Series Preview: Cubs at Twins, August 31 – September 1, 2021

The Cubs and Twins have four games left against each other this season, two this week in Minnesota and two in September back at Wrigley. And given proximity between these two teams in the reverse standings (the Twins are 1.5 games behind the Cubs for the 7th pick in the 2022 MLB Draft), these games actually carry a lot of meaning.

In fact, the Cubs have no other direct tank-worthy matchups on the schedule for the rest of the season besides the Twins (and the Pirates, but they’re well out of reach, even for this Cubs team). So I am unabashedly pleading with the organization: Lose these games, Cubs. Lose them. It’s not worth the wins.

We’re Going Streaking

The Chicago Cubs (57-75) dropped two out of three to the White Sox this weekend and just keep on losing. They’re 7th in the reverse standings, 1.0 game out of the 6th spot and 1.5 out of the 5th. The Minnesota Twins (58-73) are right there with them, 1.5 games behind the Cubs. These are two bad teams.

Game Times and Broadcasts Info

•   Tuesday, August 31st at 7:10 CT on MARQ, 670 The Score
•   Wednesday, September 1st at 7:10 CT on MARQ, 670 The Score

Pitching Matchups

Game 1: Zach Davies (R) vs. John Gant (R)
Game 2: Justin Steele (L) vs. TBD

Chicago Cubs

•   C – Robinson Chirinos
•   1B – Frank Schwindel
•   2B – Matt Duffy
•   3B – Patrick Wisdom
•   SS – Sergio Alcantara/Andrew Romine
•   LF – Ian Happ/Patrick Wisdom
•   CF – Rafael Ortega
•   RF – Jason Heyward/Michael Hermosillo
•   DH – Wisdom? Schwindel?

Unavailable: Dillon Maples, Nico Hoerner, Willson Contreras, Adbert Alzolay, David Bote, Jonathan Holder, Nick Madrigal, Jose Lobaton, P.J. Higgins, Kohl Stewart, Brad Wieck

Minnesota Twins

•   C – Ryan Jeffers
•   1B – Miguel Sano
•   2B – Jorge Polanco
•   3B – Luis Arraez
•   SS – Andrelton Simmons
•   LF – Brent Rookier
•   CF – Byron Buxton
•   RF – Max Kepler
•   DH – Josh Donaldson

Unavailable: Derek Law, Taylor Rodgers, Michael Pineda, Lewis Thorpe, Mitch Garver, Kenta Maeda, Edwar Colina, Devin Smeltzer, Cody Stashak, Kyle Garlick, Randy Dobnak, Luke Farrell, Alex Kirilloff

By the Numbers:

Run Differential:
Cubs: -109
Twins: -98

Runs Scored Per Game:
Cubs: 4.23
Twins: 4.59

Runs Allowed Per Game:
Cubs: 5.06
Twins: 5.34

Keep An Eye Out For …

Jorge Polanco is having the best season of his career, slashing .273/.332/.492 (123 wRC+) with 24 home runs over 122 games. He’s also racked up 17 hits over his last 12 games, including six multi-hit games, 4 doubles, and 3 homers. It seems like he’s sold out for some extra power here lately (at the expense of more strikeouts and very few walks), but it’s all working for him at the end of the day.

Josh Donaldson is on absolute fire over the last week, with 11 hits (3 doubles, 4 homers) in just 30 plate appearances with an equal number of walks (4) and strikeouts (4): .440/.533/1.040 (309 wRC+). For the season, he’s got a (marvelously consistent-with-the-last-three-years) 131 wRC+.

The Cubs have hot hitters too, though. Remember, Patrick Wisdom is on a bit of a tear with seven homers in his last nine games. The overall strikeout rate is as high as ever, but he’s got a 136 wRC+ and is just one homer away from tying Kris Bryant’s rookie home run record (26). And, hey, with one more home run he’ll be tied with Bryce Harper for 9th most in the National League and he hasn’t even played 85 games yet. It truly is a ridiculous pace.

Rafael Ortega has gone cold lately, slashing .156/.224/.333 (50 wRC+) over his last ~50 PAs. Digging in a little deeper, he seems to be elevating the ball fine, but he’s not hitting line drives and he’s not striking the ball with much authority. In fact, the fly ball rate is so high and hard hit rate so low I’m starting to wonder if he was trying for a little more pop with more of a launch angle swing. I think that’d be a mistake for what the Cubs are trying to get out of him (he seems to be at his best spraying line drives to all fields and not striking out), but he’s also trying to extend his career, so I get it. Hopefully he finds the right balance soon, because this isn’t it.

written by

Michael Cerami began covering the Chicago Cubs for Bleacher Nation as a part-time contributor in 2015. One year later, he joined Bleacher Nation full-time, covering the Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball. Today, Michael runs Bleacher Nation, contributing as a writer (Cubs, MLB) and an editor for all sections of the site, including the Chicago Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks, as well as MLB, NBA, NHL, and NFL. In 2019, Michael was the co-host of NBC Sports Chicago's Cubs Post-Game Show Outside the Ivy. You can find him on Twitter/X @Michael_Cerami

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