The Cleveland Guardians are visiting the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday, July 2^nd at the Wrigley Field in the second game of this series, with the Cubs having the 1-0 lead. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Cleveland Guardians vs Chicago Cubs Prediction. We will examine:
The Chicago Cubs recent form and player performance
The Cleveland Guardians recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Chicago Cubs
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Cleveland Guardians
Recent betting trends in games played between the Cleveland Guardians vs Chicago Cubs
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Cleveland Guardians vs Chicago Cubs game

Chicago Cubs Preview

The Chicago Cubs have a 50-35 record this season and are sitting on the first place of the NL Central. The Cubs have a 26-15 home record and are 42-35 in over/under. They are coming off a 5-2 home victory over the Guardians, and are 4-2 in their last 6 games. Under is 4-2 in their last 6 games, and are playing the Cardinals and the Twins next.

The Cubs have a .257 batting average this season, .326 OBP and .446 Slugging percentage. Chicago’s pitching staff has a 3.84 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. Kyle Tucker leads the Cubs with 92 hits while Nico Hoerner is the team’s best hitter with a .290 batting average. Seiya Suzuki leads the team in RBI, with 70, adding a team-high 23 home runs.

Shota Imanaga (L) is the projected starting pitcher for the Cubs, and he has a 4-2 record, 2.54 ERA and 1.03 WHIP.

Cleveland Guardians Preview

The Cleveland Guardians have a 40-43 record this season and are sitting on the second place of the AL Central. The Guardians have a 20-23 road record and are 36-44 in over/under. They are coming off a 2-5 road defeat by the Cubs, and have five consecutive losses. Under is 8-3 in their last 11 games and are playing the Tigers and the Astros next.

The Guardians have a .225 batting average this season, .297 OBP and .364 Slugging percentage. Cleveland’s pitching staff has a 4.05 ERA and 1.38 WHIP. Jose Ramirez leads the Guardians with 92 hits and a team-high .305 batting average, while leading the team in home runs, with 13. He also leads the team in RBI, with 38.

Tanner Bibee (R) is the projected starting pitcher for the Guardians, and he has a 4-8 record, 3.90 ERA and 1.18 WHIP.

Why the Chicago Cubs will win

The Cubs have won each of their last six games against American League opponents that held a losing record.
The Guardians have lost each of their last six night games against NL Central opponents.
The Guardians have failed to cover the run line each of their last seven games against teams that held a winning record.
The Cubs have covered the run line in each of their last six games as favorites against AL Central opponents.
The Cubs have led after 5 innings in each of their last five home night games.
The Cubs have won the first inning in four of their last five games as favorites against American League opponents.
The Cubs have led after 3 innings in each of their last seven games as favorites against American League opponents.

Why the Cleveland Guardians will win

The Cubs have lost each of their last three games as favorites against the Guardians following a win.
The Guardians have won each of their last five Wednesday games as underdogs.
The Cubs have failed to cover the run line in eight of their last nine night games against AL Central opponents following a win.
The road team has covered the run line in eight of the Guardians’ last nine games.
The Guardians have won the first inning in each of their last five Wednesday games against opponents that held a winning record.
The Guardians have led after 3 innings in each of their last five Wednesday games against opponents that held a winning record.

Total Runs Facts

Each of the Guardians’ last eight road games have gone UNDER the total runs line.
Each of the Cubs’ last four games against AL Central opponents have gone UNDER the total runs line.
The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the last 11 games between the Guardians and Cubs.
The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Guardians’ last six games as road underdogs against NL Central opponents.

Matchup/League Facts

The Cubs rank 2nd in the league for runs scored this season (458).
The Cubs rank 2nd in the league for hits this season (755).
The Guardians rank 30th in the league for hits this season (608).
The Guardians rank T29th in the league for doubles this season (115).

Cleveland Guardians vs Chicago Cubs Prediction

The Guardians are 8-3 in their last 11 overall meetings against the Cubs, but both teams are tied 3-3 wins in their last 6 meetings in Chicago. Under is 8-3 in their last 11 meetings.   
In this Cleveland Guardians vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, the Cubs are coming as -155 home favorites. The Cubs are rightfully favored, as theyhave a better overall record, and have been strong at home, while the Guardians are below average on the road. Chicago has the pitching advantage, as Imanaga has been excellent this season and return from his injury with a shutout against the Cardinals, while Bibee is 1-4 in his last 5 starts, and has 2+ earned runs in each of those starts. The Cubs have a better bullpen and the second-best offense in the league, and are even better against right-handed pitching, with 5.7 runs per game, while the Guardians struggling against lefties, with just .219 batting average and 3.2 runs per game. Take the Cubs at home for another win.

Nikos Lagouretos's Pick: Chicago Cubs -155