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It is the start of a weekend interleague series as the Cleveland Guardians visit the Pittsburgh Pirates. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Guardians-Pirates prediction and pick.
The Guardians enter Thursday sitting at 9-8 on the year, which places them in second in the AL Central. They have split the first two games of a series on the road in Baltimore, and the Guardians and Orioles will play game three of the series on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Pirates enter Thursday at 7-12 on the year, which is last place in the NL Central. The Pirates have taken two of the first three with the Nationals. The Nationals and Pirates will play game four of the series on Thursday afternoon.
Guardians-Pirates Projected Starters
Luis Ortiz vs. Carmen Mlodzinski
Luis Ortiz (1-2) with a 6.06 ERA and 1.41 WHIP
Last Start: Ortiz went 5.2 innings, giving up one hit, two walks, and a home run. He would strike out ten batters and give up just one run in a winning effort over the Royals.
Away Splits: Ortiz is 0-2 on the road this year with an 8.44 ERA and a .348 opponent batting average.
Carmen Mlodzinski (1-2) with a 6.23 ERA and a 1.77 WHIP.
Last Start: Mlodzinski went 4.1 innings, giving up five hits and two walks. He would strike out four, but also give up four runs in a loss to the Reds.
Home Splits: Mlodzinski is 1-0 at home with a 1.80 ERA and a .250 opponent batting average.
Here are the Guardians-Pirates MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Guardians-Pirates Odds
Cleveland Guardians: -1.5 (+136)
Moneyline: -124
Pittsburgh Pirates: +1.5 (-164)
Moneyline: +106
Over: 8.5 (-122)
Under: 8.5 (+100)
How to Watch Guardians vs. Pirates
Time: 6:40 PM ET/ 3:40 PM PT
TV: CLEG/SNP
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why The Guardians Will Cover The Spread/Win
Steven Kwan has led the way for the Guardians this year. He is hitting .313 with a .370 OBP. He has a double, three home runs, 11 RBIs, a stolen base, and 12 runs scored. Also, having a productive year is Kyle Manzardo. Manzardo is not hitting well, hitting just .185, but has a .313 OBP with a double, a triple, four home runs, 11 RBIs, and eight runs scored. Further, Jose Ramirez continues to play well. He is hitting .268 with a .333 OBP. Ramirez has three doubles, four home runs, eight RBIs, a stolen base, and six runs scored.
Further, Gabriel Arias is having a solid year. He is hitting .288 with a .356 OBP. Arias has a double, four home runs, eight RBIs, and eight runs scored. Finally, Carlos Santana is hitting .262 with a .329 OBP. He has two doubles, two home runs, five RBIs, and nine runs scored this year.
Why The Pirates Will Cover The Spread/Win
Oneil Cruz leads the way for the Pirates this year. He is hitting just .222 but has a .343 OBP. Cruz has two doubles, three home runs, nine RBIs, eight stolen bases, and eight runs scored. Also being productive is Bryan Reynolds. He is not hitting great, hitting just .203, but has a .268 OBP with four doubles, two home runs, eight RBIs, a stolen base, and seven runs scored.
Meanwhile, Ke'Bryan Hayes has also been productive while not hitting great. He is hitting just .203 but with a .282 OBP. Hayes has a double, a triple, a home run, eight RBIs, and eight runs scored. Isaiah Kiner-Falefa has been scoring runs this year, scoring seven times already. He is hitting .267 with a .333 OBP while also having a double, a triple, and five RBIs. Further, he has stolen four bases this year. Finally, Adam Fraizer is hitting just .192 with a .232 OBP, but he has a home run, six RBIs, and four runs scored.
Final Guardians-Pirates Prediction & Pick
Luis Ortiz has struggled this year, especially on the road. His only solid start of the year was at home. Further, Ortiz currently has a 4.66 FIP and a 66 ERA+, the worst of his career. Current Pirates have just 12 at-bats against Ortiz, with just four batters facing Ortiz before. Tommy Pham is the only one with a hit, going 2-5 with a walk and two RBIs. Carmen Mlodzinski has not been great either, but while he has an ERA+ of 61, he has a FIP of 2.24, showing he is not pitching as badly as his current numbers show. Current members of the Guardians have just eight at-bats against Mlodzinski, with three hits. Jhonkensy Noel has a home run and two RBIs against Mlodzinski. Still, he has pitched well at home and has been the better pitcher this year. The Guardians have hit better, but do not have much better run production. With the better pitching option, take the Pirates in this one.
Final Guardians-Pirates Prediction & Pick: Pirates ML (+106)
