Pirates Preview: It’s Time for the Quinn & Endy Show

It figures to be a night of firsts at PNC Park when the Pittsburgh Pirates host the Cleveland Guardians at 7:05 p.m. Monday in the opener of a three-game series.

Right-hander Quinn Priester joined the Pirates on Sunday from Triple-A Indianapolis in anticipation of starting and making his major-league debut. He will face rookie right-hander Xzavion Curry (3-0, 3.04), who will be making his first start of the season for the Guardians.

The Pirates (41-52) have lost three games in a row, seven of eight and 10 of 12. The Guardians (45-48) are on a four-game losing streak.

Monday night also is expected to mark the big-league debut of Pirates catching prospect Endy Rodriguez, who will reportedly be called up from Indianapolis. Baseball America ranks Rodriguez as the Pirates’ top prospect and No. 22 overall in baseball.

Rodriguez, 23, is hitting .268/.356/.415 in 67 games with six home runs and four stolen bases this season.

Priester is 7-3 with a 4.31 ERA in 18 starts for Indianapolis but his last loss came on April 27. In his last 13 starts, the 22-year-old is 6-0 with a 3.29 ERA.

Priester last pitched on Friday at Omaha, working only one inning before being pulled in preparation for Monday’s start. He allowed one hit, struck out one and walked none.

Drafted in the first round by the Pirates in 2019, Priester has gone 20-13 in four minor-league seasons with a 3.49 ERA.

Curry will get the start for the Guardians after making 23 relief appearances in 2023. In his last outing on Saturday against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Curry worked one scoreless inning and gave up one hit while striking out two.

In 11 road appearances this season, Curry has a 4.03 ERA. His ERA is 3.18 at night in 16 games.

Curry has never faced the Pirates.

This will be the first meeting between the Pirates and Guardians since 2021. The Pirates took two of three in a series at PNC Park that year.