Finally, the Chicago Cubs have returned home to Wrigley Field.
An eight-game homestand begins this afternoon with the Minnesota Twins paying their first visit to Wrigley since 2009. The Cubs are 8-4 lifetime at home against the Twins, but Joe Mauer is the only player from either team who was around for that June 14, 2009 showdown that saw Carlos Marmol pick up a win in relief of Ted Lilly.
Speaking of Mauer, he is 6-for-13 (.462) in three games at Wrigley Field. And while he’s past his prime, the Twins’ first baseman still has an elite eye at the plate and can still barrel up a baseball. It would be a mistake for Cubs pitchers to take him lightly.
Mike Montgomery gets the ball to start the series and aims to continue his roll since entering the starting rotation. The Cubs are 4-2 in Montgomery’s starts, with one of those losses coming last time out against the Reds when the bullpen couldn’t shut things down. Montgomery has tossed 35.2 innings as a starter, pitched to a 2.02 ERA, and has limited opponents to a .188/.245/.281 slash line. Opposing hitters have pounded the ball into the ground at a 52 percent clip and have walked at a 6.5 percent rate against Montgomery, who has had past issues with free passes. Overall, that’s mighty fine work from the southpaw.
On the other side of the diamond, the Twins will send Jose Berrios to the bump. Berrios is in the midst of a breakout season that should garner All-Star consideration. Berrios’ name is all over the American League leaderboard as the owner of the 11th best ERA (3.15), 12th best K% (26.9%), fourth best BB% (4.9%), and eighth best fWAR (2.5). Other than that, what’s the guy got going for him?
Game Info
Chicago Cubs (44-35) vs. Minnesota Twins (35-42) – Friday, June 29 at 4:05 CT on NBC Sports Chicago, 670 The Score
Game Thread and Series Preview
Your game thread is down in the comments, so let’s have some good, clean (safe-for-work) fun today.
Starting Pitchers
Cubs: Mike Montgomery (L): 3.39 ERA, 3.88 FIP; 2.11 K/BB
versus
Twins: Jose Berrios (R): 3.15 ERA, 3.25 FIP; 5.45 K/BB
Minnesota Twins Lineup:
- Joe Mauer Taylor, 1B
- Eduardo Escobar, 3B
- Eddie Rosario, LF
- Brian Dozier, 2B
- Robbie Grossman, RF
- Max Kepler, CF
- Mitch Garver, C
- Ehire Adrianza, SS
- Jose Berrios, P
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Albert Almora Jr., CF
- Jason Heyward, RF
- Ben Zobrist, 2B
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Addison Russell, SS
- Kyle Schwarber, LF
- Ian Happ, 3B
- Chris Gimenez, C
- Mike Montgomery, P