Chicago Cubs vs Cleveland Guardians – Series Preview (July 1-3): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
The Cubs (49-35) dropped two of three to the Astros this weekend to finish up the month of June with a 13-13 record. The Brewers and Cardinals have been playing well and are closing the gap in the National League Central. Chicago now returns home to Wrigley Field for a six-game home stand beginning with three against the Guardians starting Tuesday.
Cleveland (40-42) has been struggling a bit in 2025 after winning the American League Central last season and currently sits a whopping 11.5 games behind Detroit for first place. The pitching has taken a step back from 2024 when they had the best bullpen in baseball. The overall team ERA sits at 4.03, which is 19th best in MLB.
Guardians ace Tanner Bibee has not been as dominant as his first two seasons with a 3.90 ERA in 94.2 innings. Closer Emmanuel Clase had his inevitable regression after posting a 0.61 ERA and saving 47 games in 2024, but is still effective with a 3.28 ERA and 18 saves.
Cleveland’s offense was a weak spot last season and has not improved at all so far this year. The squad has an OPS of .664 that ranks 26th in MLB. The biggest threat in the lineup by far remains slugging third baseman José Ramirez, who leads the team in nearly every offensive category with 13 homers and a .871 OPS.
Steven Kwan is still a very effective leadoff hitter with a high-contact, speed-driven approach. Young Kyle Manzardo has some power, but the Guards lineup is not very intimidating. This is decidedly not a team built to win many slugfests.
The Cubs have not been playing their best of late, though it’s not like they have been a disaster. This is a very talented group and they are capable of being one of the best teams in baseball. They have a chance against a struggling opponent to get rolling again, and it would be nice to grab a series victory.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Tuesday, July 1 at 7:05pm CT on TBS and Marquee.
- Wednesday, July 2 at 7:05pm CT on ESPN.
- Thursday, July 3 at 7:05pm CT on MLB Network and Marquee.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 7/1 | Matthew Boyd | 34 | L | 2.65 | 7-3 | 3.57 | 3.90 |
| Gavin Williams | 25 | R | 3.68 | 5-3 | 4.62 | 1.78 | |
| 7/2 | Shōta Imanaga | 31 | L | 2.54 | 4-2 | 4.33 | 2.47 |
| Tanner Bibee | 26 | R | 3.90 | 4-8 | 4.33 | 3.15 | |
| 7/3 | Cade Horton | 23 | R | 4.80 | 3-2 | 4.55 | 2.36 |
| Luis Ortiz | 26 | R | 4.36 | 4–9 | 4.13 | 2.29 |
What to Watch For
- Seiya Suzuki had four hits against Houston, including homer number 22 to set a new MLB career high.
- Wednesday’s game is broadcast exclusively on ESPN with no local TV coverage.
- Horton got roughed up for seven earned runs in his start against the Astros.
- Nico Hoerner has suddenly found his power stroke with his first three home runs of the season on the recent road trip.
