Ben Lively

Lively was cruising until the Royals hit three straight singles to start the fourth inning. He almost wriggled out of the jam before Tommy Pham belted a three-run homer to break this game open and effectively end Lively's night. His command fell by the wayside as that inning went on, but Lively's velocity was up nearly two ticks across the board. He's scheduled for an enticing two-start week starting next Monday against the White Sox and then the Rays.

The Pirates fell behind 4-0 early in this one, then rallied to score six times in the fifth inning to take the lead -- the final two on a 406-foot two-run bomb by Tellez off of Guardians' right-hander Ben Lively. With his two-hit attack, the 29-year-old slugger is now hitting .257/.304/.413 with 12 long balls and 48 RBI on the season.

Woof. The 32-year-old hurler walked one and struck out three in the ballgame. He cruised through the first four innings unscathed, but the wheels fell off for him in the fifth inning as the Pirates piled on six runs -- the final two on a two-run blast by Rowdy Tellez that chased Lively from the game. He got seven swings and misses on 94 pitches on the night, registering a CSW of 32 percent. He'll look to bounce back as he carries a 3.92 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and a 105/42 K/BB ratio (131 innings) into Wednesday's matchup against the Royals in Kansas City.

The 29-year-old slugger was pulled from Wednesday's game due to an apparent injury, but it appears that the off-day on Thursday served him well. Tellez will start at first base and bat fifth against Ben Lively and the Guardians on Friday evening in Cleveland.

Lively gave up five hits, walked one and struck out four. The win was his 11th of the year. Lively has allowed three runs or less in all but three of his 23 starts for the Guardians this year. He has a 3.62 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 102 strikeouts in 126 2/3 innings this year. The 32-year-old right-hander is set to face the Pirates at home next week.