Chicago Cubs vs Minnesota Twins Preview
At 2:20 PM ET, the Twins and Cubs face off in an interleague matchup. This one is taking place at Wrigley Field in Chicago, and the Twins are favored on the money line (-142). The Cubs are +120, and the over/under line is at 7 runs.
Joe Ryan is starting for the Twins, and he is facing off against Javier Assad. Minnesota is 63-49 and 2nd in the AL Central, while the Cubs are 5th in the NL Central with a record of 56-60.
Check out BetCoco for Chicago Cubs – Minnesota Twins odds
Chicago Cubs vs. Minnesota Twins Trends and Key Stats
- The Twins are 2-3 across their last five road games. They have gone 2-3 vs. the runline.
- The Cubs, on the other hand, have played five home games recently, during which they have recorded a 3-2 (SU) and 3-2 record.
- Over their last ten games, the Twins have a 6-4 straight-up record when playing as the favorite, along with a 6-4 record vs. the runline.
- Over their last ten games as the underdog, the Cubs have gone 3-7 vs. the runline and 4-6 straight-up.
Chicago cruised to a 7-3 win over the Twins in the most recent game of this series. The Cubs had a huge 3rd inning, scoring three of their seven runs. As for the Twins, they scored their first run in the 4th and added two more in the 8th.
Shota Imanaga pitched well for the Cubs in this one, going seven innings and giving up just two hits and two earned runs. He finished the game with 10 strikeouts and picked up a win. On the other side, Pablo Lopez had a rough outing for the Twins, taking the loss.
Offensively, the Cubs were led by Isaac Paredes and Dansby Swanson, as they were the only two Cubs hitters to have more than one hit. Paredes, Nico Hoerner, and Royce Lewis each had two RBIs for their respective teams.
Chicago Cubs vs Minnesota Twins Prediction
Minnesota is 63-49 overall this season, putting them 2nd in the AL Central, four games behind the Guardians for the division lead. The Twins are 24-14 against other teams in the AL Central. They will take on the Cubs today, having gone 6-4 over their last 10 games.
As the road team today, the Twins are 31-28 this season compared to 32-21 at home. This year, the Twins have really excelled as the favorite, going 51-28. As the underdog, they are 12-21 this year. Minnesota’s overall series record is 22-12-2, and they are currently tied in this series vs. the Cubs.
When betting the run line with the Minnesota Twins, it’s been a coin flip proposition. They are 55-57 on the run line this season, but they have been a better bet on the road at 32-27. Their average run margin for the season is +0.5, but it’s been slightly better on the road at +0.3. They have been a better bet as the favorite, going 38-41 on the run line.
The Twins are on the road today against the Cubs, and the over/under line is set at 7 runs. Minnesota’s games have averaged 9.3 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 58-51. The average over/under line in their games is 8 runs, but when the line is set at 7 runs, their record is 4-4. In 99 of their games this season, the over/under line has been set higher than 7 runs, which accounts for 88.4% of their games, while in just 5 games, the line has been set lower than 7 runs, making up 4.5% of their games.
Right-hander Joe Ryan gets the start for the Twins today as he faces the Cubs on the road. He has made 22 starts this year and has a record of 7-7 with a 3.59 ERA. Ryan’s WHIP for the season is currently .99, and opponents are batting .213 off him this year. In his last outing, he went 6 1/3 innings, giving up two earned runs, and got the win. Before that, he had given up at least four earned runs in three straight starts. Ryan has made 13 quality starts this year and is averaging 9.81 strikeouts per nine innings.
Minnesota’s offense has been one of the league’s best this season, as they are 5th in runs per game (4.9) and have the 4th best home batting average at 5.1 runs per contest. Overall, they are batting .252, which is the 8th best mark in the league. The Twins have been a good home run-hitting team this season and have three players with at least 14 homers.
Ryan Jeffers has been the Twins’ top power hitter this season, as his 16 home runs are the most on the team and 15th in the league. He is also 1st on the team with 52 RBIs. Over his last seven games, Royce Lewis has three homers and 11 RBIs, but is hitting just .250 in that stretch. Byron Buxton, Carlos Santana, and Lewis all have 14 homers this season.
With a record of 56-60, the Cubs are 5th in the NL Central, trailing the Brewers by nine games. Overall, they are 17-26 against other teams in the NL Central. Chicago will be at home today, hosting the Twins, and they are 31-27 at home this year.
Chicago has gone 6-4 across their last ten games and are 13-20-3 in series this year. As the underdog, the Cubs are 31-32 this year, and they are 12-7 as the home underdog. When favored, the Cubs have gone 25-28 this year.
Chicago Cubs have a run line record of 56-60 this season. They have a run line record of 22-36 at home and 34-24 on the road. They have a run line record of 14-39 as the favorite and 42-21 as the underdog. Their average run margin this season is 0.0 runs per game. In their wins, they are averaging a run margin of 3.4 runs per game, while in their losses, they are averaging a run margin of -3.2 runs per game.
The Chicago Cubs have played 104 games with over/under lines higher than 7 runs this season, which accounts for 89.7% of their games. Their combined run average is 8.4 runs per game, and their over/under record is 50-62. When the line is set at 7 runs, their over/under record is 4-5-1, and the average over/under line for their games is 8 runs.
Javier Assad gets the start for the Cubs today and will be looking to build off his last outing, where he gave up just one earned run in four innings of work. In that outing, he finished with a no-decision. Looking back over his last four starts, Assad has finished with a no-decision in three of them. He has made 20 starts this season and has a record of 5-3 with a 3.19 ERA. Opposing batters are hitting .240 this season off Assad. The right-hander has made 10 starts at home, going 2-1 with a 2.31 ERA.
Chicago’s offense has been a bit below average this season, averaging 4.2 runs per game. They have been slightly better on the road, averaging 4.3 runs per game. As a team, the Cubs are batting just .234, which is 18th in the league, and their team on-base percentage of .309 is also below average.
Isaac Paredes and Ian Happ are currently tied for the team lead in home runs, with 17 apiece. Happ is also the team’s leading run producer, with 62 RBIs. Nico Hoerner has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 10/30 in his last seven games. This has pushed his season average to .256.
Our prediction for today’s Twins vs. Cubs matchup is to take the Cubs on the money line, with the payout currently sitting at +120. We actually have the Cubs winning this one by a score of 5-4.
Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Javier Assad finishing with five strikeouts, which would have him tied for 22nd among starters. As for Joe Ryan, he is projected to finish with five strikeouts as well, which has him tied for 22nd.
Chicago Cubs vs Minnesota Twins Betting Tips
- We like the Cubs on the moneyline (+120)
- The Cubs are also our pick on the run line at +1.5
- Projecting a combined 9 runs, we like the over
Chicago Cubs Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Yency Almonte | Out | Shoulder |
| Colten Brewer | Out | Hand |
| Tomás Nido | Out | Knee |
| Keegan Thompson | Out | Ribs |
| Adbert Alzolay | Out | Forearm |
| Ben Brown | Out | Neck |
| Hayden Wesneski | Out | Forearm |
| Luke Little | Out | Shoulder |
| Jordan Wicks | Out | Oblique |
Minnesota Twins Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Anthony DeSclafani | Out | Elbow |
| Carlos Correa | Out | Heel |
| Byron Buxton | Questionable | Upper Body |
| Steven Okert | Out | Personal |
| Alex Kirilloff | Out | Back |
| Chris Paddack | Out | Forearm |
| Brock Stewart | Out | Undisclosed |
| Kyle Farmer | Out | Shoulder |
| Justin Topa | Out | Knee |
| Daniel Duarte | Out | Elbow |
| Kody Funderburk | Out | Oblique |
