Minnesota Twins vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/17/2026

Game Time: 8:05 pm ET, Friday, July 17, 2026

Venue:  Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL 

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Twins +114, Cubs -137; Over/Under:  10.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Twins +115, Cubs -135; Over/Under:  10.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Twins +115, Cubs -140; Over/Under:  10 runs

Minnesota Twins:  48-49 (3rd place, AL Central)

Chicago Cubs:  54-42 (2nd place, NL Central)

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Minnesota Twins:  7-3 last 10

Chicago Cubs:  6-4 last 10

The Twins are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Los Angeles Angels 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 48-49 record overall and have a road record of 22-24. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Cubs on Friday. Their offense ranks 8th in the MLB with a .738 OPS. Taj Bradley was their starting pitcher on Sunday while Bailey Ober is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 6-3 with a 4.40 ERA this season. His team lost their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 1 ER, 1 HR, and 1 BB with 5 SO on 3 hits through 5 IP against the Cleveland Guardians.

The Cubs are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Cincinnati Reds 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 54-42 record overall and have a home record of 27-19. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Twins on Friday. Their offense ranks 4th in the MLB with a .747 OPS. Matthew Boyd was their starting pitcher on Sunday while Colin Rea is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 7-5 with a 4.75 ERA this season. His team won their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 3 earned runs, 1 homer, and 2 walks with 2 strikeouts on 7 hits through 5.1 innings pitched against the Baltimore Orioles.

The current betting odds have the Cubs listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Cubs have looked good in their games this season with their 54-42 record overall which has them right near the top of the NL Central. They have looked good in their own ballpark too with their 27-19 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Twins haven't looked great in their games this season with their 48-49 record overall which has them right in the middle of the AL Central. They haven't been a great road team either with their 22-24 road record this year. The Twins have been rolling lately as they are 7-3 in their last 10 games and are almost back at .500 after spending most of the season under .500. The Cubs have also looked good lately though, going 6-4 in their last 10 games, and they have looked like a different team at home all season. Rea is on the mound for the Cubs in this one and he hasn't looked great this season. He is 7-5 with a 4.75 ERA and he has been giving up quite a few runs this year. He gave up 3 earned runs in his last start which has been a common theme for him, but the team has won 2 games in a row now with him starting and their offense has also been really hot lately. The Twins are going with Ober in this one and he hasn't looked any better this season. He is 6-3 with a 4.40 ERA and he has also been giving up a ton of runs this season. He is coming off a great start in which he only gave up 1 earned run, but that hasn't been a common theme for him. He was giving up a ton of runs in his starts just before that and even his team has lost 2 games in a row now with him starting. Neither pitching staff has been great this season, but the Cubs are going to have the edge at home with the better offense. The best way to place a bet here is on the Cubs to win this game. 

Twins Cubs Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, July 17, 2026 (8:05 pm ET start time) is Cubs 8 Twins 5.

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Minnesota Twins: 15-31 (-22.7 units) on the moneyline against NL Central opponents. 200-221 (-43.9 units) on the moneyline in all games. 93-115 (-18 units) on the moneyline in road games. 8-4 OVER against NL Central opponents. 30-14 OVER in road games.

Chicago Cubs: 24-17 (+5 units) on the moneyline against AL Central opponents. 234-194 (+15.4 units) on the moneyline in all games. 126-87 (+11.6 units) on the moneyline in home games. 7-2 OVER vs. an AL starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.300 or better. 5-2 OVER vs. an AL starting pitcher whose ERA is 3.70 or better.

Minnesota Twins:  A. Banda (RP) Sixty Day IL - Lat. M. Abel (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. C. Prielipp (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Finger. M. Raya (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Shoulder. B. Buxton (CF) Ten Day IL - Hip. G. Acton (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. C. Sands (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Forearm. D. Festa (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. P. Lopez (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Chicago Cubs:  M. Shaw (RF) Ten Day IL - Hand. E. Roberts (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Forearm. H. Milner (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Appendicitis. B. Brown (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Neck. E. Cabrera (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Hamstring. D. Palencia (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. J. Taillon (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Hamstring. R. Martin (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. P. Hodge (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. C. Horton (SP) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. H. Harvey (RP) Sixty Day IL - Tricep. J. Steele (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. T. Austin (1B) Sixty Day IL - Knee. S. Miller (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

“He gets [Jorge] Soler on the fly ball and then [Jo] Adell on the double play ball, which was a really good turn by Kody [Clemens] on a slow-hit ball. Kreidler gave him a good feed. I think we just continue to see him grow, get better and mature. That was definitely a sign right there.” - Derek Shelton on Taj Bradley after his team’s win against the LA Angels in their game on Sunday. 

“It’s a great way to finish the half, and I think [Bregman] goes into it feeling really good and able to enjoy it. I think we've been a resilient group, and I think he's a big part of the resiliency that the group is showing.” - Craig Counsell after his team’s win against the Reds in their game on Sunday. 

Trevor Larnach (Z) LF

Ryan Jeffers (D) C

Josh Bell (A) DH

Kody Clemens (Z) 2B

Royce Lewis (D) 1B

Brooks Lee (A) 3B

Alan Roden (Z) RF

Luke Keaschall (D) CF

Ryan Kreidler (D) SS

Pete Crow-Armstrong (Z) CF

Seiya Suzuki (D) RF

Alex Bregman (D) 3B

Carson Kelly (D) C

Michael Busch (Z) 1B

Nico Hoerner (D) 2B

Ian Happ (A) LF

Dansby Swanson (D) SS

Kevin Alcántara (D) DH

Batting Average:  Gabriel Gonzalez (.500)

Hits:  Josh Bell (85)

Home Runs:  Byron Buxton (25)

RBI:  Josh Bell (60)

Stolen Bases:  Luke Keaschall (12)

Wins:  Taj Bradley (9)

Saves:  Yoendrys Gómez (10)

ERA:  Yoendrys Gómez (1.71)

Batting Average:  Justin Dean (.400)

Hits:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (104)

Home Runs:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (21)

RBI:  Dansby Swanson (58)

Stolen Bases:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (24)

Wins:  Colin Rea (7)

Saves:  Jacob Webb (5)

ERA:  Ty Blach (0.00)

Managers:

Minnesota Twins: Derek Shelton (1st season)

Chicago Cubs: Craig Counsell (3rd season)