The Cubs will be part of their second home opener of 2026, after their own last Thursday, as Friday’s game will be the first 2026 game for the Guardians at Progressive Field.
For more on the Guardians, here’s Quincy Wheeler, manager of the SB Nation Guardians site Covering The Corner.
Hello Cubs fans!
Welcome to Cleveland for our home opening series. Guardians fans are excited to welcome their hometown club back after a very successful opening road trip against the Mariners and Dodgers that has seen
the Guards find a way to a 4-3 record. Some things to monitor as you watch:
* Weather, as always, is the big factor. You are aware of this as residents or observers of the Great Lakes region experiencing April. Both Friday and Saturday have shower and thunderstorm chances late, at the moment. Looks like they should be able to start and possibly finish Friday’s game but Saturday’s may be more questionable. Rain clears out for Sunday – BUT it will be frigid. Such is life, but enough of meteorology for the moment.
* You will see Joey Cantillo, Slade Cecconi and Parker Messick in these three games. Cantillo had an uneven debut for 2026, but he’s a metrics darling. He’s a lefty, but actually has performed better against right-handed hitters than lefties so far. Cecconi flashed new pitch shapes and pitch mixes that had fans excited in Spring Training but he was apparently pretty ill for his first start of 2026. We will see how outing number 2 goes. Finally, Messick just finished dominating the Dodgers so that’s exciting for us. He has a magic changeup, so watch out for that. Metrics don’t love Messick as much as they do the other two, but the lefty’s got a bulldog mentality that seems to do a lot for him.
* It’s been a fitful start for the Guardians’ offense that has yet to see Jose Ramirez, Steven Kwan and Kyle Manzardo (2025’s top hitters) take off. Instead, veteran Rhys Hoskins, rookie Chase DeLauter, and utility man Daniel Schneemann were the early stars. DeLauter’s health is always a topic of conversation here and he fouled a ball off his bad foot a couple days ago, so we will see if we can get him back for Opening Day at Progressive Field. If the Guardians can manage to get SOMETHING from Manzardo, Bo Naylor and their defensive-first middle infielders (Gabriel Arias and Brayan Rocchio), they are a formidable offensive force. However, the cold, the rain and the wind may make scoring runs a challenge for everyone this weekend.
If you’re in Cleveland for the series, welcome! I always park down 4 blocks or so on Carnegie Street and walk a little bit to the games to get cheaper parking (I take my kids and have never felt unsafe doing so). I recommend the Killer Kilbane dog from Happy Dog, but there are a lot of great eating options, or, to save money, pack a soft-side cooler and bring an unopened bottle of water. Finally, the best deal in the ballpark for my money is the kid’s ice cream dish behind home plate. $5 but plenty of ice cream. Enjoy!
Fun facts
The Cubs were 3-1 at Cleveland when it mattered most, in the 2016 World Series, but they are 8-12 there in the regular season, compared to 11-8 at home. The Cubs’ 19-20 overall record is despite having outscored the Guardians by 27 runs, 186-159.
The Cubs have lost five in a row at Cleveland, two in 2021 and three in 2024. They won all three games vs. the Guardians last year at Wrigley Field.
(Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
Probable pitching matchups
Friday: Cade Horton, RHP (1-0, 2.84 ERA, 0.789 WHIP, 4.43 FIP) vs. Joey Cantillo, LHP (0-0, 4.91 ERA, 1.909 WHIP, 2.90 FIP)
Saturday: Shōta Imanaga, LHP (0-1, 7.20 ERA, 1.600 WHIP, 4.17 FIP) vs. Slade Cecconi, RHP (0-1, 12.46 ERA, 2.077 WHIP, 7.32 FIP)
Sunday: Edward Cabrera, RHP (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.333 WHIP, 2.00 FIP) vs. Parker Messick, LHP (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.833 WHIP, 1.50 FIP)
Times & TV channels
Friday: 3:10 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network
Saturday: 6:15 p.m. CT, Fox-TV (regional — coverage map, scroll to the bottom of that link)
Sunday: 12:40 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network
Prediction
I called for two of three in each of the Cubs’ first two series and was right once.
The Guardians are a better team than either the Nationals or Angels. And as noted by John, the Cubs have lost five straight games in Cleveland.
Nevertheless, I persist. The Cubs will win two of three.
Up next
The Cubs travel to Tampa to face the Rays in a three-game series beginning Monday afternoon. The first game of the series is the Rays’ home opener and the first game back at Tropicana Field after its renovation following the damage done there by Hurricane Milton in October 2024.
