Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cleveland Guardians Betting Pick & Prediction 8/31/24

The Guardians come into this one with a record of 77-58 and are 1st in the AL Central, while the Pirates are 5th in the NL Central with an overall record of 62-72. Matthew Boyd will be starting for the Guardians, and the Pirates are sending Luis L. Ortiz to the mound.

Cleveland is at -165 on the money line compared to the Pirates at +140, and the over/under line is currently 8.5 runs. SN PT is carrying this one on TV, and the forecasted temperature in Cleveland calls for light rain and temperatures in the mid-70s.

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS VS PITTSBURGH PIRATES BETTING PICK

The Pick: Cleveland Guardians Moneyline -165

This game will be played at Progressive Field at 6:10 ET on Saturday, August 31st.

HOW TO BET THE PIRATES VS GUARDIANS:

• We have the Guardians winning by a score of 5 to 4
• 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 9 runs and like the over

Cleveland picked up a 10-8 win over the Pirates in the most recent game of this series. The Guardians had a two-run lead going into the 9th inning, and the Pirates could only muster one run in their half of the 9th. Heading into the game, the Guardians were favored at -151 on the money line.

Pedro Avila got the win for the Guardians out of the bullpen, while Emmanuel Clase got the save. Carmen Mlodzinski took the loss for the Pirates out of the bullpen.

Ben Lively only went 4 1/3 innings for the Guardians but gave up just two hits and three earned runs. Bailey Falter struggled on the mound for the Pirates, giving up four earned runs in four innings of work.

Pirates Records & Stats

Pittsburgh is 62-72 overall and trail the Brewers in the NL Central by 16.5 games. The Pirates have dropped four straight games, and they are losing the series vs. the Guardians 0-1. So far, they have gone 20-19 in divisional games.

At home, the Pirates are 32-36 and 30-36 on the road. As the underdog, the Pirates are 35-48 this season, and they are 27-24 when favored. Pittsburgh has an overall series record of 18-20-5.

When the Pirates are favored, they have not been a good bet against the run line. They are 19-32 vs. the run line as the favorite, compared to 55-28 as the underdog. Their overall run line record is 74-60, with an average run margin of -0.4 runs per game. They have been a better bet on the run line on the road, going 40-26 vs. the run line away from home.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road today against the Cleveland Guardians with an over/under line of 8.5 runs. The Pirates have an over/under record of 66-66 on the season, and their games have averaged a combined 8.8 runs per game. Their over/under record when the line is set at 8.5 runs is 28-20, and they are currently on a four-game over streak.

Pirates starter Luis L. Ortiz has made 10 starts this season and has a record of 5-4 with an ERA of 3.36. He most recently faced the Reds on August 25th, where he finished with a no-decision. In that outing, Ortiz went six innings and didn’t give up a run. Looking back at his last three starts, he has finished with a no-decision in two straight outings. Ortiz has given up at least two home runs in three of his last four starts. Opponents are batting .221 off Ortiz this season.

So far this season, the Pirates are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 19th in the league. This is also where they rank in terms of home runs, as they have a total of 134 long balls. As a team, they are batting just .237, which is only 16th in the league.

Bryan Reynolds has been a bright spot for the Pirates offense this season, as he is batting .284 with 21 homers and 74 RBIs. He has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 8/24 in his last six games with two homers. Oneil Cruz has also been hot of late, going 12/26 in his last six games.

Guardians Records & Stats

Cleveland is currently 77-58 overall, putting them in 1st place in the AL Central. They hold a 2.5-game lead over the Royals and will be taking on the Pirates at home today. The Guardians have gone 4-6 across their last 10 games and are 22-20 in divisional matchups this year.

The Guardians have been tough to beat as the favorite this year, putting up a mark of 54-29. They are also 37-17 as the favorite at home. Cleveland’s overall record as the home is 42-24 this season. As the underdog, the Guardians are 23-29 this year. Their overall series record is 24-14-5, and they are currently leading the Pirates 1-0 in this series.

The Guardians have been a solid team to bet on the run line this season, as they are 67-68 overall. They have been slightly better at home, going 32-34. Their average run margin is +0.5, and they have a +0.7 scoring margin at home. They have covered the run line in two straight games and are 2-0 in that span.

The Cleveland Guardians are hosting the Pittsburgh Pirates today, and the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs. The Guardians’ games have averaged 8.6 runs this season, and their over/under record is 65-61. When the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, their record is 20-16. Overall, 27 of their games have had over/under lines set at 8.5 runs, accounting for 20.0% of their games this season. Their current over streak is at two games.

Matthew Boyd is getting the start for the Guardians today, as they take on the Pirates. Boyd is coming off a win in his last outing, where he went 6 innings and struck out 4. In his first start of the season, he went 5 1/3 innings and took a no-decision vs. the Yankees.

Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor have been the Guardians’ top power threats this season, as Ramirez’s 33 homers are 5th in the league and Naylor’s 28 is 8th. Ramirez also comes into the game with the 2nd most RBIs in the league at 104, while Naylor is right behind him with 98 RBIs. Over his last nine games, Ramirez is batting .312, and Jhonkensy Noel has three homers in his last seven games while batting .280.

The Guardians are averaging 4.6 runs per game this season and have been even better at home, where they are averaging 5 runs per contest. Overall, they are 12th in the league in scoring and have the 12th most home runs in the MLB. As a team, they are batting just .239 and have the league’s worst BABIP.