Cleveland Guardians vs. Chicago Cubs Betting Preview
The Cleveland Guardians (39-42) and Chicago Cubs (38-42) will battle it out in the second of a three-game series Saturday night. The Cubs will host this one at Wrigley Field, with first pitch scheduled for 7:15 pm ET.
The Cubs demolished the Guardians in the opener Friday night 10-1. In the win, Nick Madrigal and Christopher Morel both homered, while Justin Steele picked up the win after allowing no earned runs over 6.1 innings.
The Cubs are the favorites to win again on Saturday. They are -136 to win, while the Guardians’ moneyline sits at +116. The runline features Cleveland +1.5 (-170), and the over/under for total runs is 7.5.
Guardians Still Very Much In Their Division Despite Mediocre Record
Despite sitting three games under .500 on the year, the Cleveland Guardians are very much in the AL Central race. In fact, they are just a game behind the Minnesota Twins for first place. They will look to put pressure on the division by picking up a win Saturday on the road, where they are 19-23 this season.
On the mound for the Guardians will be 24-year-old righty Tanner Bibee. In 11 games, he is 4-2 with a 3.79 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and he has 58 strikeouts in 59.1 innings. Bibee comes in having won back-to-back games, giving up just four earned runs over his last 11 innings.
Offensively is where Cleveland has struggled. They currently rank just 26th in the majors, averaging 4.01 runs per game (4.46 on the road).
Perennial All-Star Jose Ramirez leads the offense, hitting .295/.365/.520 with a team-leading 13 home runs and 50 runs scored. He also has 52 runs batted in and nine stolen bases.
Cubs Trying To Put Pressure On NL Central
Like the Cleveland Guardians, the Cubs sit a handful of games under .500, but they also sit very much in contention in a weak NL Central. While they sit in fourth in the division, they are just five games back of the Cincinnati Reds, and they will look to pick up the win Saturday at home, where they are 21-20 on the season.
Chicago’s offense currently ranks 13th in the majors. They are averaging 4.54 runs per game, 4.63 at home.
In the last couple of weeks, Christopher Morel has been the Cubs’ hottest hitter. Despite hitting just .234/.275/.468 in his last 47 at bats, he leads the team with three home runs and ten runs batted in over that span.
On the mound, Saturday for Chicago will be veteran Marcus Stroman. In 17 games, the 32-year-old veteran is 9-5 with a 2.47 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and he has 85 strikeouts in 102 innings. Stroman is looking to bounce back from a loss in his last outing, where he gave up three earned runs over just 3.1 innings to the Cardinals.
Take The Guardians On The Runline
Looking at the trends, the Guardians are just 3-6 both in their last nine games against NL Central teams and their last nine against the Cubs. In 8 of their last 12 at Wrigley Field, the UNDER has hit.
For the Cubs, they are 1-4 in their last five games and 2-4 in their last six home games. Still, they are 4-1 in their last five games against the Guardians.
This one could be a bit of a pitcher’s duel. Neither of these offenses are exactly electric, and both Tanner Bibee and Marcus Stroman have been solid this season. For that reason, take the Guardians and the +1.5 on the runline (-170).
