Chicago Cubs @ Minnesota Twins – Series Preview (July 8-10): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
The Cubs (54-36) took two of three from the rival Cardinals over the Fourth of July weekend to move a season-high 18 games over the .500 mark. The offense roared back to life with 28 runs over the three games, and they are off to a 5-1 start in July. Chicago wraps up the first half with a road trip that begins with three against the Twins in Minneapolis starting Tuesday.
It’s been a disappointing season for Minnesota (43-47) after a September collapse in 2024, and they find themselves far behind Detroit in the American League Central. They have had a pretty tough go of it offensively with a .700 team OPS that is 21st in MLB, but they have decent power with 102 homers so far.
Byron Buxton has been the Twins’ best player by far this season with 20 homers and an .879 OPS, not to mention tremendous defense in center. Harrison Bader, a perennial thorn in the Cubs’ side, is having a good year with 10 home runs. Carlos Correa is struggling mightily in 2025 with a .677 OPS that features career lows in both OBP and slugging.
Minnesota’s pitching is ranked in the same position as their hitting, with a 4.15 team ERA that is pretty evenly distributed between the bullpen and starting rotation. Staff ace Joe Ryan has a 2.76 ERA and an impressive 116 strikeouts, but Chicago will not face him in the series. Jhoan Duran routinely hits triple digits and has been a lockdown closer when he gets a chance.
The Twins have played well at Target Field with a 24-18 record so far this season, and they won their last series against Tampa Bay. However, neither of their two best starting pitchers will go in this series. The Cubs could really use a strong performance ahead of an unpredictable matchup at Yankee Stadium heading into the break.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Tuesday, July 8 at 6:40pm CT on Marquee.
- Wednesday, July 9 at 6:40pm CT on Marquee.
- Thursday, July 10 at 12:10pm CT on MLB Network and Marquee.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 7/8 | Shōta Imanaga | 31 | L | 2.78 | 5-2 | 4.83 | 2.73 |
| Simeon Woods Richardson | 24 | R | 4.41 | 4-4 | 4.43 | 2.29 | |
| 7/9 | Cade Horton | 23 | R | 4.15 | 3-2 | 4.28 | 2.38 |
| David Festa | 25 | R | 5.48 | 2-3 | 4.52 | 2.81 | |
| 7/10 | Colin Rea | 35 | R | 4.13 | 6-3 | 4.82 | 2.86 |
| Chris Paddack | 29 | R | 4.64 | 3–7 | 4.29 | 2.83 |
What to Watch For
- Michael Busch had nine hits, including five homers, against the Cardinals and is red hot.
- Dansby Swanson hit .346 in the six home games against Cleveland and St. Louis.
- Horton had his best career start Thursday, putting up seven scoreless innings.
- The Cubs are 24-20 on the road so far in 2025.
