Cubs vs Twins Series Preview (September 21-22): TV and Game Info, Starting Pitchers, Insights
The Cubs (67-83) begin their final homestand of the 2021 season against the Minnesota Twins (65-85) on Tuesday in a battle for better draft position. Chicago was officially eliminated from playoff contention on Monday night, not that that was on anyone’s mind. The season was abandoned after the sell-off at the trade deadline and sights have since been set firmly on 2022.
Nico Hoerner, an important player for next season and beyond, has returned from injury and will play shortstop the rest of the season. Otherwise, the rest of the team continues grinding on to determine exactly where they will draft next year. The Cubs are likely to have a pick between number six and number nine, definitely a nice spot.
The Twins are in nearly the same spot, sitting two games behind — or maybe it’s ahead of — their opponents for the seventh pick. The Cubs swept them in a two-game mini-series in Minneapolis a couple weeks back, but it’s hard to imagine something so trifling as revenge being on the minds of the Twins players at this point.
Since the difference between the picks in question is negligible at best, I’d rather the Cubs go out and win these games. Getting a little momentum heading into the final home weekend against the Cardinals won’t erase everything else that’s happened this year, but it sure would feel good.
Let’s get to it.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Tuesday, September 21 at 5:40pm CT on Marquee Sports Network
- Wednesday, September 22 at 5:40pm CT on Marquee Sports Network
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitchers | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 9/21 | Alec Mills | 29 | R | 4,50 | 6-6 | 4.27 | 2.79 |
| Griffin Jax | 26 | R | 6.65 | 3-4 | 6.35 | 2.16 | |
| 9/22 | Kyle Hendricks | 31 | R | 4.81 | 14-6 | 4.91 | 2.86 |
| Joe Ryan | 25 | R | 2.12 | 1-1 | 3.39 | 7.00 |
What to Watch For
- Frank Schwindel has nine hits in his last five games as he keeps raking.
- Willson Contreras is putting some good swings on the ball and has a couple of home runs the last week. Perhaps he’s on the verge of a hot streak to end the season.
- Hendricks got lit up again by the Phillies in his last start, but he’s not shutting down early and can perhaps figure out what the issue is over his remaining starts.