June 25, 2023
Andy Billman
Series Finale Against the Milwaukee Brewers
3 Things Preview Cleveland Guardians vs. Brewers:
1 – Civale
Aaron Civale looks to get his win since June 8th against the Red Sox as he is on the bump today for Cleveland. Civale did have a quality start in his last outing getting a no-decision going 6 2/3 innings while only giving up two earned.
2 – Cal Quantrill update
According to MLB.com, Cal Quantrill will be making his rehab start today in Double-A Akron and if all goes well, he will rejoin the club in Kansas City.
3 – 13 in a row
The Guardians get a travel day on Monday before starting their series in Kansas City, and that will be the last day off for Cleveland before the All-Star break playing 13 in a row against the Royals, Cubs, Braves, and Royals.
Guardians Notes
Civale has pitched effectively in his previous three starts, producing a 1-1 record with a 3.38 ERA. He allowed only two earned runs on five hits in 6.2 in his last game versus the Oakland A’s (20-58 SU, 5th in AL West) at home.
Guardians Stats and Insights
GUARDIANS PROBABLE PITCHER – Aaron Civale
- Civale (2-2 with a 2.67 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 33 2/3 innings pitched) gets the start for the Guardians, his seventh of the season.
- The righty last pitched on Tuesday against the Oakland Athletics, when he threw 6 2/3 innings, allowing two earned runs while giving up five hits.
- The 28-year-old has an ERA of 2.67, with 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings in six games this season. Opponents are batting .228 against him.
- Civale has two quality starts under his belt this season.
- Civale has put up five starts this season that he pitched five or more innings.
- He has made two appearances this season in which he did not give up an earned run.
- He will face a Brewers offense that ranks 26th in the league with 307 total runs scored while batting .226 as a squad. His opponent has a collective .373 slugging percentage (27th in MLB play) and has hit a total of 85 home runs (18th in the league).
GUARDIANS HITTING TRENDS
- The Guardians have hit 49 home runs this season, the lowest total in MLB action.
- So far this year, Cleveland’s .369 slugging percentage is the third-lowest percentage in the majors.
- The Guardians are 18th in the majors with a .245 batting average.
- The offense for Cleveland is No. 27 in MLB play scoring 3.9 runs per game (298 total runs).
- The Guardians rank 22nd in baseball with an on-base percentage of .310.
BREWERS Notes
Burnes has struggled at times in his previous three starts, compiling a 1-1 record with a 4.74 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. He lost his last start, which came at home versus the Arizona Diamondbacks (46-31 SU, 1st in NL West). He lasted five innings and gave up seven earned runs on eight hits while striking out three batters.
Brewers Stats and Insights
BREWERS PROBABLE PITCHER – Corbin Burnes
- Burnes (5-5 with a 3.96 ERA and 86 strikeouts in 88 2/3 innings pitched) makes the start for the Brewers, his 16th of the season.
- The righty last pitched on Tuesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, when he went five innings, allowing seven earned runs while giving up eight hits.
- The 28-year-old has an ERA of 3.96, with 8.7 strikeouts per nine innings, in 15 games this season. Opponents are batting .216 against him.
- Burnes enters the matchup with nine quality starts under his belt this season.
- Burnes will look to pitch five or more innings for his 14th straight start. He’s averaging 5.9 frames per outing.
- In three of his 15 total appearances this season he has not allowed an earned run.
- He will face off against a Guardians offense that ranks 17th in MLB with 630 total hits (on a .245 batting average). The squad also slugs a collective .369 (28th in MLB) with 49 total home runs (30th in MLB).
- The 28-year-old ranks 37th in ERA (3.96), 27th in WHIP (1.150), and 34th in K/9 (8.7) among qualifying pitchers in MLB play this season.
BREWERS HITTING TRENDS
- The Brewers’ 85 home runs rank 18th in Major League Baseball.
- Hitters for Milwaukee have combined to rank 27th in the majors with a .373 team slugging percentage.
- The Brewers have a team batting average of just .226 this season, which ranks 29th among MLB teams.
- Milwaukee is among the lowest-scoring teams in the majors, ranking 26th with just 307 total runs (four per game) this season.
- The Brewers have an on-base percentage of .303 this season, which ranks 25th in the league.
- Milwaukee is one of the least-disciplined teams at the plate this season, ranking 26th with an average of 9.5 strikeouts per game.
Final Thoughts/Pick
The Brewers have won five of their last seven games against the spread and beat Cleveland’s best pitcher comfortably on the road in the first game of the current series. Cleveland is ranked second to last in the league in runs scored per game at home this season. Adding to the Guardians’ woes, Burnes is a perfect 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two starts against them at Progressive Field in his career. The Guardians have hit only .067 against him at home over fourteen innings. With their sub-par offense, the Guardians have been struggling to maintain a .500 record at home in 2022. Cleveland has lost four of their last six series at home. Milwaukee swept the Guardians in a three-game set during their last matchup with them at Progressive Field. The trends suggest a Milwaukee victory on the road Sunday.
Our Pick: Take Brewers and the Run Line
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