Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cleveland Guardians Prediction, 8/31/2024 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cleveland Guardians

Date: Saturday, August 31, 2024

Location: Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH

TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh

Progressive Field is the location where the Cleveland Guardians (76-58) will attempt to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates (62-71) on Saturday. The expected starting pitchers will be Luis Ortiz and Matthew Boyd.

Pittsburgh has a slugging rate of .375 and have struck out 1,243 times, while drawing a walk on 398 occasions. They have tallied 540 runs batted in and 1,069 hits on the year, while their team batting average is sitting at .236. The Pirates have hit 197 two-baggers as a team and have hit 132 balls out of the park. They are sitting with 560 runs while having a team on-base percentage of .303. As a squad, the Pittsburgh Pirates are putting up 4.2 runs per contest, which has them at 21st in the league.

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Their strikeout to walk ratio sits at 2.69 and their pitching staff has earned a collective WHIP of 1.30. Pirates pitchers have surrendered 138 home runs in addition to 606 runs (21st in baseball). Pittsburgh has allowed 1,134 hits (8.6 per 9 innings) and also 542 earned runs. The Pirates are sitting with a team earned run average of 4.11 on the season (16th in the league), and their staff has struck out 1,111 hitters. Their pitching staff has walked 413 opposing hitters and their FIP sits at 4.03 as a team this year.

Pirates pitchers have stepped onto the hill with opponents on base 108 times in addition to having 146 appearances in high leverage situations. The relief pitchers have notched 63 holds this year (21st in the league). The Pirates relief pitchers have recorded a save percentage of 54.4% and stepped onto the hill in 121 save situations. They have earned 31 saves so far this season and have blown 26 out of their 57 chances to get a save. The bullpen pitchers have inherited 161 base runners so far this season and 34.8% of them crossed the plate. The Pirates have dispatched 410 relievers to the hill on the campaign.

The Pirates have transformed 68.7% of balls in play into outs out of their 10,680 innings on the diamond, which has them ranked 23rd in MLB. The Pittsburgh Pirates have a tally of 3,560 putouts this year, in addition to 1,140 assists and 72 errors. Their fielding percentage is currently at .985 which is 18th in baseball, and have a total of 114 double plays.

Ortiz has taken the mound for 210 innings and has earned 159 strikeouts during his career. Ortiz (10-11 win-loss mark in his career) holds a FIP of 3.97 while he has faced 909 batters in the majors. His ERA is 4.03 (94 earned runs allowed) and he has a career WHIP of 1.358. He has allowed 195 hits (8.4 hits per 9 innings) with 90 walks.

The Guardians have a team slugging percentage of .393 and they are recording 4.54 runs per outing (13th in baseball). They have hit 203 doubles, while taking a walk 394 times and putting up 608 runs. Cleveland has recorded 152 HRs so far this year as well as 571 runs batted in. They have been rung up on 974 occasions (27th in the league) and have tallied 1,049 base hits. The Cleveland Guardians have earned an OBP of .309 and a team batting average of .237 this year.

The Guardians hold a team WHIP of 1.226 and are the owners of a FIP of 4.18 as a team over the course of the season. They come in at 4th in MLB as a staff in total hits surrendered with 1,037. The Cleveland pitching staff have given up 540 runs for the season while holding an ERA of 3.84 (507 earned runs relinquished). Their K/BB ratio sits at 8.80 (1,155 strikeouts against 420 walks). They have given up 162 HR's and they allow 4.09 runs per 9 innings (7th in the league).

Cleveland has had bullpen pitchers step onto the hill in 59 save opportunities and they have tallied 44 saves. They sit at 1st in MLB with a save percentage of 74.6%, and they have dispatched 491 bullpen pitchers to the hill this season. Their relievers have taken the field 175 times in high leverage situations in addition to 142 occasions with base runners. Cleveland bullpen pitchers have an inherited score rate of 28.6% out of their 196 inherited runners. With 163 save situations, the Guardians have 102 holds in addition to 15 blown saves.

The Cleveland Guardians have turned 112 double plays and have earned a fielding percentage of .985 (14th in the majors). The Guardians have racked up 1,176 assists, 70 errors and have amassed 3,564 putouts on the campaign. In 10,692 innings on the diamond, the Guardians have a defensive efficiency of 70.9% (5th in the majors).

Boyd (45-67 career win-loss mark) is the owner of a 4.91 ERA while surrendering 8.9 hits per 9 innings. He has a K/BB ratio of 3.00 and he has faced 3,795 opposing hitters thus far in his career. He has allowed a total of 482 ER's while holding a WHIP of 1.315 and being the owner of a FIP of 4.8. During his career, Boyd has surrendered 877 base hits while totaling 857 strikeouts in 884 frames.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Pittsburgh

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