Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cleveland Guardians Prediction: The Guardians could open the series with a win

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cleveland Guardians: Prediction and odds on the Match on 18 April 2025

The Major League Baseball encounter between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Guardians. This will be the opener of a three-game series and the two teams will come into this game hoping for a win. The last meeting of this game ended in a win for the Cleveland Guardians, which ended 6-1. How will this game unfold? Below, I preview this game and offer the best betting tips.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Form and Statistics

The Pittsburgh Pirates will hope to improve their standings in Major League Baseball as they enter this game following a win. While they have been competitive in recent matches, the Pittsburgh Pirates have also had a number of poor results. In recent matches, the Pittsburgh Pirates lost to the Cincinnati Reds, suffering a sweeping defeat but then pulled off three wins in a four-game series.

This season, however, the Pittsburgh Pirates have lost nine times and have a 9-9 record, which sees them sitting second in the American League Central Division. This season, the Pittsburgh Pirates have lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Tampa Bay Rays. Ahead of this game, the Pittsburgh Pirates rank 29th in the league for batting average this season with a .197. Also, this team ranks 29th in the league for slugging percentage this season and has a .302.

Pittsburgh Pirates Lineup

Carmen Mlodzinski will be on the mound for this opening game of this series with the Pittsburgh Pirates. This season, he has a 1-2 record with a 6.23 ERA and 14 strikeouts. Against the Młodzinski Cleveland Guardians, he is 0-1 with an 18.00 ERA and 2 strikeouts.

Pittsburgh Pirates Expect Lineup

Oneil Cruz, Bryan Reynolds, Andrew McCutchen, Joey Bart, Enmanuel Valdez, Ke'Bryan Hayes, Tommy Pham, Adam Frazier, Isiah Kiner-Falefa

Cleveland Guardians: Form and Statistics

The Cleveland Guardians have struggled in recent times and will head into this game hoping to turn things around. In their previous series, the Cleveland Guardians lost to the Baltimore Orioles. In the opener, the Cleveland Guardians started the opener with a 3-6 win. However, their last two games of the series ended 9-1 and 6-2. However, the Cleveland Guardians secured a sweeping victory over the Chicago White Sox while winning two of their three matches against the Kansas City Royals. Ahead of this game, the Cleveland Guardians sit 7th in the American League and second in the Central Division.

The Cleveland Guardians rank 29th in the league for doubles this season (17). Also, the Cleveland Guardians rank T27th in the league for steals this season (8). Cleveland Guardians are the 10th-best in Major League Baseball this season, with 22 total home runs.

Cleveland Guardians Lineup

Luis Ortiz will be pitching for the Cleveland Guardians for this game. This season he has a 1-2 record with a 6.06 ERA and 15 strikeouts. This will be Ortiz’s first career game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Cleveland Guardians Expected Lineup

Steven Kwan, José Ramírez, Carlos Santana, Gabriel Arias, Nolan Jones, Lane Thomas, Daniel Schneemann, Austin Hedges, Brayan Rocchio

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cleveland Guardians: Betting Trends & Odds

• The Pittsburgh Pirates have entered the game as underdogs 11 times this season and won three, or 27.3%, of those games.
• The Guardians have been favourites in eight games this season and won six (75%) of those contests.
• The moneyline set for this matchup implies the Pirates have a 46.9% chance of walking away with the win.
• The Cleveland Guardians have trailed after 3 innings in three of their last four road games.
• The Pittsburgh Pirates have faced defeat in seven of their last eight night games following a win.
• The Cleveland Guardians have won nine of their last 10 games against National League opponents that held a losing record.

💡Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cleveland Guardians Match Predictions 18 April 2025

This is a tough contest to predict, looking at the progress of the two teams so far. While the Cleveland Guardians are at home, the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates are tagged favourites here. In the meantime, with how the two teams have performed this season, I believe the Cleveland Guardians will still give it more.

The Cleveland Guardians are also the better team, no matter how you think and even when I expect them to compete. Take advantage of the cheap odds. Also, the Pittsburgh Pirates are struggling offensively, and it is a matter of time before they start showing they are not ready to compete for the title.

Our match prediction is a win for the Cleveland Guardians with odds at 1.71 on the 1Xbet bookmaker.

Our betting tip is the Pittsburgh Pirates under 4 runs with odds at 1.70 on the Betway bookmaker.