The Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Guardians meet Monday in MLB action from Progressive Field. Here’s a Cleveland Guardians vs Chicago Cubs prediction. This will be the first installment in a three-game series. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Guardians vs Cubs pick.
Chicago Cubs Betting Preview
The Cubs played a couple of games versus their crosstown rival Chicago White Sox this weekend. In that pair the Cubs did well, winning both 7-6 and 3-1. In Saturday’s victory Chicago got 6.0 clean frames from starter Justin Steele.
In the starter slot Monday it’ll be the Cubs’ Shota Imanaga. This year Imanaga is 9-2 with a 3.06 ERA in the first 21 starts of his career.
Cleveland Guardians betting Preview
Over on the Guardians’ side, they’re coming off a series versus the Minnesota Twins. Cleveland dropped the first pair 4-2 and 6-3 before a 2-1 win Saturday. In the Sunday finale the Guardians scored four runs in the sixth inning on the way to a 5-3 win. Tanner Bibee managed 5.2 innings with one earned run in the start.
Ben Lively will take the mound for Cleveland on Monday. This year Lively is 10-7 with a 3.59 ERA over 20 starts. Lively is 18-24 with a 4.54 ERA in 65 career games (52 starts).
Total Runs Facts
- Each of the Guardians’ last six games as home underdogs have gone OVER the total runs line.
- Twelve of the Cubs’ last 14 road games against AL Central opponents have gone OVER the total runs line.
- The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the last seven games between the Cubs and Guardians.
- The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Cubs’ last six games at Progressive Field.
Cleveland Guardians Player Prop Facts
- Steven Kwan has scored at least one run in nine of his last 10 appearances against NL Central opponents that held a losing record.
- Jose Ramirez has recorded at least one RBI in eight of the Guardians’ last nine games as home underdogs.
- Lane Thomas has recorded at least one Double in three of his last four appearances with his team as an underdog against NL Central opponents.
- Steven Kwan has recorded at least one total base in each of his last 11 appearances with the Guardians as underdogs against NL opponents.
- Josh Naylor has hit at least one home run in three of the Guardians’ last four night games against NL Central opponents that held a losing record.
- Steven Kwan has recorded at least one hit in each of his last 11 appearances with the Guardians as underdogs against NL opponents.
- Steven Kwan has recorded at least one Single in each of his last nine appearances against NL opponents that held a losing record.
Chicago Cubs Player Prop Facts
- Kyle Hendricks has recorded a win in five of his last six appearances with the Cubs as favorites against AL Central opponents.
- Cody Bellinger has recorded at least one total base in each of his last 10 appearances with the Cubs as road favorites.
- Kyle Hendricks has recorded four or more strikeouts in each of his last 16 Monday appearances.
- Patrick Wisdom has hit a home run in three of his last four road appearances against opponents that held a winning record.
- Cody Bellinger has recorded at least one hit in each of his last 10 appearances with the Cubs as road favorites.
- Cody Bellinger has recorded at least one Single in each of his last 10 appearances with the Cubs as road favorites.
- Nico Hoerner has scored at least one run in each of the Cubs’ last six games as favorites.
- Isaac Paredes has recorded at least one RBI in each of his last five road appearances against AL Central opponents.
Cleveland Guardians vs Chicago Cubs Prediction
I’ll probably lean toward the Guardians here, but I could go either way. Lively does need a bit of a bounce-back after four earned in 5.0 innings his last time out. In his two previous appearances however, Lively went 2-0 with three earned in 12.0 innings. As for Imanaga, he’s got nine earned in his last 19.1 innings total.
On Sunday the Guardians had one big inning in the sixth and managed to turn that outburst of offense into a victory. The bullpen had mixed results though, posting two earned in 3.1 innings of work. Cleveland should be able to keep rolling Monday if all goes well.