Guardians, possibly without Josh Naylor, look to top Pirates again
As the Cleveland Guardians continue their push toward the postseason, they could be minus a key contributor for the immediate future.
An ankle injury to All-Star Josh Naylor dampened the Guardians’ victory in the series opener against the reeling Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday.
The teams will continue their three-game interleague series on Saturday evening in Cleveland.
Following a 2-for-35 stretch, Naylor has back-to-back 3-for-5 games, highlighted by a four-RBI night on Friday during Cleveland’s 10-8 win over Pittsburgh. However, Naylor had to be helped off the field with what was deemed a bruised left ankle, sustained while running to first on a run-scoring single in the eighth inning.
“He’s good. He told me he wants to play (Saturday),” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “He’s going to be sore. … Fortunately there’s no structural damage, just a bone bruise.”
The American League Central-leading Guardians, who have won two straight after losing three in a row against the Kansas City Royals, also got a key contribution on Friday from Jhonkensy Noel. The rookie homered, his fourth long ball in nine games. In his past 15 games, Noel has seven homers and 14 RBIs.
Cleveland pounded out 16 hits against an unraveling Pittsburgh pitching staff that has allowed 51 runs — 46 earned — and 60 hits during the team’s current four-game losing streak.
“We gotta finish innings. We gotta execute,” said Pirates manager Derek Shelton, whose team overcame a 4-0 hole to lead 6-4 on Friday, only to allow four runs in the fifth.
Despite Pittsburgh’s recent pitching woes, Andrew McCutchen, fresh off the injured list, is batting .333 with four homers and 15 RBIs during a 12-game hitting streak. Meanwhile, teammate Oneil Cruz is batting .436 with seven RBIs during a 10-game hitting streak.
The Pirates will face 33-year-old Matthew Boyd (1-0, 2.70 ERA) on Saturday. The left-hander, who signed with Cleveland as free agent in late June, hadn’t pitched in more than a year while recovering from Tommy John surgery before making his 2024 debut on Aug. 13. In three starts, he has exceeded expectations while striking out 12 and walking five in 16 2/3 innings.
On Sunday against the Texas Rangers, Boyd yielded a run, three hits and one walk over a season-high six innings during a 4-2 victory. He fanned four.
“I’m grateful, without a doubt,” Boyd said. “You always want to expect the best, right? You don’t go in there expecting anything else but that.”
Boyd is 0-2 with an 8.84 ERA in four career starts against the Pirates, all with the Detroit Tigers, but he hasn’t faced Pittsburgh since 2020.
Pittsburgh will counter on Saturday with Luis Ortiz (5-4, 3.36 ERA), who will make his 10th straight start since joining the rotation in early July. The right-hander posted a 6.26 ERA during a five-start stretch before he threw six scoreless innings in a no-decision against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday. Pittsburgh won the game 4-3.
Ortiz gave up four hits and a walk and hit two batters while striking out five. Shelton lauded Ortiz’s ability to make some in-game adjustments to avoid serious trouble and extend his start.
“That’s the maturity of Luis Ortiz,” Shelton said of the pitcher, who has seen his most extensive big-league action with 32 appearances.
