While the Guardians (69-49) are trying to hold on to their division lead after going 3-7 over their last 10, the Cubs (59-60) are trying to get back to .500 and claw their way to the last wild card spot in the NL, currently sitting 3 GB. Cleveland and Chicago begin a 3-game interleague series on Monday at Progressive Field with the Cubs being a road favorite in the opener.
Before Betting on August 12 Cubs vs Guardians
Chicago looked dead in the water a month ago, but they’ve gone 8-2 over their last 10 to reinvigorate their playoff hopes. The Cubs have won four of their last five series’ and they already had a top 3 pitching staff in the majors (3.73 ERA) but now the bats are coming around scoring 5.9 runs/game over their last 10.
The Cubs are favored Monday due to having their ace Shota Imanaga (9-2, 3.06 ERA) on the hill. Chicago has won four of his last five starts and he’s allowed 2 ER or less in four of his last six outings. Imanaga has actually been slightly better on the road (2.75 ERA) than he has at Wrigley Field (3.30) in 2024.
The Cleveland offense will have their hands full with Imanaga, but they did snap their 7-game losing streak with consecutive wins over the Twins this weekend. Minnesota had gotten with 1.5 games of the division lead, so the Guardians gave themselves a little padding (3.5 games) with those victories.
Ben Lively (10-7, 3.59) is up in the rotation for Cleveland looking for more consistency in his third start of the month. Lively gave up 2 ER over 6.0 IP on August 1st in a win over Baltimore but most recently allowed 4 ER over 5.0 IP in a loss to Arizona, both games at home.
Chicago vs Cleveland Offshore Betting Odds
| Offshore Sportsbook | Moneyline | Total | Point Spread |
|---|---|---|---|
| BetOnline | CUBS (1.85) | CLE (2.08) | 8 | CUBS -1.5 (2.41) | CLE +1.5 (1.62) |
| MyBookie | CUBS (1.84) | CLE (2.01) | 8 | CUBS -1.5 (2.40) | CLE +1.5 (1.62) |
| SportsBetting.ag | CUBS (1.85) | CLE (2.08) | 8 | CUBS -1.5 (2.41) | CLE +1.5 (1.62) |
| XBet | CUBS (1.84) | CLE (2.01) | 8 | CUBS -1.5 (2.40) | CLE +1.5 (1.62) |
August 12 Cubs vs Guardians Prediction & Pick
Cleveland is 35-20 at home this season so they have some solid value in this spot, but the Guardians hitters have a difficult job in their first outing against the electric Imanaga.
Pick: Cubs ML
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