Minnesota Twins vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, 9/22/2021 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Minnesota Twins vs Chicago Cubs

Date: Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Location: Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL

TV: Marquee Sports Network

Odds/Point Spread: Minnesota (-105) Chicago (-116)

Joe Ryan and the Minnesota Twins (65-85, 5th in AL Central) head to Wrigley Field on Wednesday where they'll take on the Chicago Cubs (67-83, 4th in NL Central). The line on this contest has the Twins coming in at -105 and the Cubs are at -116. The total opens at 9. The pitchers who are expected to start are Joe Ryan and Kyle Hendricks.

As a unit, the Minnesota Twins are notching 4.5 runs per game, which is 15th in baseball. They have accounted for 670 runs scored and have an OBP of .312. The Twins have hit 249 two-baggers as a unit and have hit 212 balls out of the stadium. They have compiled 634 RBI's and 1,201 hits for the year, while their team batting average is sitting at .239. Minnesota has a slugging percentage of .421 and have struck out 1,297 times, while drawing a walk on 491 occasions.

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The Twins have a team earned run average of 4.89 on the year (27th in MLB), and their staff has struck out 1,210 batters. Their pitching staff has walked 449 batters and their FIP comes in at 4.70 as a squad for the season. Their strikeout to walk ratio is 2.69 and the pitching staff has a team WHIP of 1.32. Twins pitchers have given up 226 home runs and also 783 total runs (28th in the league).

The Twins have sent 481 relievers to the mound so far this year. The bullpen pitchers have inherited 160 base runners on the year and 45.0% of them earned a run for their team. They have recorded 37 saves for the season and have missed out on 20 of their 57 save opportunities. The Twins relievers have a save percentage of 64.9% and has entered the game in 134 save situations. The relief pitchers are sitting with 76 holds for the season (14th in MLB). Twins relief pitchers have come into the game with opponents on base 121 times and also have had 165 appearances in high leverage situations.

The Twins have turned 69.4% of balls in play into outs in their 11,811 innings, which has them sitting at 19th in the majors. The Minnesota Twins have accumulated 3,937 putouts so far this season, in addition to 1,328 assists and 102 errors. Their fielding rate is holding steady at .981 which ranks 28th in professional baseball, and have 987 double plays.

Ryan (1-1 career mark) has a FIP of 3.40 while facing 60 opposing hitters in the majors. He has given up 7 hits (3.7 hits per 9 innings) and has 2 free passes. His earned run average is 2.12 (4 ER's allowed) and his WHIP is 0.529. Ryan has taken the ball for 17 innings and has tallied 14 strikeouts during his career.

The Cubs have a team slugging % of .406 and they score 4.33 runs per contest (19th in baseball). They have hit 201 two-baggers, while getting a free base 451 times as well as scoring 650 runs. Chicago has accumulated 200 home runs over the course of the season as well as 618 runs batted in. They have struck out on 1,488 occasions (1st in the league) and have earned a total of 1,146 hits. The Chicago Cubs are sitting with a team OBP of .307 and a batting average of .233 so far this year.

The Cubs hold a team WHIP of 1.399 in addition to having a FIP of 4.85 as a team so far this year. They are currently ranked 23rd in MLB as a staff in total hits allowed with 1,275. The Chicago pitching staff have conceded 772 runs this year while holding a team ERA of 4.83 (704 earned runs conceded). Their K/BB ratio sits at 2.26 (1,263 strikeouts against 560 walks). They have relinquished 214 home runs and they concede 5.30 runs per 9 innings (26th in baseball).

Chicago has had relief pitchers step onto the mound in 52 save opportunities and they have recorded 38 saves. They rank 1st in the league with a save percentage of 73.1%, and they have sent 556 bullpen pitchers to the mound so far this season. Their bullpen pitchers have stepped onto the hill 161 times in high leverage situations and on 160 occasions with runners on base. Chicago relief pitchers hold an inherited score rate of 34.8% out of their 264 inherited base runners. With 125 save situations, the Cubs have accrued 72 holds in addition to 14 blown saves.

The Chicago Cubs have turned 135 double plays and own a fielding percentage of .985 (14th in the majors). The Cubs have accrued 1,445 assists, 81 errors and have accounted for 3,936 putouts for the season. In their 11,808 innings on the field, the Cubs are sitting with a defensive efficiency of 69.2% (21st in pro baseball).

In his career, Hendricks has allowed 1,121 hits while accumulating 1,005 strikeouts in 1,217 innings pitched. Hendricks (83-54 career mark) has earned a 3.36 ERA and has surrendered 8.3 hits per nine innings. He has surrendered a total of 454 ER's while earning a WHIP of 1.142 and being the owner of a FIP of 3.7. He has a K/BB ratio of 3.74 and he has faced 4,973 opposing hitters so far in his pro baseball career.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Chicago (-116)

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