely heavily on their starting pitchers to deliver strong performances and set the tone for the series.
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Player Perspectives
Jose Miranda emphasized the importance of maintaining focus and effort:
“This upcoming series is important. We know the type of team the Cubs are. We’re just trying to stay focused and play hard every game.”
Mike Tauchman underscored the urgency of the Cubs’ situation:
“Everybody knows the stakes here. There’s not a lot of room for error. We believe that we have the right people in here to rattle off some wins.”
The Lean
Our lean in this Twins vs. Cubs matchup is to take the Twins to win straight-up. We have this as the 2nd lowest-scoring game of the day, but with the line sitting at 8 runs, we are leaning towards taking the over. Looking at today’s starters, we have David Festa as the 2nd worst strikeout option compared to Kyle Hendricks (3rd worst).
