The NL Central-leading Cubs finally get the best of the Twins
The Minnesota Twins couldn’t get it done today at Target Field, falling 8–1 to the Chicago Cubs in a game that, at times, sounded more like a road contest than a home matchup. With a heavy Cubs presence in the crowd, the energy never quite swung in the Twins’ favor.
Chris Paddack got the start for Minnesota but struggled mightily, surrendering 11 hits and 6 earned runs over just 5 innings of work. Recently called up lefty, Anthony Misiewicz made his Twins debut in relief, pitching two innings, giving up a solo home run, and striking out three. While his stuff showed promise, some fans took issue with his jersey number — No. 57. It’s not, but could be considered off-limits for Twins pitchers, at least for a little while longer.
Justin Topa handled the final two innings on the mound, but the damage had long been done.
At the plate, the Twins’ bats once again went cold in a series finale — what feels like a frustrating trend as of late when trying to complete a sweep. Kody Clemens provided the lone spark with a solo home run, his 11th of the year. Ryan Jeffers notched the team’s first hit in the second inning with a double, and Royce Lewis was a bright spot, going 2-for-3. But outside of that, offensive production was scarce.
Crazy stat of the day: 58.6% of Kody Clemens’ hits this season have been for extra bases! pic.twitter.com/xLx9ZaCXcj
— Sam Fosberg (@discussbaseball) July 10, 2025
The Cubs, on the other hand, were locked in. Nico Hoerner opened the scoring with a single to center, scoring Dansby Swanson. Pete Crow-Armstrong launched his 24th and 25th homers of the season — one of which soared into the batter’s eye beyond Harrison Bader’s outstretched glove.
Pete Crow-Armstrong hammers one to dead center to extend the @Cubs lead! pic.twitter.com/QupPd64zcz
— MLB (@MLB) July 10, 2025
The Twins now turn their attention to the Pittsburgh Pirates, a team reeling from a six-game losing streak after being swept by the Royals and Mariners. But don’t be fooled — just before that, the Pirates swept both the Mets and the Cardinals, shutting the latter out across the entire series. The Cards didn’t score a run.
As the All-Star break approaches, a sweep of the Bucs could be just what the Twins need to reach .500 and build momentum heading into a crucial second half.