Pittsburgh Pirates at Cleveland Guardians
CLEVELAND (Interstat) — The Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Guardians close out their weekend series Sunday at Progressive Field, with first pitch scheduled for 1:10 p.m. EDT under a forecast of 85 degrees and rain.
The pitching matchup is not yet finalized for either side. Pittsburgh is expected to start either Paul Skenes (8-8, 3.47 ERA) or Tanner Bibee (3-9, 4.89 ERA). The Guardians have not announced a starter.
Both teams enter the game hovering around the .500 mark, with the Pirates holding a 52-47 record and the Guardians at 51-48. Pittsburgh took the series opener 7-1 on Friday, with right-hander Jared Jones delivering a dominant outing: 5 innings, 3 hits, 1 earned run, 9 strikeouts. Jones, who will be a player to watch for the Pirates, has been a bright spot. Over his last five starts, he has posted a 2.11 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 22 2/3 innings, though he has not gone deeper than 6 innings in any of those outings.
The Guardians counter with right-hander Gavin Williams as a player to watch. Williams endured a tough outing in Friday’s loss, allowing 5 earned runs on 7 hits over 6 innings while striking out 11. Before that, he had won three straight starts, compiling a 2.16 ERA with 25 strikeouts over 16 2/3 innings. His command and ability to miss bats (Interstat) — he has struck out at least 6 in each of his last five starts (Interstat) — will be key for Cleveland.
The Guardians’ offense has been inconsistent. They managed only 1 run on Friday after averaging 5.3 runs during a six-game winning streak. Pittsburgh’s lineup has been productive, averaging 6.6 runs over its last five games.
Saturday’s game between the two teams was a scoreless affair.
If the game follows projections, it will be a high-scoring affair. Interstat’s game simulator projects a 6-5 Pirates victory. Pittsburgh enters as a -1.5 favorite, with the over/under set at 7.5 runs.
After Sunday, the Pirates travel to New York for a three-game series against the Yankees, starting Monday. The Guardians host Minnesota for a four-game series beginning Monday.