Wednesday’s Cubs vs. Guardians interleague matchup has a first pitch set for 6:40 PM ET from Progressive Field in Cleveland. The Guardians are the favorites on the money line (-134), while the Cubs have odds of +113 to win. The over/under line is sitting at 8.5 runs.
Chicago comes in with a record of 59-62, while the Guardians are 71-49. Alex Cobb will start for the Guardians, while the Cubs are sending Jameson Taillon to the mound. Cleveland is currently on a four-game winning streak, while the Cubs have lost two straight. The game can be seen on BSGL.
Cubs Struggle in NL Central, Taillon Takes Mound Amid Home Run Woes
The Cubs are 9.0 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central and 4th in the division with a 17-26 record against other NL Central teams. Chicago has gone 32-27 at home and 27-35 on the road. They have gone 27-29 as the favorite and 32-33 as the underdog. Jameson Taillon will be on the mound for the Cubs, and he is 8-6 with a 3.50 ERA this season. Taillon has allowed at least one homer in each of his last four outings.
Chicago has gone over the total in 53 of their 117 games this season, with an average combined run total of 8.4. The Cubs have gone over the total in 15 of their 28 games with an over/under line of 8.5 runs. Overall, 28.9% of their games have had a higher over/under line than 8.5 runs. Their offense has been led by Ian Happ, who has 20 homers and 67 RBI. The Cubs are 20th in scoring at 4.2 runs per game. They are 17th in home runs with 124 and 17th in batting average at .236.
Guardians Dominate AL Central: Cleveland Eyes Fifth Straight Win with Red-Hot Offense
Cleveland is currently leading the AL Central by 3.5 games over the Twins, and they have an overall record of 71-49. The Guardians have won four straight games, and they are 21-17 in divisional matchups this year. At home, the Guardians are 37-20 this year, and they have gone 34-29 on the road. So far, the Guardians have been really good as the favorite, going 49-25 this year. As the underdog, the Guardians are 22-24 this year. Cleveland’s overall series record is 22-11-5, and they are leading the Cubs 2-0 in the series heading into today’s game. Looking at their overall record, the Guardians are 32-14 as the home favorite.
The Cleveland Guardians have been involved in 112 games this season, and the over/under line has been set at 8.5 runs in 32 of those contests. In those games, the over has gone 17-15. The Guardians’ games have averaged 8.6 runs per game this season, and their over/under record for the year is 58-54. Coming off a loss in his first start of the season, Alex Cobb will be looking to bounce back against the Cubs. In his first start of the year, Cobb went 4 2/3 innings, giving up 5 runs on 9 hits. He did strike out 9 batters, but also gave up a home run. The Cleveland Guardians have been solid offensively this season, averaging 4.6 runs per game, which ranks 13th in the league. Their offense has been slightly better at home, where they average 4.9 runs per game, good for 7th in the league. José Ramírez has been one of the top hitters for the Guardians this season, with a .282 batting average, 31 home runs, and 97 RBI. He is currently on a 3-game hitting streak. Josh Naylor has also been a key contributor, hitting .247 with 26 home runs and 87 RBI on the season. Jhonkensy Noel has been hot at the plate, going 4-for-11 with 3 runs, 3 home runs, and 5 RBI over his last 4 games.
Betting Preview: Cubs to Edge Giants 5-4, Money Line Value at +113
Our predicted final score for this one is 5-4 in favor of the Cubs, which is why we recommend taking them on the money line at +113. At these odds, there is plenty of value in picking the Cubs to win outright.
Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Jameson Taillon finishing with just four strikeouts, and Alex Cobb ending with five. However, Cobb is projected to go slightly deeper into the game, and he has a better chance of picking up a win.
If you’re looking for a parlay, you could take the Cubs and the over/under, with the line sitting at 8.5 runs. However, we have this one finishing with a combined nine runs, so there isn’t a lot of wiggle room on the line.
