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!