Minnesota Twins vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, 9/19/2020 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Minnesota Twins vs Chicago Cubs

Date: Saturday, September 19, 2020

Location: Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL

TV: FSN/MARQ

Odds/Point Spread: Twins (+107) Cubs (-117)

Wrigley Field is the site where Ian Happ and the Chicago Cubs (30-20, 1st in NL Central) will take on the Minnesota Twins (31-21, 2nd in AL Central) on Saturday. The Cubs open this matchup at -117 while the Twins are priced at +107. The total has been set at 7. The pitchers taking the mound are Michael Pineda and Alec Mills.

Key Minnesota Twins Injuries

9/16/2020 Jake Odorizzi SP Finger Expected to be out until at least Sep 22
9/14/2020 Mitch Garver C Side Expected to be out until at least Sep 18
9/13/2020 Brent Rooker RF Forearm Out for the season
9/11/2020 Luis Arraez 2B Knee Expected to be out until at least Sep 19
9/6/2020 Homer Bailey SP Biceps Expected to be out until at least Sep 18

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

9/16/2020 Brad Wieck RP Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Sep 18
9/15/2020 Daniel Descalso 2B Ankle Expected to be out until at least Sep 22
9/15/2020 Tyler Chatwood SP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Sep 27
9/15/2020 Andrew Chafin RP Finger Expected to be out until at least Sep 21
9/15/2020 Jose Quintana RP Lat Expected to be out until at least Sep 21
8/23/2020 James Norwood RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 18

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Twins have a 31-21 overall record this season. Pineda has pitched in 843 innings and has earned 847 punchouts during his career. His earned run average is 4.03 (378 ER's allowed) and he has a career WHIP of 1.185. He has allowed 810 base hits (8.6 hits per 9 innings) and has had 189 free passes. Pineda (52-46 career win-loss record) holds a FIP of 3.70 while facing 3,493 hitters during his time in the majors. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.70 and they have given up 185 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .221 against the bullpen and they've struck out 231 hitters and walked 68 batters. As a team, Minnesota allows 8 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.5 batters per nine innings. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.68. The Twins pitchers collectively have given up 392 base hits and 180 earned runs. They have allowed 57 home runs this season, ranking them 24th in the league. Minnesota as a pitching staff has walked 146 batters and struck out 463. They have walked 3 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.5 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.22 and their FIP as a unit is 3.89.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team Minnesota is hitting .243, good for 17th in the league. The Twins hold a .429 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .318, which is good for 19th in baseball. They rank 20th in MLB with 7.8 hits per game. Eddie Rosario is hitting .251 with an on-base percentage of .316. He has 45 hits this season in 179 at bats with 33 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .469 and an OPS+ of 112. Byron Buxton is hitting .270 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .272. He has totaled 30 hits and he has driven in 24 men in 111 at bats. His OPS+ is 135 while his slugging percentage is at .622. The Twins have 406 hits, including 64 doubles and 81 home runs. Minnesota has walked 166 times so far this season and they have struck out 443 times as a unit. They have left 329 men on base and have a team OPS of .747. They score 4.48 runs per contest and have scored a total of 233 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 30-20 overall mark this year. In his pro baseball career, Mills has given up 84 base hits while he has earned 106 punchouts in 109 frames. He has surrendered a total of 47 ER's while holding a WHIP of 1.134 and a FIP of 4.3. His strikeout to walk ratio is 2.65 and he has gone up against 453 hitters in his career. Mills (6-4 career record) has a 3.87 ERA and has conceded 6.9 hits per 9 innings. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.33 and they have given up 132 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .191 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 191 batters and walked 84 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 7.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.1 batters per nine innings. They are 8th in the league in team earned run average at 3.98. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 374 base knocks and 191 earned runs this season. They have given up 59 home runs this year, which ranks 19th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 154 hitters and struck out 436 batters. They give up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.1 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.22 while their FIP as a staff is 4.13.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .230, good for 24th in the league. The Cubs hold a .403 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .326, which is good for 14th in baseball. They rank 24th in MLB with 7.4 hits per contest. Ian Happ comes into this matchup batting .275 with an OBP of .380. He has 47 hits this year along with 28 RBI in 171 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .561 with an OPS+ of 150. Jason Heyward is hitting .287 this season and he has an OBP of .411. He has collected 35 hits in 122 at bats while driving in 22 runs. He has an OPS+ of 149 and a slugging percentage of .516. The Cubs as a unit have 368 base hits, including 72 doubles and 63 homers. Chicago has walked 194 times this year and they have struck out on 482 occasions. They have had 347 men left on base and have an OPS of .729. They have scored 4.6 runs per game and totaled 230 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Twins/Cubs MLB game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Twins (+107)

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