Subscribe
Follow Us
It is interleague baseball on Labor Day weekend as the Pittsburgh Pirates face the Cleveland Guardians. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Pirates-Guardians prediction and pick.
Pirates-Guardians Projected Starters
Bailey Falter vs. Ben Lively
Bailey Falter (6-7) with a 4.25 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP
Last Start: Falter went five innings, giving up six hits, a home run, and two walks. He would surrender five runs, but take the no-decision against the Reds.
2024 Road Splits: Falter is 3-4 on the road in 11 starts this year. He has a 4.42 ERA and a .257 opponent batting average.
Ben Lively (11-8) with a 3.62 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP
Last Start: Lively went 6.2 innings giving up five hits and a walk. HE would surrender three runs, with two earned as he took the win over the Rangers.
2024 Home Splits:
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Pirates-Guardians Odds
Pittsburgh Pirates: +1.5 (-156)
Moneyline: +136
Cleveland Guardians: -1.5 (+130)
Moneyline: -162
Over: 8.5 (-118)
Under: 8.5 (-104)
How to Watch Pirates vs. Guardians
Time: 7:10 PM ET/ 4:10 PM PT
TV: SNP/BSGL
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why The Pirates Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Pirates are 22nd in the majors in runs scored while sitting 23rd in batting average, 25th in on-base percentage, and 25th in slugging. Bryan Reynolds leads the way. He is hitting .282 this year with a .347 on-base percentage. He has 21 home runs and 74 RBIs. Further, he has scored 62 times this year. Oneil Cruz has also been solid this year. He has a .273 batting average and a .330 on-base percentage on the year. Cruz has 18 home runs, 65 RBIs, and 60 runs scored. Rowdy Tellez rounds out the top bats on the year. He is hitting .253 this year with 11 home runs, 46 RBIs, and 36 runs scored.
Bryan De La Cruz has been great in the last week. He is hitting .318 this week with a home run, eight RBIs, and five runs scored. Bryan Reynolds has also been solid. HE is hitting .321 in the last week with two home runs and five RBIs. Further, he has scored seven times. Rounding out the top bats in the last week with Rowdy Tellez. He is hitting .364 in the last week with a home run, four RBIs, and three runs scored. The Pirates are hitting .277 in the last week with 42 runs scored in six games.
Three members of the Pirates have career at-bats against Ben Lively. Bryan De La Cruz is 0-2 while Rowdy Tellez is one for three. Isiah Kiner-Falefa is one for four, but the one hit is a solo home run.
Why The Guardians Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Guardians sit 12th in the majors in runs while sitting 22nd in batting average, 18th in on-base percentage, and 17th in slugging. Jose Ramirez leads the way. He is hitting .274 this year with a .332 on-base percentage. Ramirez has 33 home runs this year, plus 104 RBIs. Further, he has stolen 32 bases and scored 96 times. Josh Naylor is also having a stellar year. He is hitting .237 on the year with a .319 on-base percentage. He has 28 home runs, 94 RBIs, and 72 runs scored. Steven Kwan has been one of the most consistent bats in the lineup. He is hitting .301 this year with a .364 on-base percentage. He has 13 home runs, six RBIs, and has scored 75 times on the year.
Jhonkensy Noel is coming into the game hot. He is hitting .300 in the last week with a .417 on-base percentage. He has two home runs, five RBIs, and seven runs scored in the last week. Daniel Schneedmann is also having a solid week. He is hitting .421 in the last week with a home run, three RBIs, and a run scored. Rounding out the top production is Josh Naylor. He is hitting just .179 in the last week but has a .324 on-base percentage. Naylor has a home run, five RBIs, and three runs scored. the Guardians have hit just .229 in the last week, but have scored 35 runs in the last eight games.
Only one member of the Guardians has career at-bats against Bailey Falter. That is Lane Thomas, who is 0-8 with a walk.
Final Pirates-Guardians Prediction & Pick
Bailey Falter has struggled as of late. In his last three starts, he has given up 11 runs in 14.2 innings of work. Further, he has 26 base runners in that time. Ben Lively has been consistently average. He has not given up more than four runs in any of his last eight starts while giving up less than three in six of them. Still, the Pirates are scoring six runs per game right now. The Guardians are scoring just four runs per game. With two pitchers on the mound that should give up runs, the best play in this one is on the total. Take the over.
Final Pirates-Guardians Prediction & Pick: Over 8.5 (-118)
