Pittsburgh Pirates (8-14) vs Cleveland Guardians (11-9)
Game Info: Sunday, April 20, 2025 at 1:35 pm (PNC Park)
The Line: Betting Odds: Pittsburgh Pirates -115 / Cleveland Guardians -105 — Over/Under: 8
The Cleveland Guardians and the Pittsburgh Pirates meet Sunday in MLB action from PNC Park. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Cleveland Guardians vs. Pittsburgh Pirates prediction.
Starting Pitching Matchup
The Cleveland Guardians will send out Logan Allen for the start here and Allen is 1-1 with a 2.30 ERA and 11 strikeouts this season. This will be Allen’s second career start against the Pirates. The Pittsburgh Pirates will start Mitch Keller here and Keller is 1-2 with a 4.30 ERA and 17 strikeouts this season. In his career, Keller is 0-2 with a 6.61 ERA and 11 strikeouts against the Guardians.
Cleveland Guardians Recap
The Cleveland Guardians come into this game looking to add on to their 3-0 win over the Pirates in Saturday’s matchup to improve to 11-9 on the year. After this series, the Guardians will head home to start a series with the New York Yankees.
Guardians Looking To Complete The Sweep
Steven Kwan leads the Guardians with 26 hits as part of a .329 batting average and 3 home runs, 2 doubles and 12 RBIs. Kyle Manzardo has 12 hits with 2 doubles, a triple, 5 home runs and a team-high 13 RBIs as well this year. Nolan Jones and Jose Ramirez each have a team-high 4 doubles while Gabriel Arias has a team-high 20 strikeouts and Manzardo has 19 strikeouts so far this season. Arias has also added 4 home runs and 10 RBIs and Jose Ramirez has chipped in 4 home runs and 9 RBIs.
Why the Cleveland Guardians will win
- The Pirates have lost four of their last five games as home favorites against AL Central opponents.
- The Guardians have won each of their last three games as underdogs against the Pirates.
- The Pirates have failed to cover the run line in each of their last 14 games as favorites against American League opponents following a home loss.
- The Guardians have covered the run line in seven of their last eight games against National League opponents that held a losing record.
Cleveland Guardians Player Prop Facts
- Austin Hedges has hit a home run in each of his last two road appearances against opponents that held a losing record.
- Nolan Jones has recorded a Double in each of his last three appearances with his team as an underdog against NL Central opponents.
- Jose Ramirez has scored at least one run in five of his last six road appearances against the Pirates after playing the previous day.
- Steven Kwan has recorded at least one Single in each of his last 11 Sunday appearances with the Guardians as underdogs.
- Steven Kwan has recorded at least one hit in each of his last 11 Sunday appearances with the Guardians as underdogs.
- Steven Kwan ranks 10th amongst qualified players for Batting Average (.329) this season.
Pittsburgh Pirates Recap
The Pittsburgh Pirates come into this game looking to bounce back after falling short in Saturday’s matchup to drop to 8-14 on the year. After this series, the Pirates will head back on the road for a series against the Los Angeles Angels.
Pirates Looking To Avoid Being Swept
Bryan Reynolds has a team-high 19 hits with 4 doubles, 3 home runs and 10 RBIs while also leading the Pirates with 32 strikeouts so far this season. Oneil Cruz has posted a team-high 5 home runs and 11 RBIs with 10 stolen bases while Isiah Kiner-Falefa has 18 hits with 5 stolen bases. Emmanuel Valdez also has a pair of triples as well this season.
Why the Pittsburgh Pirates will win
- The Guardians have lost six of their last seven road games following a win.
- The Pirates have won four of their last five games at PNC Park following a loss.
- The Guardians have failed to cover the run line in six of their last seven games as underdogs after playing the previous day.
- The Pirates have covered the run line in four of their last five home games following a loss.
Pittsburgh Pirates Player Prop Facts
- Oneil Cruz has hit a home run in three of the Pirates’ last four games.
- Bryan Reynolds has recorded at least one Double in four of the Pirates’ last five games as home favorites against AL Central opponents.
- Adam Frazier has scored at least one run in six of his last seven appearances at PNC Park against AL Central opponents that held a winning record.
- Bryan Reynolds has recorded at least one RBI in six of the Pirates’ last seven games as favorites against AL Central opponents.
- Mitch Keller has recorded six or more strikeouts in each of his last five appearances against AL Central opponents that held a winning record.
- Isiah Kiner-Falefa has recorded at least one Single in each of his last nine appearances with his team as a favorite against AL opponents.
- Bryan Reynolds has recorded at least one hit in each of the Pirates’ last 15 home games against AL Central opponents that held a winning record.
- Oneil Cruz ranks 1st in the league in Steals (10) this season.
Total Runs Facts
- Each of the Guardians’ last six day games against National League opponents have gone UNDER the total runs line.
- Each of the Pirates’ last four day games after playing the previous day have gone UNDER the total runs line.
Cleveland Guardians vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction
I’m on the Guardians here. I get the case to be made for the Pirates at home, but the best shot Pittsburgh had a winning a game in this series came with their ace on the mound when Paul Skenes started on Saturday and once again, the Pirates offense stalled and was non-existent. The Guardians have had their own share of ups and downs this season, but I trust the Guardians at the plate as they’re a disciplined team that don’t have bad at-bats often, and from a talent perspective, the Guardians have one of the best bullpens in baseball. I think the Guardians complete the sweep here so give me Cleveland.