Pirates Preview: Series Win in Hand
After August was a month to forget for the Pittsburgh Pirates, they'll have a chance to start September off on the right note when they face the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday.
Pittsburgh positioned itself to win the series with its 3-0 victory on Saturday night. Luis Ortiz had his second straight outing where he pitched six shutout innings against Cleveland, allowed just one hit, walked one batter, and struck out three batters. Ortiz has pitched a career-best 15 straight innings without allowing a run.
Jalen Beeks, Dennis Santana and Aroldis Chapman, who earned the save, combined to pitch three innings of scoreless ball out of the bullpen.
Outfielder and designated hitter Andrew McCutchen opened the scoring with an RBI single in the top of the fourth inning. Pittsburgh tight-roped much of the game with a one-run lead before a two-run single from first baseman Rowdy Tellez gave the Pirates some breathing room in the game's final two innings.
The Pirates will have Mitch Keller toeing the slab with the series victory on the line. In his last outing, Keller allowed seven hits and three runs over four innings of work against the Chicago Cubs on Monday. Through 26 starts, the 28-yard-old right-hander is 11-8 with a 3.84 ERA over 152.1 innings of work.
Cleveland will counter with veteran righty Alex Cobb. Cobb has made just two starts this season, going 1-1 with a 4.35 ERA in 10.1 innings pitched.
Pirates vs. Guardians Broadcast Info
Location: Progressive Field
Records: Pirates (63-72), Guardians (77-59)
First pitch: 1:40 p.m. ET
TV: Pirates - SportsNet-PIT — Guardians - Bally Sports Great Lakes
Radio: Pirates - KDKA-FM 93.7 — Guardians - WTAM 1100, WMMS 100.7, Guardians Radio Network, WARF 1350
Pirates vs. Guardians Betting Odds via SI Sportsbook
Spread: Guardians -1.5 (+140), Pirates +1.5 (-175)
Total: Over 8.5 (-110), under 8.5 (-118)
Moneyline: Guardians -154, Pirates +125
NATHANIEL MARRERO