Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Cleveland Indians What to Expect
After months of waiting and hoping, the 2020 Major League Baseball season is finally upon us. All 30 teams are in their summer camps playing mostly interested scrimmages as they prepare for the season. Teams had the option to schedule up to three exhibition games, and the Pittsburgh Pirates took advantage, reigniting a rivalry with Cleveland. They kick off a series of three exhibition games with the Cleveland Indians tomorrow at 7:05 pm and will play them twice more on July 20th and July 22nd. It will be a little different with no fans in the stands, but just to watch a game on TV will be a welcome sight after months of no baseball activities.
At least on paper, the Pirates and Indians look like very similar teams, with a few veteran talents and young stars built around them. They will match up six times during the regular season, and the Pirates lead the all-time series record with a 21-18 record in 39 match-ups. However, according to CBS Sports, the Indians are predicted to have six more wins than the Pirates with the over-under for Cleveland at 31.5 and the Pirates at 25.5. Cleveland and Pittsburgh is always a big rivalry in football, and the 2020 season is looking to reignite that passionate rivalry on the diamond.
Previous Season Results:
The last time the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Indians squared off, was during the 2018 season in interleague play. It was the Pirates who got the better of the Indians that season taking two out of three in the three-game series at Progressive Field. The two wins for the Pirates came in blowout fashion as the offense was key. They won game one of the series in a rain-shortened six-inning affair 7-0. They followed that up the next day when they played a full nine-inning game and the bats exploded for a 9-4 win. In that game, Starling Marte got the offense started with a two-run home run in the first and the Pirates never looked back scoring seven of the nine runs in the first two innings. Joe Musgrove allowed a couple of early runs, but that is all he allowed in seven innings of work.
The Indians came back and took the final game of the series to avoid the sweep with a 4-0 win. The Indians Trevor Bauer kept the Pirates at bay and, although Jameson Taillon pitched well he couldn't pick up the win. Both lineups look very different in 2020 than they did that season, with the Pirates only returning four players in the starting lineup from that game. With young guys looking to break out this season, it should make for an interesting match-up every time these two teams take the field. Just as the Pittsburgh Steelers have handled the Cleveland Browns over the years, the Pirates will be looking to handle the Indians.
The Veteran Stars
As we stated before, both rosters in this match-up look very similar in the way they are designed. They have a few veteran leaders on the team who are flanked by up and coming prospects looking to earn their keep in the MLB. A lot of the success for both the Pirates and the Indians is going to rely on their veterans taking charge and controlling the lineup. Both teams have some dominant veteran players on their staffs, who they will be looking too to be the driving forces of their teams this season.
Pirates: Josh Bell
For the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team will go as Josh Bell goes in 2020 in terms of success. As we saw last season, when Bell is on, it makes everyone around him better and can turn a basement dweller into a competitor. However, when Bell is struggling so do the Pirates as was evident when he was shut down in September. 2020 was a historic year for Bell, as he hit .277 with 37 Home Runs and 116 RBI. Bell was the clear offensive leader all season for the Pirates leading the team in home runs, doubles (37), walks (74), and slugging percentage (.569). He also finished the year as one of the top run producers in the National League, finishing 6th with 116 RBI. Bell is one of the candidates the Pirates are looking to play DH this season, and if his power numbers stick, that could be a good spot for him to continue getting stronger and produce in the middle of the order.
Indians: Francisco Lindor
When you think of the Cleveland Indians, one of the first names that come up is shortstop Francisco Lindor. 2020 will be his sixth season in an Indians uniform, and he has developed into one of the few power-hitting shortstops in the league. 2020 was no exception as he hit .284 with 32 home runs and drove in 74 RBI, mostly from the number three spot in the Indian's order. He was named an American League All-Star for the fourth year in a row and won his second career Rawlings Gold Glove for his work at shortstop. He finished 14th in the American League in hits (170) and runs (101) while finishing 11th with 598 at-bats. Lindor and the Indians have gone back and forth in salary negotiations as free agency creeps closer for the 26-year-old. He will be looking to both raise his stock, and produce for the Indians in 2020.
The Young Stars
While the veterans are going to be important for both the Pirates and Indians this season, it is also going to take a strong effort from the young talent. Many of the stars will be pushed into key positions in the starting lineup. For the Pirates, they will have three of their nine starters as first-year or first-time starters this season. It will be fun to watch how these young guys develop and produce for their respective teams. If things go well, both teams could be powerhouses in their respective divisions. However, if things don't go well, both teams could be struggling for wins this season.
Bryan Reynolds
Bryan Reynolds came roaring onto the scene in 2019 after injuries forced Starling Marte and Erik Gonzalez out of the starting lineup. When he finally made it to the Big Leagues, he took the league by storm hitting .314 with 16 home runs and 68 RBI. He also played strong defense, with just three errors committed on the season, while posting a .978 Fielding Percentage in left field. He earned several accolades during the season including being named to the Baseball America All-Rookie Team. He ended up as a finalist for the NL Rookie of the Year award and finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting. He will slip back into the number three spot in the Pirates batting order and will be looking to once again produce for the Pirates in 2020.
Oscar Mercado
While the Pirates were getting their first look at Bryan Reynolds last season, the Indians saw the emergence of outfielder Oscar Mercado. Mercado came up and showed decent power in 115 games hitting .269 with 15 home runs and 54 RBI. When he first got the call to the Major Leagues on May 14th and ended up hitting well over those first two months. In May and June, he hit .304 and .314 respectively and was out to a strong start. He had a slight slump during July and August, as his batting average dropped as low as .271. He would then bounce back in September having his best overall month of the season hitting .265 with six home runs and 19 RBI to end the year. Mercado will once again be in the Indians outfield and is looking to build off his strong 2019 season.
The Pitching Staff
The one thing that separates the Pirates and Indians is their pitching staff and the experience on them. The Tribe has some much more established big league starters in their rotation including Mike Clevinger and Carlos Carrasco. For the Pirates, their starters aren't as established and are more a group of good, not great pitchers including Trevor Williams and Steven Brault. Both rotations have their strengths and weaknesses and both will be important to their team this season. As far as the bullpen goes, I like the back-end of the Pirates bullpen with Nick Burdi and Kyle Crick better than the back-end of the Indians bullpen. However, overall they are evenly matched as both bullpens are strong heading into 2020.
The three-game exhibition series kicks off tonight at 7:05 pm at PNC Park as the Pirates will take on another team for the first time since Spring Training. The Pirates have announced that Joe Musgrove, their Opening Day Starter will take the mound. The Indians will counter with right-handed pitcher Zach Plesac. The game can be seen on AT&T Sportsnet and can be heard at 93.7 The Fan
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