Chicago Cubs vs Cleveland Guardians Prediction, 4/3/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Chicago Cubs vs Cleveland Guardians

Date: Friday, April 3, 2026

Location: Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH

TV: MLB.TV

Odds/Point Spread: Chicago (+162) Cleveland (-196)

The Cleveland Guardians (4-3) will play the Chicago Cubs (3-3) at Progressive Field on Friday. The moneyline on this game has the Cubs at +162 while the Guardians are sitting at -196. The betting total is set at 8.5. The expected starting pitchers will be Cade Horton and Joey Cantillo.

Chicago is slugging .356 and have struck out 49 times, while taking a walk on 30 occasions. They have 28 RBI's and 44 hits this year, while their batting average is sitting at .227. The Cubs have recorded 7 doubles as a unit and have knocked 6 baseballs out of the park. They have earned 30 runs scored while holding a team on-base percentage of .326. As a unit, the Chicago Cubs are putting up 5.0 runs per game, which has them sitting at 6th in baseball.

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The Cubs are sitting with a team earned run average of 3.50 on the campaign (8th in the league), and their staff has struck out 61 hitters. Cubs pitchers have given up 7 long balls in addition to 24 total runs (9th in the league). Their pitching staff has walked 19 opposing batters and their FIP comes in at 3.76 as a squad for the season. Chicago has given up 40 hits (6.7 per 9 innings) as well as 21 earned runs. They have accumulated a K/BB ratio of 3.21 and their pitching staff sits with a WHIP of 1.09.

The relief pitchers have inherited 10 runners this year and 40.0% of those players ended up crossing the plate. Cubs pitchers have entered the contest with players on base 6 times and also have had 2 appearances in high leverage situations. The Cubs have dispatched 17 relief pitchers to the mound for the year. The relievers have accumulated no holds on the campaign (29th in baseball).

The Cubs have transformed 73.0% of baseballs in play into outs out of their 486 innings on the diamond, which has them sitting 6th in professional baseball. The Boston Red Sox have accumulated 162 putouts on the year, in addition to 56 assists and 2 errors. Their fielding percentage sits at .991 which puts them in 10th in baseball, and have a total of 5 double plays.

Horton has thrown 124 innings and has accounted for 101 punch outs so far in his MLB career. His earned run average is 2.68 (37 earned runs allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.072. He has surrendered 99 base knocks (7.2 hits per 9 innings) and has 34 free passes. Horton (12-4 career win-loss mark) sits with a FIP of 2.64 while he has faced 498 opposing batters during his time in the major leagues.

Cleveland has tallied 6 home runs so far this season to go along with 20 RBIs. They have hit 12 doubles, while taking a walk 20 times as well as scoring 22 runs. The Cleveland Guardians have an on-base percentage of .273 and a team batting average of .189 for the year. The Guardians hold a slugging percentage of .322 and they are earning 3.14 runs per contest (26th in baseball). They have struck out on 70 instances (5th in the league) and have a total of 43 hits.

The Guardians have a WHIP of 1.279 with a FIP of 4.38 as a unit this year. They are sitting at 23rd in baseball as a staff in total hits given up with 51. The Cleveland pitching staff have surrendered 29 runs this season while having an ERA of 3.98 (27 earned runs conceded). Their K/BB ratio comes in at 10.80 (73 strikeouts against 27 free passes). They have conceded 10 home runs and they concede 4.28 runs per 9 innings (12th in MLB).

Their relievers have stepped onto the mound 6 times in high leverage situations in addition to 7 occasions with base runners. They are ranked 15th in MLB with a save percentage of 66.7%, and they have dispatched 22 bullpen pitchers to the mound over the course of the season.

In 549 innings played, the Guardians have a defensive efficiency of 71.0% (15th in pro baseball). The Cleveland Guardians have gotten 7 double plays and own a fielding percentage of .996 (4th in professional baseball). The Guardians have 45 assists, 1 error and have accumulated 183 putouts this season.

Cantillo (7-7 mark in his career) has a 3.74 earned run average while surrendering 7.7 hits per nine innings. He has a K/BB ratio of 2.62 and he has gone up against 582 hitters during his career. He has given up a total of 57 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.290 and having a FIP of 3.7. In his MLB career, Cantillo has allowed 117 base hits while he has tallied 157 strikeouts in 137 innings.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Cleveland (-196)

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