The Pittsburgh Pirates (62-71) travel to face off against the Cleveland Guardians (76-58) on Friday, August 30th. This game will be played at Progressive Field in Cleveland and televised on SN PT. The Guardians are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Pirates are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Cubs. First pitch is set for 6:10 CT.

Pirates vs. Guardians Betting Prediction

• Money Line Prediction: Guardians (-169)
• Over/Under Prediction: Over 9 Runs

• The Guardians have won 6 out of their last 9 home games.
• The Guardians have scored an average of 5.2 runs per game in their last 10 home games.
• The Guardians have a 4-2 record in their last 6 games against teams with a losing record.
• The Guardians have a 3-1 record in their last 4 games following a loss.
• The Guardians have outscored their opponents by 10 runs in their last 5 home wins.

Pirates vs Guardians

The Guardians Took The Last Game Of This Series

The Pirates will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Cubs with a 14-10 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a big lead early, scoring five times in the 2nd inning, but the Cubs scored 14 runs over the final seven innings to steal the win from the Pirates. Pittsburgh was the -171 favorite at home going into the game.

Paul Skenes got the start for the Pirates and took the loss. He only lasted five innings, giving up two earned runs, and Pittsburgh’s bullpen was hit hard, allowing another six runs. Bryan Reynolds and Connor Joe each had three hits for the Pirates, with Reynolds going deep and scoring two runs.

As the underdog, Pittsburgh has a 35-47 record this season, and they will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak when they face the Guardians on the road. The Pirates are currently 5th in the NL Central, 15 games behind the Brewers, with a 62-71 overall record.

On the road, the Pirates have a 30-35 record straight up and a 40-25 record against the run line. Their games have averaged 8.8 runs this season, and the over has hit in their last three games. The over/under line for today’s game is set at 9 runs.

Bailey Falter Gets The Start For The Pirates

Pittsburgh is sending left-hander Bailey Falter to the mound today vs. the Guardians. He has made 22 starts this year and has a record of 6-7 with an ERA of 4.25. Falter’s WHIP for the season is 1.26, and he has turned in seven quality starts. In his last outing, he finished with a no-decision, giving up five earned runs in five innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts. One positive for Falter is that he has not allowed a home run in three straight outings. His ERA on the road is 5.1 compared to 4.78 at home.

Pirates Offense Breakdown

Over the past 10 games, Bryan Reynolds has been swinging a hot bat for the Pirates, going 12/40 (.300) with two homers and five RBIs. Overall, he is batting .282 with a team-high 21 homers and 74 RBIs. Reynolds is also on a four-game hitting streak. Oneil Cruz has also been hitting the ball well of late, going 15/37 in his last 10 games.

As a team, the Pirates are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 21st in the MLB. Their team batting average is just 18th in the league, and they are also one of the worst teams in terms of striking out. Overall, they are 23rd in home runs and have a collective on-base percentage of just .303.

The Guardians Are Coming Off A Win

Cleveland closed out their series vs. the Royals with a 7-5 win. Leading up to the game, they were the heavy favorite at -156. It was a big 4th inning that turned things in their favor, as the Guardians scored four runs in the inning. The Royals could only score two runs in the 4th and added another two in the 6th.

Tanner Bibee got the start for the Guardians, going five innings and giving up five earned runs on eight hits. He only had two strikeouts in the outing and took the loss. Bo Naylor had a big game at the plate, going 1/2 with a homer and a run scored. The Guardians also had three other players with two hits.

As the favorite, Cleveland has a 53-29 record straight up, but against the run line, they are 36-46. The Guardians have an over/under record of 8-11-2 when the total is set at 9 runs, and their overall O/U record is 64-61.

The Guardians currently lead the AL Central by 1.5 games with a 76-58 record. They are coming off a series loss to the Royals, where they dropped three of four games.

Ben Lively Gets The Start For The Guardians

Ben Lively will be looking to build off his last outing, where he picked up the win. Against the Rangers on August 24th, he went 6 2/3 innings, giving up just two earned runs. Looking at his overall numbers, Lively has made 23 starts and has a record of 11-8. His ERA for the season is 3.62, along with a WHIP of 1.19. Opposing batters are hitting .225 off the right-hander this year. Lively has made nine quality starts and is averaging 7.25 strikeouts per nine innings. For the season, he has allowed 21 homers and is giving up 2.91 walks per nine innings.

Guardians Offense Breakdown

Heading into today’s game, the Guardians are 13th in the league in scoring, averaging 4.5 runs per contest. At home, they have been even better, putting up 4.9 runs per game. As a team, they are batting just .237, which is 17th in the league, and their collective on-base percentage of .309 is also below the league average. However, they have been good at not striking out, and their team isolated power number is 14th in the league.

Jose Ramirez has been the Guardians’ top power threat this season, as his 33 home runs are 5th in the league. He is also 2nd in the league with 104 RBIs. Ramirez is batting .274 for the season. Josh Naylor is 2nd on the team with 28 homers but has a batting average of just .237. Over his last eight games, Jhonkensy Noel is batting .345 with three homers.

Pirates vs Guardians Prediction

Looking at the money line, we actually have the Guardians taking this one at home, but with a payout of -169, we don’t see the value being there. Instead, we are predicting a final score of 6-5 in favor of the Guardians, and with the over/under sitting at 9 runs, we recommend taking the over.

Looking at today’s starters, Ben Lively is projected to finish with the most earned runs of any starter, and we have him finishing with four strikeouts. As for Bailey Falter, we have him finishing with three K’s and the Pirates picking up nine hits compared to the Guardians with nine.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.