Guardians at Cubs Prediction: Odds, expert picks, starting pitchers, betting trends and stats for July 2
Tanner Bibee is slated to take the mound for Cleveland against Shota Imanaga for Chicago.
The Cubs took the opener in the series by the score of 5-2 last night. Carson Kelly went 2-2 and drove in three runs to pace the offense and Matthew Boyd allowed five hits and two runs over seven innings to earn his eighth win of the season.
Lets dive into tonight's matchup and find a sweat or two.
We've got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.
Game details & how to watch Guardians at Cubs
Date: Wednesday, July 2, 2025
Time: 8:05PM EST
Site: Wrigley Field
City: Chicago, IL
Network/Streaming: CLEG, MARQ, MLBN
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
Odds for the Guardians at the Cubs
The latest odds as of Wednesday:
Moneyline: Guardians (+134), Cubs (-159)
Spread: Cubs -1.5
Total: 9.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Guardians at Cubs
Pitching matchup for July 2, 2025: Tanner Bibee vs. Shota Imanaga
Guardians: Tanner Bibee (4-8, 3.90 ERA)
Last outing: 6/26 vs. Toronto - 6IP, 2ER, 3H, 0BB, 7KsCubs: Shota Imanaga (4-2, 2.54 ERA)
Last outing: 6/26 at St. Louis - 5IP, 0ER, 1H, 1BB, 3Ks
Guardians: Tanner Bibee (4-8, 3.90 ERA)
Last outing: 6/26 vs. Toronto - 6IP, 2ER, 3H, 0BB, 7Ks
Cubs: Shota Imanaga (4-2, 2.54 ERA)
Last outing: 6/26 at St. Louis - 5IP, 0ER, 1H, 1BB, 3Ks
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Guardians at Cubs
The Cubs have won 4 of their last 5 home games against teams with losing records
The Guardians' last 3 against the Cubs have stayed under the Total
The Guardians have failed to cover the Run Line in 8 of their last 10 games
Pete Crow-Armstrong snapped an 0-11 streak with a couple of hits last night
If you're looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions for tonight's game between the Guardians and the Cubs
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Wednesday's game between the Guardians and the Cubs:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Chicago Cubs on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Cleveland Guardians at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the under on the Game Total of 9.0.
Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Already Thin Cubs Rotation Takes Hit With Latest Injury Update
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. July 4, 2025 became a historic afternoon for the Chicago Cubs organization. The team slugged a franchise record eight home runs in its 11-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals, giving the fans plenty of reason to celebrate Independence Day. The game did come at a cost, though, after some bad news surrounding Chicago's starting rotation. Cubs' manager Craig Counsell announced that right-hander Jameson Taillon would miss over a month after suffering a strained calf during a bullpen session on Thursday. HOUSTON, TEXAS - JUNE 29: Jameson Taillon #50 of the Chicago Cubs pitches in the third inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on June 29, 2025 in Houston, Texas. HOUSTON, TEXAS - JUNE 29: Jameson Taillon #50 of the Chicago Cubs pitches in the third inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on June 29, 2025 in Houston, is 7-6 with a 4.44 ERA this season and had a rough month of June on the mound. He made six starts, going 3-3 with a 5.57 ERA across 32 1/3 innings pitched. He allowed seven home runs, eight walks and struck out just 23 batters. It was by far the worst month of the season for Taillon and while his IL stint may be a good individual reset, it comes at an unfortunate time for Chicago. The Cubs rotation as a whole struggled without its ace, Shota Imanaga. Imanaga returned to Chicago in late June and looked very good in his first two starts. Now, just two weeks after Imanaga's return, the Cubs will be without one if its veteran arms for a large chunk of the remainder of the season. 'He's gonna miss a pretty significant amount of time.' Craig Counsell said that Jameson Taillon sustained a calf strain during his bullpen yesterday. — Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) July 4, 2025 The absence of Taillon will presumably present an opportunity for current reliever Chris Flexen. It is expected that Flexen will join the Cubs rotation in Taillon's place and if it goes anything like his season is currently going, Chicago will be in great shape. Flexen is 5-0 with a 0.62 ERA in 16 appearances and 29 innings pitched. He's been a huge reason for Chicago's success this season and will now get a chance to return to his normal starting pitching role. If the trade deadline plays out the way team president Jed Hoyer has said it will, then Flexen will be moving back to the bullpen after Chicago makes a trade for a top-of-the-line starter. The most important thing for the Cubs is that Taillon, a pitcher with postseason appearance, gets healthy for what appears will be Chicago's first trip to the postseason since 2020. More MLB: Braves Announcement Appears to Seal Fate of Yankees Castoff Alex Verdugo
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
Los Angeles suffers worst ever loss at Dodger Stadium as Houston Astros win 18-1
The Los Angeles Dodgers suffered their worst ever loss at Dodger Stadium on Friday night as they were routed 18-1 by the Houston Astros. The last time the Dodgers lost by 17 runs at home was July 3, 1947, when Brooklyn, where the franchise was based until 1958, was on the end of a 19-2 blowout win by the New York Giants at Ebbets Field, according to ESPN. 'That was one you want to flush as soon as possible,' said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts after Friday's game, the first of a three-game series between two division leaders. 'I don't think there were many positives from this night.' Jose Altuve exploded for the Astros, with three hits – two of which were home runs – two walks, four runs and five RBIs. The Venezuelan was booed incessantly by the crowd at Dodger Stadium having been part of the Houston team which beat Los Angeles in the 2017 World Series, after which it emerged that the Astros had been stealing signs. Dodgers starter Ben Casparius struggled in his three innings on the mound, allowing six runs on nine hits, three of them homers. 'I don't think Ben was good tonight. It seemed like they were on everything he threw up there,' said Roberts. 'At the end of the day, he's got to execute better. There might have been 60 throws tonight, and probably only a handful executed where he wanted them to be.' The night got off to the worse possible start for the Dodgers when Isaac Paredes went deep on the very first pitch, but it wasn't until the sixth inning that things got out of hand. The Astros scored 10 runs in that inning, seven of which came of Victor Caratini's grand slam and Altuve's three-run home run, representing the most runs given up in a single inning by the Dodgers this century, per AP. Los Angeles allowed 11 in the third inning of a 12-5 defeat to the St. Louis Cardinals in April 1999. Will Smith's solo shot in the second inning was the only time the Dodgers got on the board on Friday. Elsewhere in MLB, it was a different story for the Chicago Cubs, who hit a franchise record eight home runs – three of which were by Michael Busch – in an 11-3 victory over the Cardinals at Wrigley Field. In Seattle, Cal Raleigh continued his impressive hot streak with two more home runs in the Mariners' 6-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, to take his total for the season to 35 – tying Ken Griffey Jr.'s franchise record for homers before the All-Star break.
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
Los Angeles suffers worst ever loss at Dodger Stadium as Houston Astros win 18-1
The Los Angeles Dodgers suffered their worst ever loss at Dodger Stadium on Friday night as they were routed 18-1 by the Houston Astros. The last time the Dodgers lost by 17 runs at home was July 3, 1947, when Brooklyn, where the franchise was based until 1958, was on the end of a 19-2 blowout win by the New York Giants at Ebbets Field, according to ESPN. 'That was one you want to flush as soon as possible,' said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts after Friday's game, the first of a three-game series between two division leaders. 'I don't think there were many positives from this night.' Jose Altuve exploded for the Astros, with three hits – two of which were home runs – two walks, four runs and five RBIs. The Venezuelan was booed incessantly by the crowd at Dodger Stadium having been part of the Houston team which beat Los Angeles in the 2017 World Series, after which it emerged that the Astros had been stealing signs. Dodgers starter Ben Casparius struggled in his three innings on the mound, allowing six runs on nine hits, three of them homers. 'I don't think Ben was good tonight. It seemed like they were on everything he threw up there,' said Roberts. 'At the end of the day, he's got to execute better. There might have been 60 throws tonight, and probably only a handful executed where he wanted them to be.' The night got off to the worse possible start for the Dodgers when Isaac Paredes went deep on the very first pitch, but it wasn't until the sixth inning that things got out of hand. The Astros scored 10 runs in that inning, seven of which came of Victor Caratini's grand slam and Altuve's three-run home run, representing the most runs given up in a single inning by the Dodgers this century, per AP. Los Angeles allowed 11 in the third inning of a 12-5 defeat to the St. Louis Cardinals in April 1999. Will Smith's solo shot in the second inning was the only time the Dodgers got on the board on Friday. Elsewhere in MLB, it was a different story for the Chicago Cubs, who hit a franchise record eight home runs – three of which were by Michael Busch – in an 11-3 victory over the Cardinals at Wrigley Field. In Seattle, Cal Raleigh continued his impressive hot streak with two more home runs in the Mariners' 6-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, to take his total for the season to 35 – tying Ken Griffey Jr.'s franchise record for homers before the All-Star break.
