Chicago Cubs vs Cleveland Guardians Picks and Prediction for Saturday, April 4, 2026

The early portion of the MLB season continues with a great weekend clash on Saturday, April 4. Read our Chicago Cubs vs Cleveland Guardians prediction along with our other Free MLB Picks on the night. The Cubs are set to start Shota Imanaga in this game. Imanaga struggled in his first outing of the season against the Nationals. The Guardians turn to Slade Cecconi, who also didn’t pitch to his potential against the Mariners. These two teams will meet with first pitch set for 7:15 P.M. EST.

Chicago to start Imanaga after poor first outing

Chicago enters this series against Cleveland with a 3-3 record. The Cubs opened the season by losing two of three games to the Nationals. They followed it by winning two of three games against the Angeles. This is Chicago’s first road stint of the season.

On Saturday, Shota Imanaga gets the start for the Cubs. The left-handed pitcher is 0-1 through one start this year. Imanaga pitched five innings and allowed four earned runs and six hits in a 6-3 loss to the Nationals last week. Last year, Imanaga ended his year with a 3.73 ERA in 25 starts. He held a 3.44 ERA in 13 road games, while he also held a 4.93 ERA in seven games against American League clubs.

Through the first six games of the season, the Cubs are hitting .232, which ranks 12th in the league. They have scored the ninth-most runs, but they do rank 21st in hits. Last year, Chicago scored the fifth-most runs in the league, while hitting .249, placing them 13th.

Cleveland starts season well on the road

Coming into this series against Chicago, the Guardians are 4-3 against some stiff competition. The Guardians opened the season splitting a four-game set with the Mariners. Cleveland followed it by winning two of three games against the defending-champions in the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Slade Cecconi gets the nod for the Guardians on Saturday. The right-handed pitcher lost his opening start against the Mariners. He threw 4.1 innings, as he allowed six runs and six hits in an 8-0 loss. Last year, Cecconi finished with a 4.30 ERA in 23 starts for Cleveland. He held a 4.78 ERA in 12 starts at home, while he also finished with a 4.82 ERA in seven starts against the National League.

The Guardians are hitting .189, which ranks third-worst, through the first seven games of the year. Cleveland ranks 24th in runs scored, but they do have the fifth-most doubles to begin the season. Last year, the Guardians offense really struggled hitting .226, which was the second-worst mark. Even though they made the playoffs, Cleveland scored the third-fewest runs.

Chicago Cubs vs Cleveland Guardians Picks

Cubs vs Guardians Spread Pick

• Take the Guardians to cover (5 units)

This is the first weekend of baseball in Cleveland. The Guardians have been on the road in the first week, fans should be buzzing to fill up the stadium this weekend. Behind a home crowd, the Guardians will be confident after a strong week taking two wins off of the Dodgers. Cleveland’s batters should find form especially against a left-handed pitcher. Cleveland's offense hasn’t really erupted yet, but this is a good chance for a big outing. The Guardians pitching can sling it, if starting pitcher Slade Cecconi can end his outing unscathed.

Take Cleveland to cover.

Cubs vs Guardians Over/Under Pick

• Take the over (5 units) 

The Guardians and Cubs are both starting pitchers that really struggled in their first game. Both starters allowed at least four runs in their opening day start. Both pitchers did not play well against opposing league batters, too. This should be a high-scoring game against two pitching staffs that haven’t started the season on the mark consistently.

Take the over.