Guardians vs Pirates Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for July 18 (Brace for More Excitement at PNC Park)

The Cleveland Guardians (46-48) aim to keep the good vibes rolling when they face the Pittsburgh Pirates (41-53) for the second straight night Tuesday.

Guardians vs Pirates Game Info

• Date: Tuesday, July 18, 2023
• Time: 7:05 p.m. ET
• Venue: PNC Park -- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Coverage: MLB.TV

The Guardians hardly broke a sweat Monday night, destroying the Pirates 11-0 at PNC Park. First baseman Josh Naylor recorded two hits, a home run, and three RBIs in five at-bats as Cleveland used six different pitchers to hold Pittsburgh four hits while recording 12 strikeouts.

Guardians vs Pirates Odds & Spread

• All MLB betting lines, odds, and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: CLE: (-106) | PIT: (-110)
• Spread: CLE: -1.5 (+146) | PIT: +1.5 (-176)
• Total: 8.5 -- Over: (-114) | Under: (-106)

The Pirates are the moneyline favorites while the Guardians are favored on the spread, per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 7:05 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 8.5 runs with the Over being favored at -114 odds.

Guardians vs Pirates Betting Trends

• Cleveland is 4-2 straight up (SU) in its last six games against the National League.
• Pittsburgh is 2-5 SU In its last seven home games against Cleveland.
• The total has hit the Over in four of Cleveland's last five road games.
• The total has hit the Over in 10 of Pittsburgh's last 15 games.

Guardians vs Pirates Prediction & Pick

The Pirates couldn't get anything going yesterday. Things fell apart as the game went on, highlighted by the Pirates recording just one hit in the final five innings. It could be another rough night for their offense if Logan Allen has his way. The Guardians starting pitcher has pitched well lately, recording 10 strikeouts without allowing a run on five hits over his last two starts.

Having said that, Pittsburgh's Mitch Keller has also been finding success on the mound. The 2023 MLB All-Star is 2-2 with a 2.68 ERA and 35 K's in his last six appearances. It isn't all glamorous, though. Keller would likely have even more success had the Pirates not averaged just 2.7 runs in his last seven starts.

I'm taking the Guardians to win their second straight outing against the Pirates. Yesterday's result proved that Cleveland is the clear-cut better team. It's also wise to avoid Pittsburgh given that it has been outscored 28-9 on aggregate during its four-game losing streak.

Keller will likely have another strong outing and the score will be closer, but the Guardians will still be victorious in the end.

Final Score Prediction: Guardians: 6 | Pirates: 4

Guardians vs Pirates Best Bet

I'm going with the Over on the 8.5-run total as tonight's best betting option. After all, the Over has been prevalent for both sides. Four of the Guardians' last five games have exceeded the projected total while the Over is 10-5 in the Pirates' last 15 outings.

The Over is also 4-1 in the last five Cleveland-Pittsburgh matchups, seeing an average of 11.6 runs scored. Even if the Guardians don't score 11 runs again, the ingredients are right for another high-scoring affair.

Bet: Over 8.5 Total Runs (-114)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.