The Chicago Cubs begin a short road trip as they take on the Cleveland Guardians Tuesday night. Below we will continue our MLB odds series with a Cubs-Guardians prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.
Cubs-Guardians Projected Starters
Javier Assad vs. Matthew Boyd
Javier Assad (5-3) with a 3.24 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 102.2 innings pitched, 90K/47BB, .241 oBA
Last Start: vs. Minnesota Twins: No Decision, 4 innings, 3 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, 1 strikeouts
2024 Road Splits: 10 starts, 4.17 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 49.2 innings pitched, 49K/17BB, .257 oBA
Matthew Boyd is making his first start of the 2024 season.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Cubs-Guardians Odds
Chicago Cubs: +1.5 (-184)
Moneyline: +116
Cleveland Guardians: -1.5 (+152)
Moneyline: -136
Over: 8.5 (-115)
Under: 8.5 (-105)
How to Watch Cubs vs. Guardians
Time: 6:40 PM ET/3:40 PM PT
TV: Marquee Sports Network, Bally Sports Great Lakes
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Cubs Will Cover The Spread/Win
Assad is having a pretty good season. He does a great job keeping hitters off balance. Assad allows an average exit velocity of 88.5MPH, and his hard hit percentage is in the 64th percentile in the MLB. The Guardians do not swing the bat particularly well. They bat .240 as a team, and their power numbers are just middle of the pack. Assad should be able to keep the Guardians in check in this game, and lead the Cubs to a win.
Chicago is hitting the ball better lately. In August, the Cubs are batting .270, they have an OPS of .802, and in the first nine games, the Cubs have hit 14 home runs. Their recent offensive outburst is the reason for their place in the standings. If the Cubs can continue to hit as they have been in August, they should be able to win this game.
Why The Guardians Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Guardians need to stay patient at the plate. Assad has had a tendency to be a little wild with his command lately, and his pitch counts have run way up. In his last five starts, Assad has 14 walks, and he has exceeded four innings in just one of those starts. Cleveland should be able to take their walks in this game, and cause Assad to run his pitch count up once again. If they can force a few walks, the Guardians will be able to push some runs across.
Boyd is making his 2024 season debut. He usually does a pretty good job, he has just been beat up by injuries. Boyd was tearing it up in the minors this season. He made five starts, struck out 27 in 21.2 innings, allowed just two earned runs on 12 hits, and that was across three levels. The Guardians are hoping that success carries over to the MLB Tuesday night. If it does, the Guardians will win this game.
Final Cubs-Guardians Prediction & Pick
If Boyd carries his minor league success to the MLB, the Guardians are going to have just another arm to bolster the rotation. That would also make this game a good pitching matchup. As for a winner, I like the Guardians to win this one straight up. Javier Assad has not been going deep into games, and that will eventually start to hurt the Cubs. I will take the Guardians moneyline Tuesday night.
Final Cubs-Guardians Prediction & Pick: Guardians ML (-136)
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