Cubs vs Guardians Game 1 Prediction 4/5/26 MLB Picks Today

In this article, we will formulate a Cubs vs Guardians Game 1 Prediction for this MLB matchup on Sunday, April 5^th in the second game of this series and the first of today’s double-header. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this MLB matchup.

Cleveland Guardians Preview

The Guardians have a 5-3 record this season and are sitting in the first place of the AL Central. They have a 1-0 home record and are coming off a 4-1 home win over the Cubs. Their previous three games were a 4-1 road win, a 1-4 road loss and a 4-2 road win to the Dodgers.

The Guardians have a .203 batting average this season, .287 OBP and .348 Slugging percentage. Cleveland’s pitching staff has a 3.60 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. Chase DeLauter is the team’s best hitter with a .346 batting average, also leading the team in RBI with 8 and adding a team-high 5 home runs.

Slade Cecconi (R) is the projected starting pitcher for the Guardians, and he has a 0-1 record, 12.46 ERA and 2.08 WHIP.

Chicago Cubs Preview

The Cubs have a 3-4 record this season and are sitting in the last place of the NL Central. They have a 0-1 road record and are coming off a 1-4 road loss to the Guardians. Their previous three games were a 6-2 home win, a 0-2 home loss and a 7-2 home win over the Angels.

Chicago has a .222 batting average this season, .315 OBP and .342 Slugging percentage. Chicago’s pitching staff has a 3.63 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. Nico Hoerner is the team’s best hitter with a .292 batting average. Ian Happ leads the team in RBI with 5, also adding a team-high 3 home runs.

Edward Cabrera (R) is the projected starting pitcher for the Cubs, and he has a 1-0 record, 0.00 ERA and 0.33 WHIP.

The Chicago Cubs @ Cleveland Guardians Betting Trends: April 5, 2026: Game 1

• Probable Starting Pitcher: Slade Cecconi      Record this season: 0-1      ERA: 12.46
• Home Record: 0-0
• Last 5 against Cubs: –

Why the Cleveland Guardians will win

• The Cubs have lost each of their last eight road games.
• The home team has won each of the last seven games between the Cubs and Guardians.
• The Guardians have covered the run line in 11 of their last 12 games as underdogs against National League opponents.
• The Cubs have failed to cover the run line in seven of their last eight road games against teams that held a winning record.
• The Cubs have lost the first inning in each of their last five Sunday games against AL Central opponents that held a winning record.
• The Cubs have trailed after 5 innings in five of their last six road games.
• The Guardians have led after 3 innings in three of their last four games against National League opponents that held a losing record.

• Probable Starting Pitcher: Edward Cabrera      Record this season: 1-0      ERA: 0.00
• Road Record: 0-0
• Last 5 against Guardians: 0-1

Why the Chicago Cubs will win

• The Cubs have won each of their last seven day games against AL Central opponents following a loss.
• The Guardians have lost 12 of their last 14 games against NL Central opponents.
• The Cubs have covered the run line in each of their last eight games as road favorites against American League opponents following a road loss.
• The Guardians have failed to cover the run line each of their last eight Sunday games against teams that held a losing record.
• The Guardians have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last four home games against NL Central opponents.
• The Guardians have trailed after 5 innings in six of their last eight games as home underdogs against National League opponents.

Total Runs Facts

• Eight of the Guardians’ last nine games as underdogs against National League opponents have gone UNDER the total runs line.
• Six of the Cubs’ last seven road games against American League opponents have gone UNDER the total runs line.
• The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the last 14 games between the Cubs and Guardians.
• The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Cubs’ last 10 games at Progressive Field.

Cleveland Guardians Player Prop Facts

• Jose Ramirez has hit a home run in three of the Guardians’ last four home games against NL Central opponents that held a losing record.
• Jose Ramirez has recorded at least one hit in each of the Guardians’ last 12 games against NL Central opponents that held a losing record.
• Chase DeLauter ranks T1st in the league in Home Runs (5) this season.

Chicago Cubs Player Prop Facts

• Edward Cabrera has recorded six or more strikeouts in four of his last five appearances against AL opponents.
• Alex Bregman has recorded at least one hit in each of his 11 previous appearances against the Guardians after not playing the previous day.
• Edward Cabrera has recorded a win in five of his six previous appearances with his team as a favorite against AL opponents .
• Seiya Suzuki has hit a home run in each of his last two road appearances.
• Nico Hoerner ranks T1st in the league in Steals (4) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Guardians rank T27th in the league for hits this season (52).
• The Guardians rank 26th in the league for RBIs this season (24).
• The Cubs rank 29th in the league for hits this season (50).
• The Cubs rank 2nd in the league for strikeouts against this season (59).

Cubs vs Guardians Game 1 Prediction

The Cubs are 3-1 in their last 4 head-to-head matches against the Guardians but the Guardians have won their last four head-to-head home matches.

In this Cubs vs Guardians Prediction, the Cubs are coming as -127 road favorites. Cleveland won the opening game of this series but they have a major pitching disadvantage today, as Slade Cecconi goes up against Edward Cabrera. Cecconi looked terrible in his first start of the season while Cabrera is coming off a shutout. On top of that, the Cubs have the better offense and they in a bounce-back spot. Take the Cubs on the moneyline in Game 1 of this double-header.