Guardians vs Cubs Picks, Odds & Props (June 30)
- The Cubs are -156 home favorites over the Guardians on Friday
- Cal Quantrill (2-4, 5.61) will pitch for the Guardians against Cubs lefty Justin Steele (8-2, 2.62)
- A look at the Guardians vs Cubs odds and matchup can be found below with a prediction
The slumping Chicago Cubs host the Cleveland Guardians at 2:20 p.m. ET Friday in the opener of a three-game series at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs (37-42, 20-20 home) are on a four-game losing streak after falling to the Philadelphia Phillies 3-1 at home on Thursday night. The Guardians (39-41, 19-22 home) lost to the Royals 4-3 in 10 innings on Thursday afternoon in Kansas City.
The game will be televised by MLB Network.
Guardians vs Cubs Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Guardians | +132 | +1.5 (-152) | Over 9 (+100) |
| Chicago Cubs | -156 | -1.5 (+126) | Under 9 (-122) |
The Cubs are -156 moneyline favorites over the Guardians on Friday in the MLB odds, giving them an implied win probability of 60.94%. Cleveland has +6000 World Series odds while Chicago is listed at +12000.
There is a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms, but it is otherwise expected to be sunny in Wrigleyville with a high of 85 and southeast wind at 5 mph.
Odds as of July 29th at FanDuel. Get a FanDuel Sportsbook promo to bet on Cleveland vs Chicago.
Guardians vs Cubs Probable Pitchers
Cal Quantrill (2-4, 5.61) is scheduled to be activated from the injured list to start for the Guardians against left-hander Justin Steele (8-2, 2.62). Quantrill last pitched in the major leagues on May 31. Steele will be working on five days of rest.
Quantrill vs Steele
| 2-4 | Record | 8-2 |
| 5.61 | ERA | 2.62 |
| 5.82 | xERA | 3.14 |
| 1.42 | WHIP | 1.06 |
| 1.70 | SO/W | 3.89 |
Quantrill pitched five scoreless innings for Double-A Akron on Sunday in a rehab start, allowing three hits with three strikeouts and one walk.
In his last four starts before being injured, Quantrill was 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA. He was hammered for eight runs in 4.1 innings in a loss to the Orioles at Baltimore on May 30 in his last major-league start.
Quantrill is 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA against the Cubs in four career appearances (one start).
On the road this season, Quantrill has a 1-1 record and a 5.29 ERA in six starts. He is 2-1 with a 4.15 ERA in day games. Quantrill has five quality starts in 11 outings and the Guardians are 6-5 when he pitches.
Steele is coming off a strong effort Saturday against the St. Louis Cardinals in London. He gave up one run and five hits in six innings for the win while striking out eight and walking one.
American Made: Justin Steele pic.twitter.com/GyOiTk6XlO
— Chief Cub (@ChiefCub) June 24, 2023
Steele, whose NL Cy Young odds are +3000, has won both starts with a 2.45 ERA since coming off the IL with a strained left forearm.
This will be Steele’s first career start against the Guardians. He faced them once in relief in 2021 and worked 0.2 of a scoreless inning.
Steele is 5-1 with a 2.57 ERA in eight starts this season at Wrigley Field and 4-1 with a 2.22 ERA in nine starts in the daytime. Nine of his 14 games have resulted in quality starts but the Cubs are just 8-6 when he takes the mound.
Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers
| Guardians Batters | Batting Average vs Justin Steele |
|---|---|
| Josh Bell | .000 |
| Josh Naylor | .000 |
| Cubs Batters | Batting Average vs Starting Pitcher |
| Nico Hoerner | .667 |
| Cody Bellinger | .333 |
| Yan Gomes | .333 |
| Nick Madrigal | .200 |
| Trey Mancini | .000 |
| Dansby Swanson | .000 |
| Tucker Barnhart | .000 |
| Ian Happ | .000 |
Designated hitter Josh Bell and first baseman Josh Naylor are the only two Guardians hitters to face Steele and struck out in their lone plate appearances. Cubs first baseman Cody Bellinger is 3 for 9 with a double against Quantrill in his career but first baseman/outfielder Trey Mancini is 0 for 6.
Guardians vs Cubs Betting Trends
Jose Ramirez stole home in the top of the 10th on Thursday, but the Royals’ Freddy Fermin walked off the Guardians with a two-run pinch-hit double in the bottom of the inning off closer Emmanuel Clase. Ramirez has +7000 AL MVP odds.
Steven Kwan, Naylor, Bell, Andres Gimenez and Will Brennan each had two hits for the Guardians. Naylor is hitting .398 in his last 26 games.
There is nothing José Ramírez can't do.
This slide is just…#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/xmvQrQ4e2c
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) June 29, 2023
The Guardians recalled right-handed reliever Michael Kelly from Triple-A Columbus before the game, but he did not pitch.
The Cubs got two hits each from Nico Hoerner and Christopher Morel in their loss to the Phillies. Right fielder Seiya Suzuki (stiff neck) missed his second straight game and is questionable for Friday.
Guardians vs Cubs Last 10 Games
| Date | Home Team | Away Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6/22/21 | Cubs | Guardians | CHC, 7-1 |
| 6/21/21 | Cubs | Guardians | CLE, 4-0 |
| 5/12/21 | Guardians | Cubs | CLE, 2-1 |
| 5/11/21 | Guardians | Cubs | CLE, 3-2 |
| 9/16/20 | Cubs | Guardians | CHC, 3-2 |
| 9/15/20 | Cubs | Guardians | CHC, 6-5 |
| 8/12/20 | Guardians | Cubs | CHC, 7-2 |
| 8/11/20 | Guardians | Cubs | CHC, 7-1 |
| 5/23/18 | Cubs | Guardians | CLE, 1-0 |
| 5/22/18 | Cubs | Guardians | CLE, 10-1 |
The teams are playing for the first time since 2021 when the Guardians took three of four from the Cubs. Since 2015, Chicago has a slight 12-11 edge in the series, including winning the World Series in 2016 in seven games.
Guardians vs Cubs Prediction
Steele has shown no rust, pardon the pun, since coming off the IL and is the play here against the weak-hitting Guardians. And for a prop play, let’s give Hoerner a try to hit a single in his first plate appearance at odds of +360.
Picks: Cubs -156 ML; Nico Hoerner to hit a single in his first plate appearance (+360)
Season Record: 32-12 (+17.7 units) ML; 2-2 (0.0 units) RL; 2-1 (+1.0 unit) O/U; 0-1 (-1.0 unit) same-game parlays; 1-2 (+0.0) player props; 36-17 (+17.7 units) overall
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John Perrotto has been covering and writing about sports for various outlets for over 40 years. His work has appeared in the likes of USA TODAY, ESPN.com, SI.com, Forbes.com, The Associated Press, Baseball Digest, and more. John is based out of Beaver Falls, PA.
