Pray For Priester To Pitch Pittsburgh To A Win

Guardians vs. Pirates, 7:05 ET

There aren't too many times I would choose a game like this. In this matchup we have two pitchers with minimal Major League experience. One of them does have starts under his belt (all were last year), the other is making his major league debut. However, I'm making an exception in this game for a specific reason. Tonight, we have a chance to put a play in on a game between the Guardians and the Pirates.

It doesn't matter how many times I write this, nothing is changing with the Guardians. The AL Central will come down to whatever team gets hot in September. Right now, the majority of these teams just are barely hanging on and doing whatever they can to stay within striking distance of first place in the division. The Guardians are throwing whatever they can against the wall in terms of pitching to see what sticks. Tonight, they are sending out Xzavion Curry to the hill. This will be Curry's first start of the season, but he already has 23 appearances out of the bullpen. He hasn't given up an earned run over 4.2 innings this month. For whatever reason, the Guardians have lost eight consecutive games that Curry has appeared in. Maybe that is a coincidence, but he has allowed runs in four of the eight games. The Guardians have also scored a total of nine runs in those games. Run support is always an issue for the Guardians, but that's a pretty alarming ratio.

The Guardians might have trouble figuring out the debut of Pirates righty, Quinn Priester (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Tonight might not have happened if the Pirates were playing as well as they were in June. When Pittsburgh was in first place, they had their eyes on the playoffs, now they once again have shifted to the future. I mentioned I normally don't bet on games with pitchers making their debut. I'm making an exception for a personal reason. Tonight, Quinn Priester takes the mound for the Pirates. Priester was the 18th pick in the 2019 draft and has been ranked as a top-100 prospect almost his entire time in the minors. I was lucky enough to work with Quinn's mother, Christine (Chris), earlier in my career. If Quinn is anything like Chris, he is going to be poised, determined, and strategic in his approach, but he will also be competitive with a drive to be the best. I'm sure she will be there cheering him on tonight as well. I've been following Quinn for years - back then, football was a real possibility for him too - so I feel confident that he will get off to a good start and am familiar with his pitches. I'm not saying the kid will go out and throw a no-hitter, but I do think this is a great situation for him: home start against a team that isn't the most offensively talented in the league.

Yes, I'm going to take the Pirates to win this game at +100. The Guardians bullpen will be taxed a bit - I don't expect more than a few innings out of Curry. I do expect that Priester can make it five innings as long as nerves don't get the best of him. I do truly believe this is a winner, but I could also be blinded by my allegiance to a former colleague's child, so feel free to fade or skip. I'm taking the Pirates today at +100.

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