Cubs @ Twins Series Preview (August 31-September 1): TV and Game Info, Starting Pitchers, Insights
Both the Cubs (57-75) and the Twins (58-73) won their divisions in 2020 and have had similar tumbles to last place in 2021. Now they meet as competitors for a better draft position. They begin a home and home series with two at Target Field starting today.
Pitching has been a real issue for Minnesota with a 4.98 ERA on the season which is the fourth worst in all of baseball. The hitters have been pretty good, especially, in the power department with 185 home runs, which is one of the highest totals in the league.
Shortstop Jorge Polanco leads the team with 24 home runs while veteran Josh Donaldson has an .854 OPS. The trade of José Berríos has weakend an already poor starving staff. This is a team, much like the Cubs, in full tank mode at the moment.
As for Chicago, it’s more of the same, looking for some development from the young players and more pleasant surprises like Patrick Wisdom to emerge. It’s always good to see a win or two even if it does damage to their draft standing position.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Tuesday, August 31 at 7:05pm CT on Marquee Sports Network
- Wednesday, September 1 at 7:05pm CT on Marquee Sports Network
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 8/31 | Zach Davies | 28 | R | 5.00 | 6-10 | 5.26 | 1.59 |
| John Gant | 29 | R | 4.00 | 4-8 | 5.11 | 1.00 | |
| 9/1 | Justin Steele | 26 | L | 4.15 | 2-2 | 5.43 | 2.46 |
| TBA |
What to Watch For
- Wisdom had four home runs against the White Sox as he makes a drive for Rookie of the Year.
- Alfonso Rivas had two hits in his major league debut on Sunday. Expect him to get some more playing time in this series.
- Steele has been inconsistent in his early starts, hopefully, he can start sharpening his performances with more reps.