Chicago Cubs vs Minnesota Twins – Series Preview (August 5-7): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
The Cubs (55-59) came very close to sweeping the Cardinals this weekend at Wrigley Field, with only a late blown lead on Saturday preventing that result. Chicago’s hitters are finally starting to produce and the bullpen has developed into a strength in the past two months to help produce a modest improvement in play. Next up is an interleague series with the playoff-contending Twins, who come to the Friendly Confines for three starting Monday.
Minnesota (62-48) is having an excellent season and currently holds the second Wild Card spot in the American League. The offense is the driving force behind the success in the Twin Cities in 2024. Rocco Baldelli‘s squad has a team OPS of .755 which is the fifth-best in baseball. A big part of that success is 134 homers, the eighth most in MLB.
José Miranda had hits in 12 consecutive at-bats at one point in July and is hitting .324 overall. Byron Buxton has stayed mostly healthy this season and has 14 homers and a .853 OPS. Carlos Correa bounced back nicely from a bad 2023 but has been out since injuring his heel right before the All-Star break.
The Twins’ biggest weak spot has been the starting rotation with a 4.32 ERA that sits 20th in baseball. Joe Ryan has been the best starter this season with a 3.59 ERA in 133 innings. The bullpen has been much better, with Griffin Jax and Jorge Alcalá standing out for their terrific setup roles. Closer Jhoan Durán has had a few issues at the end of games but he is pitching better recently.
Minnesota is fresh off sweeping the lowly White Sox and has been on a roll recently. The Cubs have been playing better but this is going to be a big test for their improved bullpen and they are going to need to keep hitting if they want to hang with the high-scoring Twinkies. Perhaps the Cubs could win a couple more and make things a bit more interesting here in August.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Monday, August 5 at 7:05pm CT on Marquee.
- Tuesday, August 6 at 7:05pm CT on Marquee.
- Wednesday, August 7 at 1:20pm CT on MLB Network (out of market only) and Marquee.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 8/5 | Kyle Hendricks | 34 | R | 6.86 | 3-9 | 5.37 | 2.31 |
| David Festa | 24 | R | 6.98 | 1-2 | 5.80 | 5.25 | |
| 8/6 | Shōta Imanaga | 30 | L | 3.09 | 8-2 | 3.44 | 6.94 |
| Pablo López | 28 | R | 4.65 | 10–7 | 3.75 | 5.07 | |
| 8/7 | Javier Assad | 27 | R | 3.19 | 5-3 | 4.57 | 1.98 |
| Joe Ryan | 28 | R | 3.59 | 7-7 | 3.38 | 6.30 |
What to Watch For
- Pete Crow-Armstrong has six hits in his last five games and is starting to drive the ball.
- Nico Hoerner picked up six hits against the Cardinals.
- The Cubs are 17-9 against American League teams in 2024.