Cubs vs. Twins Prediction, Odds, Probable Pitchers and Prop Bets for Tuesday, July 8

The Cubs are road favorites with Shota Imanaga on the mound on Tuesday.

The Cubs are road favorites with Shota Imanaga on the mound on Tuesday. / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs and Minnesota Twins open up a three-game set on Tuesday, July 8 at Target Field in Minnesota.

Chicago is turning to arguably its best starter – lefty Shota Imanaga – who is making his third appearance since coming off the injured list in late June. Imanaga enters this start with an impressive 2.78 ERA, and the Cubbies are 7-3 in the 10 games he’s pitched in this season.

Minnesota has fallen off in the AL Central standings, dropping to third behind the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals, but it has played .500 ball over its last 10 games to at least tie the Royals in winning percentage (.478) so far this season. 

Can Minnesota pull off an upset at home in this series opener?

Here’s a breakdown of the odds, players to watch in the prop market and my prediction on July 8. 

Cubs vs. Twins Odds, Run Line and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Run Line

• Cubs -1.5 (+112)
• Twins +1.5 (-137)

Moneyline

• Cubs: -144
• Twins: +118

Total

• 9 (Over -113/Under -109)

Cubs vs. Twins Probable Pitchers

• Chicago: Shota Imanaga (5-2, 2.78 ERA)
• Minnesota: Simeon Woods Richardson (4-4, 4.41 ERA)

Cubs vs. Twins How to Watch

• Date: Tuesday, July 8
• Time: 7:40 p.m. EST
• Venue: Target Field
• How to Watch (TV): MNNT, MARQ
• Cubs record: 54-36
• Twins record: 43-47

Cubs vs. Twins Best MLB Prop Bets

Cubs Best MLB Prop Bet

• Pete Crow-Armstrong to Hit a Home Run (+330)

Earlier today, I shared in SI Betting’s best home run picks – Daily Dinger – why PCA should stay hot on Tuesday night: 

Crow-Armstrong is having a great season for the Chicago Cubs, and I love the matchup against the Minnesota Twins for him on Tuesday night.

Minnesota has Simeon Woods Richardson on the mound, and he’s allowed nine home runs in 13 outings (12 starts) while posting a 4.41 ERA. 

Crow-Armstrong has dominated right-handed pitching in 2025, hitting .310 with 18 homers and an OPS of .971. Not only that, but he’s been red hot over the last week, hitting .400 with 10 hits and two home runs.

Crow-Armstrong actually has the third-best odds of any Cubs hitter to go deep on Tuesday, but I think the speedster is undervalued in this market. 

Cubs vs. Twins Prediction and Pick

After missing nearly two months, Imanaga has returned to the rotation for the Cubs and fired a pair of solid starts, allowing just one hit in five innings against the St. Louis Cardinals and four hits (and three runs) in 5.1 innings against the Cleveland Guardians.

He’s the superior starter in this matchup, as Woods Richardson (4.41 ERA) doesn’t work deep into games and has a suspect WHIP of 1.34 in the 2025 season. The Twins have a shaky bullpen backing him up (4.29 ERA), so I’m not sold on them holding a lead even if they get a solid start from the righty.

Not only that, but the Cubs are third in MLB in OPS and second in runs scored while the Twins are 21st in both of those categories.

Minnesota is 5-5 in its last 10 games, but it has struggled as of late to fall four games under .500 in the 2025 season. 

I’ll lay the juice on the moneyline for the Cubs to keep up their great first half this season. Chicago has a run differential of +126 in 2025 and has a solid road record (24-20), making it a worthwhile bet against a team that is likely to be fighting to get in the wild card chase in the AL this season. 

Pick: Cubs Moneyline (-144 at DraftKings)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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