Cleveland Guardians vs Pittsburgh Pirates Picks and Predictions August 31st 2024

From Progressive Field in Cleveland, we have the Pirates and Guardians facing off in an interleague matchup. First pitch for this one is set for 6:10 PM ET, and the Guardians are the heavy favorites on the money line, with their odds sitting at -165. The money line odds for a Pirates win are at +140, and they are 5th in the NL Central, with a record of 62-72.

Cleveland will be looking to keep their two-game winning streak alive, as they are 77-58 and in 1st place in the AL Central. SN PT is carrying this one on TV. Luis L. Ortiz is starting for the Pirates, while the Guardians are going with Matthew Boyd.

Pittsburgh is sending Luis L. Ortiz to the mound today vs. the Guardians, and he comes into the game with a record of 5-4 and an ERA of 3.36. So far this year, he has made 10 starts, 16 of which came on the road. Ortiz’s ERA on the road is 3.66, compared to 3.79 at home. He has given up a total of 12 home runs this year, and opponents are batting .221 off the right-hander. In his last outing, Ortiz finished with a no-decision, going six innings and not giving up a run vs. the Reds. Before that, he had lost two straight starts.

Oneil Cruz has been hot at the plate of late, going 12/26 in his last six games with five RBIs. Bryan Reynolds also has two homers in his last six games while going 8/24 during that stretch. For the season, Reynolds is batting .284 with a team-high 21 homers and 74 RBIs. Cruz has 19 homers and is batting .242.

As a team, the Pirates are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 19th in the league. They have been a below-average home run hitting team and are also near the bottom of the league in terms of their team OPS and slugging percentage. Pittsburgh does have a few players on hitting streaks, including Andrew McCutchen, who has hit safely in seven straight games.

Matthew Boyd is getting the start for the Guardians today, as they are hosting the Pirates. Boyd has started the season with a win and a no-decision, and in his last outing, he went 6 innings and gave up just 1 earned run. He struck out 4 and gave up 3 hits.

Over the past nine games, José Ramírez has gone 10/32 for the Guardians, including one home run and three RBIs. For the season, he is batting .276 with a team-high 33 home runs and 104 RBIs, which is the 2nd most in the MLB. Josh Naylor is also a significant power threat for the Guardians, as he is 8th in the league with 28 homers.

As a team, the Guardians are averaging 4.6 runs per game and have been a better offensive team at home, where they are averaging 5 runs per contest. Overall, they are 12th in home runs and have the 14th best team batting average in the league. Currently, they are 3rd in the league in strikeouts and have the worst team BABIP in the MLB.

Guardians Aim to Continue Winning Ways Against Pirates Despite Josh Naylor Injury Concern

The Cleveland Guardians are focused on keeping their winning streak alive as they continue their three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, they may have to do so without one of their key players, Josh Naylor, who suffered a left ankle injury during Friday’s series opener. His status is now uncertain, putting a bit of a cloud over Cleveland’s recent success.

Naylor’s Impact and Injury Update

Josh Naylor has been a major force for the Guardians, especially in their 10-8 victory over the Pirates on Friday. Naylor was on fire, going 3-for-5 with four RBIs, showing he’s back on track after a rough 2-for-35 slump. Unfortunately, his night took a turn in the eighth inning when he injured his left ankle while running to first base on a run-scoring single. Naylor had to be helped off the field, raising concerns about his availability for the rest of the series.

Despite the scare, Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt offered some encouraging news.

Guardians’ Recent Performance and Key Contributors

The Guardians, currently leading the American League Central, have bounced back from a three-game losing streak against the Kansas City Royals by winning two straight. Friday’s win was powered by rookie Jhonkensy Noel, who continues to make a name for himself with his power hitting. Noel homered again on Friday, making it four in nine games, and has now racked up seven homers and 14 RBIs in his last 15 games.

Cleveland’s offense was firing on all cylinders Friday, racking up 16 hits against a Pirates pitching staff that’s been struggling mightily. Pittsburgh has allowed 51 runs—46 of them earned—and 60 hits during their current four-game losing streak.

Pirates’ Struggles and Bright Spots

The Pirates have hit a rough patch, with Friday’s loss marking their fourth straight defeat. They briefly took a 6-4 lead on Friday after overcoming a 4-0 deficit, but their pitching troubles resurfaced, allowing four runs in the fifth inning that they couldn’t recover from.

Despite the team’s recent woes, a few players are shining. Andrew McCutchen, fresh off the injured list, is batting .333 with four homers and 15 RBIs during a 12-game hitting streak. Oneil Cruz has also been impressive, batting .436 with seven RBIs over his own 10-game hitting streak.

Saturday’s Pitching Matchup

The Guardians will turn to veteran left-hander Matthew Boyd (1-0, 2.70 ERA) for Saturday’s game. Boyd, who signed with Cleveland in late June after recovering from Tommy John surgery, has exceeded expectations in his three starts this season. In his latest outing against the Texas Rangers, Boyd pitched a season-high six innings, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out four in a 4-2 victory.

Boyd’s track record against the Pirates isn’t great—he’s 0-2 with an 8.84 ERA in four career starts against them, all while he was with the Detroit Tigers. However, he hasn’t faced Pittsburgh since 2020.

The Pirates will counter with right-hander Luis Ortiz (5-4, 3.36 ERA), who will make his 10th consecutive start since joining the rotation in early July. Ortiz had a tough stretch with a 6.26 ERA over five starts but bounced back with six scoreless innings against the Cincinnati Reds in his last outing, though he didn’t factor into the decision.

Ortiz has never faced the Guardians in his career, adding an element of the unknown to Saturday’s matchup.

Match Outlook

As the Guardians look to keep pushing toward the postseason, they’ll be hoping to maintain their momentum against a Pirates team struggling both on the mound and at the plate. With Josh Naylor’s status up in the air, Cleveland will lean on contributions from other key players like Jhonkensy Noel and Matthew Boyd. On the other side, the Pirates will need a strong showing from Luis Ortiz and continued production from veterans like Andrew McCutchen and Oneil Cruz to turn their fortunes around.

Our lean for an over/under pick would be to take the over, as we have this as the 3rd lowest-scoring game of the day. For a money line pick, we would be leaning toward the Guardians to come out on top. Matthew Boyd is our 7th ranked starting pitcher in terms of strikeouts, and he has the 5th best earned runs allowed projection on today’s slate. Luis L. Ortiz is 2nd to last among today’s starters in projected strikeouts.