Chicago Cubs vs Cleveland Guardians Betting Pick & Prediction 8/12/24
Chicago’s Cubs are the road team for Monday’s interleague matchup with the Guardians, as the game is being played at Progressive Field in Cleveland. The forecast for Monday’s game calls for clear skies and temperatures in the low 70s. Shota Imanaga is starting for the Cubs, and the Guardians are starting Ben Lively.
The Cubs are currently 59-60 and they have won four straight, while the Guardians are 69-49 and are 1st in the AL Central. Cleveland comes into the game as a slight money line underdog (+100), and the over/under line is currently at 8 runs. MARQ will be televising Monday’s game nationally, and the first pitch is set for 6:40 PM ET.
CLEVELAND GUARDIANS VS CHICAGO CUBS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Cleveland Guardians Moneyline +100
This game will be played at Progressive Field at 6:40 ET on Monday, August 12th.
HOW TO BET THE CUBS VS GUARDIANS:
- We have the Guardians winning by a score of 6 to 5
- If you’re looking for a run line pick, we also like the Guardians to cover
- As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 11 runs and like the over
Cubs Records & Stats
Heading into their last game vs. the White Sox, the Cubs closed out the series with a 3-1 win. Leading up to the game, they were the heavy favorite at -227. Offensively, the Cubs scored their three runs on nine hits and didn’t hit a home run.
Justin Steele got the start for the Cubs, going six innings, and didn’t give up a run. He also issued just two walks and struck out eight White Sox batters. Porter Hodge picked up the save out of the bullpen, and the Cubs also got a scoreless 8th inning from Héctor Neris.
The Cubs are on the road today vs. the Guardians, coming into the game with a record of 59-60. They have won four straight games, and the Cubs are 3rd in the NL Central, trailing the Brewers by nine games. So far, they are 17-26 against other teams in the NL Central.
Chicago has been playing well lately, as they are 8-2 across their last 10 games. At home, the Cubs are 32-27 this season and 27-33 on the road. As the underdog, the Cubs are at .500 this season with a 32-32 record, and they are 27-28 when favored. The Cubs’ overall series record is 15-20-3, and they have won three straight series.
When betting the run line on the Cubs this season, it has been more profitable to take them on the road compared to at home. The Cubs are 35-25 vs. the run line on the road, compared to just 23-36 at home. They have a run differential of -0.3 runs per game on the road, but they have still been able to cover the run line at a 58% clip. The Cubs have been a better bet as an underdog this season, going 43-21 vs. the run line, compared to just 15-40 as the favorite.
The Chicago Cubs have an over/under record of 52-63 this season and have a combined run average of 8.4 runs per game. Their average over/under line is 8 runs, and when the line is set at 8 runs, their record is 5-14-1. The Cubs have played 62 games with over/under lines set higher than 8 runs, which accounts for 52.1% of their games. They have played 37 games with over/under lines set lower than 8 runs, which accounts for 31.1% of their games.
Chicago is sending Shota Imanaga to the mound today, and he will be looking to build off his last outing, where he gave up just two earned runs in seven innings of work. In that outing, he picked up the win and finished with 10 strikeouts. Looking back further, Imanaga has finished with a no-decision in three straight outings. He has made 21 starts this year and has a record of 9-2 with an ERA of 3.06. Opposing batters are hitting .231 off the left-hander this season. Imanaga has turned in 13 quality starts and is averaging 9.34 strikeouts per nine innings.
So far this season, the Cubs are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 20th in the league. Their team batting average of .236 is also 20th in the league, and they are 18th in home runs. The Cubs have been good at drawing walks this season and have an on-base percentage of .311.
Over his last nine games, Michael Busch is hitting .300 with three home runs, and both he and Dansby Swanson have driven in five runs over that stretch. Swanson is batting .387 in that stretch. For the season, Ian Happ is leading the Cubs with 19 homers and 65 RBIs, but he is batting just .229.
Guardians Records & Stats
Cleveland closed out their series vs. the Twins with a 5-3 win on the road. Heading into the game, the Guardians were the slight favorite at -101 on the money line. It was a four-run 6th inning that really turned things in their favor, and the Twins could only score two runs in the 8th to cut into the lead. Emmanuel Clase closed things out in the 9th, and the Guardians picked up the win.
Tanner Bibee put together a good start for the Guardians, going 5 2/3 innings and giving up just one earned run, and picking up the win. Cleveland’s offense was carried by José Ramírez, who went 2/5 with a homer and three RBIs.
Cleveland is hosting the Cubs today with an overall record of 69-49, which has them leading the AL Central by 3.5 games. The Guardians lead the division in a record of 21-17. They come into today’s game having won two straight, which came in the final two games of their series with the Twins.
At home, the Guardians are 35-20 this season and 34-29 on the road. So far, they have struggled against the Cubs, going just 4-6 against them. As the underdog, the Guardians are 21-24 this year and 48-25 when favored. Cleveland’s overall series record is 22-11-5, and they are 3-7 over their last ten games.
When the Cleveland Guardians are the underdog, they have been a good bet against the run line, going 26-19. They are 32-41 against the run line as the favorite. The Guardians’ average run differential in wins is +3.3, but it drops to -3.2 in losses.
The Cleveland Guardians are playing host to the Chicago Cubs today, and the over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs. The Guardians have played to the over in 57 of their 110 games this season, and their games have averaged a combined 8.5 runs per game. When the over/under line has been set at 8 runs, they have gone over 10 times, under 9 times, and pushed 4 times.
Right-hander Ben Lively is getting the start for the Guardians today as he faces off against the Cubs at home. Lively has made 20 starts this season and has a record of 10-7 with a 3.59 ERA. Looking at his overall numbers, Lively has a WHIP of 1.17 and has issued just 2.77 walks per nine innings. In his 20 starts, he has turned in seven quality starts and is averaging 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings. Lively’s most recent outing came on August 7th, where he took the loss, giving up four earned runs in five innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts.
Jose Ramirez has been one of the league’s top power threats this season, as his 31 homers are the best on the team and 3rd best in the MLB. He is also 2nd in the league with 97 RBIs. Ramirez comes into the game with two homers in his past five games but is batting just .238 over that stretch. Josh Naylor is also near the top of the MLB home run leaderboards, as his 26 homers are 7th best in the league. Naylor has also gone deep in two of his past four games.
As a team, the Guardians are averaging 4.6 runs per game and are 9th in the league in home runs. Overall, they are batting just .240 and have a collective on-base percentage of .310. Cleveland’s offense has been good at avoiding strikeouts this season, as they have the 4th fewest strikeouts in the league.