Cleveland @ Pittsburgh preview
PNC Park
Last Meeting ( Jul 17, 2023 ) Cleveland 11, Pittsburgh 0
The Cleveland-Pittsburgh matchup in baseball doesn't come close to the rivalry that thrives in football, but the visiting Guardians got some bragging rights and more in the opener of a series against the Pirates on Monday.
Pittsburgh will try to bounce back when the three-game interleague set continues on Tuesday.
Lugging a four-game losing streak into Pittsburgh, the Guardians were dominant in an 11-0 win on Monday. They launched three homers and racked up 12 hits, and six Cleveland pitchers held the Pirates to four hits while logging 12 strikeouts.
"We got the job done as a team, and that's what it takes -- it takes a team to win a game," Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor told Bally Sports Cleveland after he hit a two-run homer and an RBI double in the opener. "I was just trying to have good at-bats."
Naylor noted that given the close proximity of the cities, the Guardians noticed a large contingent of fans who traveled from Cleveland, similar to what happens when the NFL rival Browns and Steelers meet.
"We've got the best fans in the world," he said.
The Pirates have lost four in a row and eight of nine. They have moved heavily into a mode of looking toward the future - in part because of injuries but also because of mounting losses.
Their lineup Monday featured six rookies. Two of them, starter Quinn Priester and catcher Endy Rodriguez, are top prospects who were making their major league debuts.
"That's the way we're going to be moving forward, at least until we get healthy," Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton said. "We're going to have a lot of young guys on the field, and there are going to be growing pains and there are going to be bumps. We just have to grind through them."
While it did not turn into a hugely memorable night for the young players or the team's veterans, Shelton said facing an opener plus five other Cleveland pitchers Monday was a factor.
"Bullpen games are definitely challenging," Shelton said.
On Tuesday, Cleveland left-hander Logan Allen (3-2, 3.47 ERA) is scheduled to start opposite Pittsburgh right-hander Mitch Keller (9-4, 3.31).
Keller, a first-time All-Star after establishing himself as the Pirates' ace this season, pitched one inning in the Midsummer Classic last week.
He will have gone a week without pitching since that appearance as Pittsburgh chose not to use him in its first four games following the All-Star break.
Before the break, Keller gave up one hit in seven scoreless innings on July 8 at Arizona but did not get a decision as the Diamondbacks came back for a 10-inning win.
"My sweeper was pretty good," Keller said of the outing. "Kind of leaned on that a lot early in counts, late in the counts. That's what got me out of some innings. I felt really comfortable with that."
In his only career appearance against Cleveland, on Sept. 25, 2020, Keller did not get a decision after giving up one run and no hits, with eight walks and three strikeouts, in five innings.
Allen is expected to be promoted from Triple-A Columbus to make the start. He was optioned to Columbus two weeks ago but now is needed with Shane Bieber, Cal Quantrill and Triston McKenzie hurt.
Allen, a 24-year-old rookie who has never faced the Pirates, could earn his way back into the rotation after the Guardians went with the bullpen game on Monday.
--Field Level Media