Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cleveland Guardians Betting Pick & Prediction 8/30/24

The Guardians come into this one with a record of 76-58, and they are starting Ben Lively. The Pirates are starting Bailey Falter and are looking to snap a three-game losing streak. They are +142 on the money line, while the Guardians are the heavy favorite at -169. This interleague matchup is set for 7:10 PM ET from Progressive Field in Cleveland.

SN PT will be televising Friday’s matchup, and the over/under line is currently at 9 runs. The Guardians are in first place in the AL Central, while the Pirates are 5th in the NL Central.

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS VS PITTSBURGH PIRATES BETTING PICK

The Pick: Cleveland Guardians Moneyline -169

This game will be played at Progressive Field at 7:10 ET on Friday, August 30th.

HOW TO BET THE PIRATES VS GUARDIANS:

• We have the Guardians winning by a score of 6 to 5
• However, if you’re looking for a run line pick, we like the Pirates to cover
• As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 11 runs and like the over

Pirates Records & Stats

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 stormed back with a big 14-run 3rd. 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 14 earned runs. Bryan Reynolds and Connor Joe each had three hits for the Pirates, with Reynolds going deep.

Pittsburgh is on the road today, taking on the Guardians, having dropped three straight games. The Pirates are 62-71 overall, and they trail the Brewers by 15 games in the NL Central. So far, they are 20-19 in divisional games.

At home, the Pirates are 32-36 this year, and they are just below .500 at 30-35 on the road. As the underdog, Pittsburgh is 35-47 this season, compared to 27-24 when favored. The Pirates’ overall series record is 18-20-5, and they were swept in their most recent series vs. the Cubs.

When the Pirates are on the road, they are 40-25 against the run line, and they have covered in three straight games. Their average run margin on the road is -0.1, and they are 55-27 against the run line as the underdog.

The Pirates are on the road today against the Cleveland Guardians, and the over/under line for the game is set at 9 runs. Pittsburgh’s games have averaged 8.8 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 65-66. When the over/under line is set at 9 runs, their record is 4-9-1. This season, only 5.3% of their games have had over/under lines set at 9 runs or higher, and their games have gone over the total in each of their last three contests.

Bailey Falter gets the start for the Pirates today and comes in with a record of 6-7 and ERA of 4.25. So far this season, he has made 22 starts and seven of them have been quality starts. Falter’s ERA on the road is 5.1, and he has a record of 3-4 away from home. 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. The left-hander’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.26.

So far this season, the Pirates are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 21st in the MLB. This is a team that has been better at home, averaging 4.3 runs per game, compared to just 4.1 runs per game on the road. As a team, they are batting just .236 and are near the bottom of the league in terms of home runs.

Oneil Cruz has been swinging a hot bat for the Pirates of late, going 15/37 in his last 10 games. Bryan Reynolds has also been hot, batting .300 over his last 10 games and is currently on a four-game hitting streak. Reynolds is the team’s leader in batting average (.282) and RBIs (74), while also leading the team with 21 homers. Bryan De La Cruz is 2nd on the team in homers, with 19, but is batting just .243 for the season.

Guardians Records & Stats

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 Cleveland’s bullpen was able to close things out. Emmanuel Clase picked up the save, and the Guardians’ offense scored their other three runs in the 7th.

Tanner Bibee got the start for the Guardians, going five innings and giving up five earned runs on eight hits. Bo Naylor had only one hit, but it was a home run, and Josh Naylor had a good day at the plate, going 3/5 with two RBIs.

Cleveland will host the Pirates today with an overall record of 76-58, good for 1st place in the AL Central. Currently, they hold a 1.5-game lead over the Royals in the division. The Guardians are coming off a series loss to the Royals and have gone just 4-6 across their last ten games.

For the season, the Guardians have gone 22-20 in divisional games and are 41-24 at home, compared to 35-34 on the road. As the favorite, Cleveland has put together a mark of 53-29 and are 36-17 as the favorite at home this season. So far, their overall series record is 24-14-5.

When the Guardians win, they do so by an average of 3.3 runs per game, but when they lose, they lose by an average of 3.2 runs per game. Their run line record is 66-68, and they are 31-34 against the run line at home. As the favorite, they are 36-46 against the run line, while as the underdog, they are 30-22.

The Cleveland Guardians have an Over/Under record of 64-61 this season, with an average of 8.6 runs scored per game. Their games have had an average Over/Under line of 8 runs, but when the line is set at 9 runs, their record is 8-11-2. Only 4.5% of their games have had lines set at 9 runs or higher, with the majority of their games (79.9%) having lower lines.

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 Lively this season. The right-hander has turned in nine quality starts and is averaging 7.25 strikeouts per nine innings. For the year, he has allowed 21 homers and is averaging 2.91 walks per nine innings.

Heading into today’s game, the Guardians are 13th in the league in scoring, averaging 4.5 runs per contest. However, they have been a better offensive team at home this season, averaging 4.9 runs per game. As a team, they are batting just .237, which is 17th in the MLB, and have the league’s worst BABIP. Cleveland’s offense has been led by José Ramírez, who is 2nd in the league with 104 RBIs and has 33 homers, which is the best mark on the team and 5th in the MLB.

Over his last eight games, Jhonkensy Noel has hit three homers and has a batting average of .345. Daniel Schneemann is also on a three-game hitting streak for the Guardians.