Pittsburgh Pirates (50-47, fourth in the NL Central) vs. Cleveland Guardians (51-46, second in the AL Central)

Cleveland; Friday, 7:10 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Pirates: Jared Jones (1-1, 4.37 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 39 strikeouts); Guardians: Gavin Williams (10-4, 3.81 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 134 strikeouts)

LINE: Guardians -132, Pirates +108; over/under is 7 1/2 runs

BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Pirates are looking to continue a three-game win streak with a victory over the Cleveland Guardians.

Cleveland has a 24-22 record in home games and a 51-46 record overall. The Guardians have a 36-17 record in games when they record at least eight hits.

Pittsburgh is 50-47 overall and 23-23 on the road. The Pirates have a 25-8 record in games when they did not allow a home run.

The matchup Friday is the first meeting of the season between the two clubs.

TOP PERFORMERS: Chase DeLauter leads the Guardians with 11 home runs while slugging .448. Brayan Rocchio is 12 for 37 with a double, three home runs and 10 RBIs over the past 10 games.

Nick Gonzales has a .308 batting average to lead the Pirates, and has 14 doubles, a triple and four home runs. Jake Mangum is 15 for 40 with a home run and five RBIs over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Guardians: 6-4, .232 batting average, 3.23 ERA, outscored opponents by six runs

Pirates: 7-3, .300 batting average, 4.65 ERA, outscored opponents by 24 runs

INJURIES: Guardians: Angel Martinez: 10-Day IL (foot), Tim Herrin: 15-Day IL (elbow), Jose Ramirez: 10-Day IL (hand)

Pirates: Konnor Griffin: 60-Day IL (finger), Endy Rodriguez: 10-Day IL (lower body), Evan Sisk: 15-Day IL (elbow), Wilber Dotel: 15-Day IL (lat), Chris Devenski: 60-Day IL (illness), Spencer Horwitz: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Oneil Cruz: 10-Day IL (hand)

(Pittsburgh, Pa) According to a release from the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Florida Everblades have been named as the organization’s ECHL affiliate, according to President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas. The announcement ends their longtime affiliation with the Wheeling Nailers.

“The Penguins are excited to partner with the Florida Everblades, who are one of the premier organizations in the ECHL,” said Penguins Assistant General Manager Jason Spezza. “As an organization, our player development system puts a strong emphasis on a three-tiered development model between the NHL, AHL and ECHL, and we feel that Florida’s championship pedigree and winning environment will help our players reach their maximum potential. Under the leadership of Craig Brush and Head Coach Brad Ralph, the Everblades have won four of the last five Kelly Cup championships and our goal to provide Coach Ralph with quality prospects that can continue to help the Everblades bring championship hockey to Southwest Florida.”

When the Hoffmann Family of Companies completed their acquisition of the Penguins, the Florida Everblades were expected to become their affiliate due to the Hoffman family already owning the team.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby, right, reacts behind Philadelphia Flyers’ Luke Glendening after scoring during the first period of Game 4 in the first round of the Stanley Cup hockey playoff series Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum))

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) The full Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2026-2027 season schedule will be released today.

The Penguins’ season opener for that season will begin on the road against their in-state rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers, on Wednesday, September 30th.

This is a rematch of the two teams’ first round matchup of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when the Flyers eliminated the Penguins by winning the series 4-2.

This game between the Flyers and the Penguins is part of a doubleheader which will be broadcast nationally.

The Penguins’ 2026-2027 season home opener will be on Tuesday, October 3rd against the Montreal Canadiens.

The Canadiens made it to the 2026 NHL Eastern Conference Finals and lost the series 4-1 to the eventual 2026 Stanley Cup Champions, the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Penguins will also play the Washington Capitals on October 7th for the Capitals’ home opener for the 2026-2027 season.

That matchup features the longtime rivalry between Sidney Crosby of the Penguins and Alexander Ovechkin of the Capitals.

(Credit and Caption for Photo: Aliquippa (23) Tikey Hayes breaks free from Avonworth (5) Carson Bellinger during a non-section football game at Avonworth High School on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. (Justin Guido/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Lincoln, NE) Sean Callahan of On3 Sports first announced in a report that former Aliquippa and Penn State running back Tikey Hayes is set to commit to the University of Nebraska for the 2026 college football season.

Hayes spent the spring semester at Iowa Western Community College after Penn State fired head coach James Franklin during his freshman season.

While at Aliquippa, Hayes was one of the top running backs in the country.

He was rated as a four-star prospect by Rivals and was rated as a three-star prospect by ESPN, 247 Sports and On3.

Hayes was also the No. 20 ranked running back and the No. 7 prospect in Pennsylvania.   

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Penguins’ Anthony Mantha (39) celebrates his second goal of the game during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes in Pittsburgh, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (Gene J. Puskar/AP)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) The New Jersey Devils announced today that have signed forward Anthony Mantha to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million.

The thirty-one-year-old Mantha played last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Mantha finished with a career-high 33 goals and 64 points during last season’s regular season for the Penguins.

(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Pittsburgh Penguins President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas announced yesterday that the Penguins have signed forward Nick Robertson to a two-year contract. The average annual value of this deal is $3.25 million for the twenty-four-year-old Robertson. 

The Penguins acquired Robertson from the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 1st in exchange for a 2028 fourth-round NHL draft pick. 

Robertson has played his last six NHL seasons with the Maple Leafs.

He recorded career highs with 16 goals, 16 assists and 32 points in 78 games with the Maple Leafs last season. 

(Credit and Caption for Photo: Pirates pitcher Cam Sanders makes his Major League debut during the eighth inning against the Giants on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, at PNC Park. (Christopher Horner | TribLive)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) The Pittsburgh Pirates traded relief pitcher Cam Sanders to the Baltimore Orioles for cash considerations yesterday.  

The Pirates designated Sanders for assignment on Saturday, after he was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday. 

This happened because the team needed a roster spot for the additions of left-handed relief pitcher Brandon Eisert and infielder Jacob Gonzalez, who both joined the Pirates in a trade with the Chicago White Sox on Saturday. 

The 2026 MLB statistics for Sanders include thirteen strikeouts, an ERA of 8.68 and a 0-0 record, and he has made nine appearances for the Pirates. 

(File Photo: Source for Headline Photo and First Photo Below: Chicago White Sox pitcher Brandon Eisert throws during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Monday, June 29, 2026, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

(File Photo: Source for Second Photo Below: Chicago White Sox’s Jacob Gonzalez watches his three-run home during the third inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals in Chicago, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) The Pittsburgh Pirates received left-handed relief pitcher Brandon Eisert and infielder Jacob Gonzalez from the Chicago White Sox in a trade for minor league left-handed pitcher Jaden Woods and a competitive balance round selection in the MLB amateur draft on Saturday.

The draft selection the Pirates gave the White Sox was No. 34 overall.

The twenty-eight-year-old Eisert made his Pirates debut on Saturday and his 2026 MLB statistics as of now include a 2-1 record, a 5.65 ERA, and 32 strikeouts.

The twenty-four-year-old Gonzalez made his Pirates debut yesterday and his 2026 MLB statistics as of now include hitting .241 with 2 home runs and 17 RBIs. 

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes delivers during the second inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers in Pittsburgh, Sunday, July 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Paul Skenes won his second straight start after going winless for nine in a row as the Pittsburgh Pirates scored 10 runs in the fourth inning to rout the Milwaukee Brewers 14-5 Sunday and head into the All-Star break with a three-game sweep.

What was slated to be a high-profile matchup lost some of its luster when Milwaukee scratched hard-throwing Jacob Misiorowski on Saturday because of arm fatigue. While Skenes and Misiorowski are All-Stars, both will skip pitching in Tuesday’s showcase.

Skenes (8-8) allowed two runs and three hits over 5 1/3 innings with one walk and seven strikeouts — including four among his final five batters. He had been 0-6 in nine starts before beating Atlanta on Tuesday, and the Pirates lost all nine of those games.

Robert Gasser (2-4) gave up seven runs and eight hits in three-plus innings.

Pittsburgh (50-47) took a 4-2 lead into the fourth and scored seven runs before making an out.

Marcell Ozuna homered, Henry Davis had an RBI single and Jared Koenig hit Bryan Reynolds with a pitch with the bases loaded, forced in a run by walking Esmerlyn Valdez and allowed Ryan O’Hearn’s run-scoring single that boosted the advantage to 9-2.

Nick Gonzales greeted Grant Anderson with a two-run double, Triolo hit a two-run single and, after a video review reversed the call at first on what appeared to be an inning-ending double-play grounder by Davis, Jake Mangum hit an RBI triple.

Skenes tossed three perfect innings before giving up back-to-back doubles starting the fourth to Christian Yelich and Chourio. Gary Sánchez hit into a run-scoring forceout.

Brice Turang hit a two-run homer in a three-run eighth.

Up next

Brewers: Start a home series Friday against Miami.

Pirates: Open a three-game series Friday at Cleveland.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Pirates’ Esmerlyn Valdez (55) celebrates with Bryan Reynolds (10) after hitting a two-run home run off Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Shane Drohan during the fourth inning of the second game of a baseball doubleheader in Pittsburgh, Saturday, July 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Esmerlyn Valdez hit his third home run of the day, and the Pittsburgh Pirates edged the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers 3-2 on Saturday to sweep a doubleheader.

The Pirates won the first game 7-6, as Valdez hit two home runs — including a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning — and drove in six runs.

The rookie right fielder had eight RBIs in the two games and now has homered 10 times and driven in 26 runs in his first 27 career games.

Valdez’s two-run shot in the fourth inning of the nightcap opened the scoring. Brice Turang’s two-run double in the fifth pulled the Brewers even.

Bryan Reynolds singled in the go-ahead run in the sixth off rookie left-hander Shane Drohan (4-3), who allowed three runs and five hits over 6 1/3 innings while striking out six and walking none.

Yohan Ramirez (6-2) pitched a scoreless sixth. Mason Montgomery protected a one-run lead in the ninth inning for his first save of the season and the second of his career.

Pirates rookie starter Bubba Chandler lasted 4 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and five hits. He struck out six and walked three.

The Brewers missed the chance to win their 60th game of the season, a feat they have never accomplished before the All-Star break.

The doubleheader was necessitated by Friday night’s scheduled game being rained out.

Up next

The three-game series concludes on Sunday with a matchup between LHP Robert Gasser (2-3, 4.15) against Pirates RHP Paul Skenes (7-8, 3.58)

(Scheduled Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski was scratched from his scheduled start because of arm fatigue.)