The Cleveland Guardians figured to have a tough time hitting the ball in their Saturday afternoon game against the Pirates in Pittsburgh. The home team had ace pitcher Paul Skenes on the mound, and that meant that runs were likely to be at a premium.

That is just how the game played out. Skenes pitched 7.0 innings for the Pirates and he game up two runs and six hits for another quality start. Unfortunately for the Pirates, Ben Lively and four additional Cleveland pitchers blanked the Pirates. Cleveland came away with a 3-0 victory at PNC Park.

In addition to getting the best of Skenes on the scoreboard, Guardians designated hitter Kyle Manzardo accomplished something that no other Cleveland hitter had done previously. He belted a seventh-inning home run off of Skenes and the long ball was not a cheap one. Instead, the left-handed power hitter drove the ball into the Allegheny River well past the right field stands.

No Cleveland hitter had ever hit the ball into the water in any of the team's games in Pittsburgh. Manzardo became the 51st batter in the history of PNC Park to hit the ball into the Allegheny.

Guardians able to continue solid April run

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) delivers a pitch against the Cleveland Guardians during the first inning at PNC Park.
Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Guardians dropped the last two game of a three-game series with the Baltimore Oriole, but they appear to have gotten themselves on track against the Pirates. They registered a 10-7 victory over Pittsburgh Friday night and picked up their second consecutive win over the Bucs thanks in large part to Manzardo's notable blast. The Guardians are 8-3 in their last 11 games.

The Guardians got on the board in the top of the third inning when second baseman Daniel Schneeman led off the inning with a double. He would score on a one-out base hit by Steven Kwan. After Manzardo's blast in the seventh inning, the Guardians added to their lead when Jose Ramirez delivered a sacrifice fly.

Lively was razor sharp in his 5.1 innings of work for the Guardians. He allowed just four hits while walking one and striking out three batters. Emmanuel Clase picked up his fourth save of the year by closing out the Pirates in the final inning.