Guardians meet the Pirates with 1-0 series lead
Cleveland Guardians (10-9, second in the AL Central) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (8-13, fifth in the NL Central)
Pittsburgh; Saturday, 4:05 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Guardians: Ben Lively (0-2, 4.87 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 16 strikeouts); Pirates: Paul Skenes (2-1, 2.96 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, 26 strikeouts)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Pirates -177, Guardians +148; over/under is 8 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Cleveland Guardians take a 1-0 advantage into the next game of the series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Pittsburgh has an 8-13 record overall and a 6-5 record in home games. The Pirates are 2-8 in games when they have allowed a home run.
Cleveland has a 5-8 record in road games and a 10-9 record overall. The Guardians have gone 8-3 in games when they record eight or more hits.
The matchup Saturday is the second meeting between these teams this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Oneil Cruz has five home runs, 12 walks and 11 RBI while hitting .230 for the Pirates. Bryan Reynolds is 10-for-37 with two doubles, two home runs and five RBI over the last 10 games.
Steven Kwan has three home runs, six walks and 11 RBI while hitting .320 for the Guardians. Carlos Santana is 10-for-39 with a home run and three RBI over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Pirates: 4-6, .197 batting average, 3.26 ERA, outscored by three runs
Guardians: 7-3, .251 batting average, 3.48 ERA, outscored opponents by nine runs
INJURIES: Pirates: Endy Rodriguez: 10-Day IL (finger), Colin Holderman: 15-Day IL (knee), Jared Jones: 60-Day IL (elbow), Nick Gonzales: 10-Day IL (ankle), Spencer Horwitz: 10-Day IL (wrist), Johan Oviedo: 60-Day IL (elbow), Dauri Moreta: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Guardians: John Means: 60-Day IL (elbow), Shane Robert Bieber: 15-Day IL (elbow), Trevor Stephan: 15-Day IL (elbow), Slade Cecconi: 15-Day IL (oblique), Erik Sabrowski: 15-Day IL (elbow), David Fry: 60-Day IL (elbow), Sam Hentges: 60-Day IL (shoulder)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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Chicago Tribune
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Rookie Cade Horton matches Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes pitch for pitch in Chicago Cubs' 2-1 loss
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He gave us a chance to win today.' Skenes entered Friday with a 1.88 ERA through 14 starts while giving up more than two earned runs in an outing just twice. One of those times came against the Cubs, though, when they hit three home runs to score three runs off Skenes on May 1 in Pittsburgh. The Cubs didn't need a pregame meeting to prepare for Skenes. Friday marked the sixth time they faced the 23-year-old right-hander since he made his MLB debut May 11, 2024 — versus the Cubs, whom Skenes also squared off against in his second big-league start. 'It doesn't become a game planning meeting, it becomes execution for kind of both sides,' Counsell said. 'That's why I always say when you play somebody a lot, it's becomes execution, that's how this works.' Skenes largely executed against the Cubs, though they made him work. 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CBS News
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- CBS News
Kiner-Falefa hits a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning as the Pirates top the Cubs 2-1
Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning to help the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 2-1 on Friday. The Pirates loaded the bases in the 10th on Ke'Bryan Hayes' infield single and a walk to Henry Davis. Kiner-Falefa then drove in Adam Frazier with a flyball to left off Drew Pomeranz (2-1). Kiner-Falefa also threw out Ian Happ when he attempted to score from first on Kyle Tucker's two-out double in the fifth inning. Dennis Santana (2-1) got five outs for the win, and David Bednar worked a perfect 10th for his 10th save. Pirates ace Paul Skenes struck out five in five scoreless innings. He allowed four hits and walked two while throwing 95 pitches, 60 for strikes. Skenes was matched by Cade Horton, who permitted three hits in 5 2/3 shutout innings for the NL Central leaders. Each team scored in the eighth. The Pirates jumped in front when Davis scored on Oneil Cruz's chopper near the mound. Reliever Brad Keller made an errant throw to the plate. The Cubs put runners on second and third with one out in the bottom half, and Dansby Swanson drove in Kyle Tucker when he bounced to Kiner-Falefa at shortstop for a fielder's choice. Santana worked a perfect ninth before Bednar retired the side in order in the 10th. Skenes has allowed a total of five earned runs in 47 1/3 innings over his last seven starts. But he has just one win in that stretch. The series continues Saturday afternoon when Pirates right-hander Mike Burrows (1-1, 5.00 ERA) faces lefty Matthew Boyd (5-3, 2.89 ERA).
