Minnesota Twins vs Chicago Cubs Betting Pick & Prediction 8/5/24
David Festa will start for the Twins on Monday, as they are looking to extend their winning streak to five games. They are 62-48 overall and 2nd in the AL Central. The Cubs are 4th in the NL Central with an overall record of 55-59.
Monday’s forecast in Chicago calls for light rain and temperatures in the mid-70s. The Cubs are the slight money line underdog (+101), and the over/under line is at 8 runs. Kyle Hendricks will start for the Cubs.
CHICAGO CUBS VS MINNESOTA TWINS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Chicago Cubs Moneyline +101
This game will be played at Wrigley Field at 8:05 ET on Monday, August 5th.
HOW TO BET THE TWINS VS CUBS:
- We have the Cubs winning by a score of 6 to 5
- If you’re looking for a run line pick, we also like the Cubs to cover
- As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 11 runs and like the over
Twins Records & Stats
The Twins’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the White Sox, closing out their series with a 13-7 win. After allowing three runs to the White Sox in the top of the first, the Twins responded with six runs of their own. Minnesota went on to add another six runs in the 2nd inning.
Cole Sands was the winning pitcher for the Twins, and he didn’t even enter the game until the 3rd inning. Minnesota’s offense was carried by Royce Lewis, who went 2/4 with a homer and three RBIs.
Minnesota is 62-48 overall, putting them 2nd in the AL Central, 4.5 games behind the Guardians for the division lead. The Twins have won four straight games, and they closed out their series vs. the White Sox with three straight wins. So far, they have gone 24-14 in AL Central matchups.
At home, the Twins are 32-21 this year, and they have gone 30-27 on the road. As the road favorite, the Twins are 24-10 this year, and they are 50-27 overall as the favorite. Minnesota will be looking to pick up their fifth straight win as the favorite today. Their overall series record is 22-12-2, and they have yet to play the Cubs this year.
Minnesota is 54-56 against the run line this season, but they have covered the run line in five straight games. The Twins are 31-26 against the run line on the road this season, and their average run differential in those games is +0.3 runs per game.
Minnesota is on the road today against the Cubs, and the O/U line is set at 8 runs. The Twins and their opponents have combined to average 9.4 runs per game this season, and their O/U record is 57-50. When the O/U line has been set at 8 runs, their record is 7-15-3. This season, 40% of their games have had O/U lines set higher than 8 runs, while 37.3% have had lower lines.
David Festa and the Twins are on the road to take on the Cubs today. Festa has started 3 games this season and has a record of 1-2. His last outing was a loss to the Mets, where he went 5 innings, giving up 2 earned runs on 3 hits and 1 home run.
Heading into today’s game, the Twins are the 4th highest-scoring team in the league, averaging 4.9 runs per game. They have been even better at home, putting up 5.1 runs per contest. Overall, the Twins are 8th in home runs and have the league’s 5th best slugging percentage. Minnesota also has a good team batting average of .253.
Ryan Jeffers has been the Twins’ top power threat this season, with his 16 homers leading the team. He also has the top mark in RBIs, with 52. Jeffers has gone deep three times in his last nine games. Byron Buxton and Carlos Santana are tied for 2nd on the team with 14 homers apiece. Buxton is batting .276 for the season and has three homers in his last nine games.
Cubs Records & Stats
Heading into their last game vs. the Cardinals, the Cubs closed out the series with a 6-2 win. Leading up to the game, they were the heavy favorite at -146. Offensively, the Cubs scored their six runs on json11 hits and only hit two home runs.
Justin Steele got the start for the Cubs, going 6 2/3 innings, and picked up the win. He only gave up two runs on three hits and issued just two walks. The Cubs also got a big game from Mike Tauchman, going 2/4 with a homer and two RBIs.
Chicago is 55-59 overall, putting them 4th in the NL Central. The Cubs are 8.5 games behind the Brewers for the division lead. So far, they have gone just 17-26 in divisional games. The Cubs will host the Twins today with an overall record of 30-26 at home.
As the underdog, the Cubs have won four straight, and they are 30-31 overall as the underdog. Chicago has gone just 25-28 as the favorite this year. The Cubs’ overall series record is 13-20-3, and they took their most recent series vs. the Cardinals 3-1.
Chicago has a run line record of 55-59 this season, but they have been much better on the road, going 34-24 against the run line. As the underdog, the Cubs have been a strong bet, going 41-20 against the run line. Their average run differential in winning games is +3.4 runs per game, while their average run differential in losing games is -3.2 runs per game.
The Chicago Cubs are playing at home against the Minnesota Twins today, and the over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs. The Cubs’ games have averaged 8.4 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 49-61 overall. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, the Cubs have gone 5-14-1, and 52.6% of their games this season have had higher over/under lines than 8 runs.
Right-hander Kyle Hendricks gets the start for the Cubs today as he faces the Twins at home. He has made 15 starts this season and has a record of 3-9 with a 6.86 ERA. In his 20 appearances, he has turned in just two quality starts and is averaging 6.33 strikeouts per nine innings. Hendricks most recently faced the Reds, where he picked up the win, going five innings and giving up three earned runs. Before that outing, he had lost three straight starts. Hendricks has been much worse on the road, with a 7.68 ERA compared to 6.53 at home.
So far this season, the Cubs offense is averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 21st in the league. They have been a little better on the road (4.3 RPG) than at home (4.1 RPG). As a team, they are batting just .234, and their on-base percentage of .310 is also below the league average. The Cubs have been good at drawing walks this season and are 18th in the league in home runs.
Chicago’s top power threat is Ian Happ, who has 17 homers this season, but his batting average is just .228. Seiya Suzuki and Isaac Paredes are both batting over .270 and have 16 homers apiece. Nico Hoerner is batting .256 for the season and is currently on an eight-game hitting streak. Over his last nine games, Michael Busch has gone 7/29 with three homers.