The Minnesota Twins are in the Windy City to take on the Chicago Cubs Monday night. Below we will continue our MLB odds series with a Twins-Cubs prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.
Twins-Cubs Projected Starters
David Festa vs. Kyle Hendricks
David Festa (1-2) with a 6.98 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 19.1 innings pitched, 21K/4BB, .288 oBA
Last Start: at New York Mets: Loss, 5 innings, 3 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts
2024 Road Splits: 2 starts, 6.30 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 10 innings pitched, 8K/2BB, .256 oBA
Kyle Hendricks (3-9) with a 6.86 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 85.1 innings pitched, 60K/26BB, .295 oBA
Last Start: at Cincinnati Reds: Win, 5 innings, 4 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts
2024 Home Splits: 9 games, 6 starts, 6.23 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 34.2 innings pitched, 29K/11BB, .303 oBA
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Twins-Cubs Odds
Minnesota Twins: -1.5 (+136)
Moneyline: -116
Chicago Cubs: +1.5 (-164)
Moneyline: -102
Over: 8 (-115)
Under: 8 (-105)
How to Watch Twins vs. Cubs
Time: 8:05 PM ET/5:05 PM PT
TV: Bally Sports North, Marquee Sports Network
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Twins Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Twins are actually a pretty good hitting team, and that has a good chance to continue in this game. Hendricks is allowing hitters to bat almost .300 off him on the season, and over .300 at Wrigley Field. Minnesota is top-10 in batting average, and top-5 in slugging percentage, so they put good wood on the ball. Along with that, the Twins have hit 133 home runs this season. Hendricks has allowed one home run for every five innings pitched, so the Twins have a chance to hit a couple out of Wrigley. If Minnesota can stay locked in on offense, and hit for some power, they will win this game.
The Cubs have a tendency to not score. They are scoring under four runs per game since the All-Star break, which is not a recipe for success. In fact, the Cubs are 9-43 when they score less than four runs this season. Festa has put together two good starts in a row, and he should be able to have a third against this Cubs offense. With the Twins bullpen, and the Cubs failure to score at times, Minnesota should be able to come away with the victory.
Why The Cubs Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Cubs, as mentioned, are not a good team if they do not score at least four runs. The good news is they are facing a very hittable pitcher. Festa has been struggling since being called up, and Chicago needs to take advantage of that. The Cubs are coming off a pretty good weekend series against the Cardinals, so the hope for them is to carry that into this one. With Festa's tendency to give up some hits, the Cubs should be able to do a little bit a damage.
Hendricks needs to be at his best. Take away his start against the Kansas City Royals, and he actually pitched well in August. Not counting his Royals start, Hendricks threw 19 innings, and had a 3.79 ERA. He was able to flush the Royals start with a good outing against the Reds, so there is some reason to believe he is starting to be a little bit better.
Final Twins-Cubs Prediction & Pick
The weird thing about the Cubs season is not that they are much better at home, but they are one of the best teams in interleague matchups. The Cubs are 17-9 in interleague matchups this season, and I think they will add another win Monday night. Considering the pitching matchup, I think the Cubs come away with the win.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Twins-Cubs Prediction & Pick: Cubs ML (-102)
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