Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cleveland Guardians Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/18/2026

Game Time: 4:10 pm ET, Saturday, July 18, 2026

Venue:  Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Pirates -116, Guardians -104; Over/Under:  8 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Pirates -115, Guardians -105; Over/Under:  8 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Pirates -115, Guardians -105; Over/Under:  8 runs

Pittsburgh Pirates:  50-47 (4th place, NL Central)

Cleveland Guardians:  51-46 (2nd place, AL Central)

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Pittsburgh Pirates:  7-3 last 10

Cleveland Guardians:  6-4 last 10

The Pirates are entering this series off a win and completed the sweep in their 3-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers 3-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 50-47 record overall and have a road record of 23-23. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Guardians on Saturday with the series opener still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 2nd in the MLB with a .768 OPS. Jared Jones is their starting pitcher on Friday while Braxton Ashcraft is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 9-3 with a 3.49 ERA this season. His team won their last 5 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 5 ER, 2 HR, and 2 BB with 6 SO on 5 hits through 5 IP against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Guardians are entering this series off a win and completed the sweep in their 3-game series against the Miami Marlins 3-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 51-46 record overall and have a home record of 24-22. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Pirates on Saturday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 29th in the MLB with a .679 OPS. Gavin Williams is their starting pitcher on Friday while Joey Cantillo is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 8-4 with a 3.56 ERA this season. His team won 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 earned run, 0 homers, and 2 walks with 9 strikeouts on 6 hits through 5 innings pitched against the Miami Marlins.

The current betting odds have the Pirates listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Guardians have looked good in their games this season with their 51-46 record overall which has them right near the top of the AL Central. They have looked good in their own ballpark too with their 24-22 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Pirates have looked good in their games this season with their 50-47 record overall, but that record has them right near the bottom of the NL Central. They haven't been a great road team either with their 23-23 road record this year. The Guardians went into the All-Star break sweeping the Marlins and they have looked a lot better lately, now 6-4 in their last 10 games, but the Pirates also went into the break off a sweep, sweeping the Brewers who have been one of the best in the league, and now the Pirates have been rolling with their 7-3 record in their last 10 games. The Pirates are going with Ashcraft in this one and he has looked great this season. He is 9-3 with a 3.49 ERA this season and he has been their best starter all year. He did give up 5 earned runs in his last start, but that hasn't been a common theme for him this season and the team has still won 5 games in a row now with him starting. The Guardians are going with Cantillo in this one and he has looked good this season too. He is 8-4 with a 3.56 ERA and he hasn't been giving up many runs lately. He is coming off another great start in which he only gave up 1 earned run and the team has won 2 of their last 3 games with him starting too. Neither starting pitcher is going to give an inch in this game, but that gives the edge to the Pirates with one of the best offenses in MLB, and they were putting up a ton of runs going into the break too. The best way to place a bet here is on the Pirates to win this game. 

Pirates Guardians Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Saturday, July 18, 2026 (4:10 pm ET start time) is Pirates 4 Guardians 2.

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Pittsburgh Pirates: 198-223 (-17.6 units) on the moneyline in all games. 87-120 (-16.7 units) on the moneyline in road games. 54-63 (-7.5 units) on the moneyline in an inter-league game. 7-4 UNDER vs. AL teams scoring 4.4 or less runs/game on the season.

Cleveland Guardians: 236-197 (+35.9 units) on the moneyline in all games. 123-92 (+10.8 units) on the moneyline in home games. 123-78 (+27.6 units) on the moneyline when the money line is -100 to -150. 27-18 UNDER against NL Central opponents. 31-12 UNDER vs. an NL starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.250 or better.

Pittsburgh Pirates:  K. Griffin (SS) Sixty Day IL - Finger. E. Rodriguez (C) Ten Day IL - Lower Body. E. Sisk (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. S. Horwitz (1B) Ten Day IL - Hamstring. W. Dotel (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Lat. O. Cruz (CF) Ten Day IL - Hand. C. Devenski (RP) Sixty Day IL - Illness.

Cleveland Guardians:  T. Herrin (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. A. Martinez (LF) Ten Day IL - Foot. J. Ramirez (3B) Ten Day IL - Hand.

“I think it showed everybody in here that this is a legit team on both sides of the ball, and it shows that we can do it and play our best game.” - Brandon Lowe after their win against the Brewers in their game on Sunday. 

“The All-Star break doesn’t kill your momentum unless you allow it to. Really proud of our guys and how they finished this road trip off. Really, the last month, with all the ups and downs we have gone through, it was fun to finish it this way.” - Stephen Vogt after his team’s win against the Marlins in their game on Sunday. 

Jake Mangum (A) CF

Brandon Lowe (Z) 2B

Bryan Reynolds (A) LF

Esmerlyn Valdez (D) RF

Ryan O'Hearn (Z) 1B

Nick Gonzales (D) 3B

Marcell Ozuna (D) DH

Jared Triolo (D) SS

Henry Davis (D) C

Travis Bazzana (Z) 2B

Brayan Rocchio (A) SS

Chase DeLauter (Z) DH

Kyle Manzardo (Z) 1B

Kahlil Watson (Z) RF

Gabriel Arias (D) 3B

Petey Halpin (Z) CF

Patrick Bailey (A) C

Steven Kwan (Z) LF

Batting Average:  Rafael Flores (.400)

Hits:  Nick Gonzales (104)

Home Runs:  Brandon Lowe (21)

RBI:  Brandon Lowe (64)

Stolen Bases:  Oneil Cruz (21)

Wins:  Braxton Ashcraft (9)

Saves:  Gregory Soto (12)

ERA:  Brandon Eisert (0.00)

Batting Average:  Austin Hedges (.289)

Hits:  Brayan Rocchio (88)

Home Runs:  Angel Martínez (11)

RBI:  Chase DeLauter (46)

Stolen Bases:  José Ramírez (24)

Wins:  Gavin Williams (10)

Saves:  Cade Smith (28)

ERA:  Logan Allen (0.00)

Managers:

Pittsburgh Pirates: Don Kelly (2nd season)

Cleveland Guardians: Stephen Vogt (3rd season)