Barstool Bush
Predictions

Pittsburgh Pirates at Cleveland Guardians

By Bush StaffUpdated 33d ago·2 min read
Pittsburgh PiratesPIT(51-48)
Cleveland GuardiansCLE(52-47)
7—1
FINAL
123456789RHE
PIT
0100130027111
CLE
001000000171

Paul Skenes (8-8, 3.45 ERA) took the ball for the rubber match against Joey Cantillo (8-4, 3.74 ERA) in a 1:40 PM ET matinee to close out the series. Skenes came in off a full week of rest after his last outing on July 12, a win over Milwaukee where he went 5.1 innings with 7 strikeouts. Cantillo, for his part, was fresh off a 9-strikeout gem against Miami in his own last turn.

Show fees
FINAL
Spread
ML
Total
Pirates(51-48)
LWPWW
7
Guardians(52-47)
WLPWW
1
Best BetPirates -106
Postgame

Pittsburgh's offense did it again, cruising 7-1 to cash the moneyline pick outright.

Pregame

Pittsburgh went off at plus money to win outright on the road, which felt generous for the team that had already dropped 7 runs on this same pitching staff two days earlier. Cleveland's lineup has been running thin without its best hitter, and that gap shows up most against a plus arm like this. Getting the better offense at even-money odds was the play.

The bigger subplot all weekend was who was missing. Cleveland is still playing without Jose Ramirez, out since a hamate fracture in mid-June, and outfielder Angel Martinez is also down. Pittsburgh's lineup has its own holes with Oneil Cruz and Konnor Griffin both freshly moved to the 60-day IL and catcher Endy Rodriguez and first baseman Spencer Horwitz also out — yet the Bucs have found a way to keep hitting anyway.

Pittsburgh Pirates
Paul Skenes
(9-9)·3.90 ERA
Jul 12 vs Brewers
W
5.1IP
2ER
7K
1BB
82P
07/19 Lineup
Cleveland Guardians
Joey Cantillo
(8-6)·3.88 ERA
Jul 12 @ Marlins
W
5.0IP
1ER
9K
2BB
85P
07/19 Lineup

That's been the story of Pittsburgh's whole summer: a lineup that was historically bad a year ago has turned into one of the best in baseball, and it showed up again in this series. Saturday's doubleheader was a microcosm all by itself — Pittsburgh blew the doors off in game one, 7-1, before Cleveland answered right back with a Bazzana walk-off in game two.

Sunday's finale played out like a rerun of Saturday's opener. Pittsburgh piled up 11 hits and touched Cleveland's pitching for a run in the second, another in the fifth, and then broke it open with a 3-run sixth before tacking on 2 more in the ninth. Cleveland's only run came on a second-inning single, and the Guardians never got the tying run to the plate after that. It was Pittsburgh's second 7-1 win over Cleveland in the span of three games — not a coincidence at this point, just a lineup that's clicking against a pitching staff trying to piece things together without its best hitter.

Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
(51-48)
Jul 18L@ Guardians3-5
Jul 18W@ Guardians7-1
Jul 17P@ Guardians0-0
Jul 12Wvs Brewers14-5
Jul 11Wvs Brewers3-2
Cleveland Guardians
Cleveland Guardians
(52-47)
Jul 18Wvs Pirates5-3
Jul 18Lvs Pirates1-7
Jul 17Pvs Pirates0-0
Jul 12W@ Marlins5-2
Jul 11W@ Marlins4-1

Both clubs are packed tightly into the standings, which is exactly why a series like this stings more than a random midsummer set. Cleveland is fighting to hold ground in the AL Central, and Pittsburgh is chasing a wild-card spot it hasn't sniffed since 2015. Losing the series to a team that gutted its own roster with three significant IL moves this month is the kind of result that gets replayed in a losing clubhouse for a while.

Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
(6)
  • 10-Day-ILEndy Rodriguez (C) — Rodriguez (hip) is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game versus Atlanta.07/08
  • 10-Day-ILSpencer Horwitz (1B) — Horwitz (hamstring) has begun a running program at the Pirates' spring training complex in Florida, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.07/07
  • 15-Day-ILEvan Sisk (RP) — Sisk was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday with left elbow inflammation, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.07/04
  • 60-Day-ILOneil Cruz (CF) — The Pirates transferred Cruz (hand) to the 60-day injured list Saturday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.07/18
  • 60-Day-ILKonnor Griffin (SS) — The Pirates transferred Griffin (finger) to the 60-day injured list Saturday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.07/11
  • 60-Day-ILChris Devenski (RP) — Devenski (illness) was transferred from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL on Sunday.06/07
Cleveland Guardians
Cleveland Guardians
(3)
  • 10-Day-ILJose Ramirez (3B) — Ramirez (hand) may not require a rehab assignment before his activation from the 10-day injured list, MLB.com reports.07/19
  • 10-Day-ILAngel Martinez (LF) — Martinez (foot) started in left field and went 0-for-2 for Triple-A Columbus on Friday.07/19
  • 15-Day-ILTim Herrin (RP) — Herrin (elbow) struck out three batters in a scoreless inning for Triple-A Columbus on Saturday.07/19

For Pittsburgh, it's another data point in a season that keeps refusing to fit the preseason script. Skenes gets the win, the offense gets another highlight reel, and the Pirates head out of Cleveland having taken 2 of 3 from a team fighting for its playoff life — all without some of their best position-player talent on the roster.

Sources

MLBPittsburgh PiratesCleveland GuardiansPolymarketKalshiPaul SkenesJoey Cantillo