The Pittsburgh Pirates (14-15) travel to face off against the Oakland Athletics (12-17) on Monday, April 29th. This game will be played at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland and televised on SN PT. The Athletics are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Pirates are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Giants. First pitch is set for 9:40 ET.
Pirates vs Athletics
The Pirates will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Giants with a 3-2 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 9th inning before the Giants scored a run in the bottom of the 9th. Pittsburgh was the -109 favorite on the money line going into the game.
Jared Jones had a rough outing, giving up three earned runs on six hits and issuing a walk. He also only lasted five innings, taking the loss. The Pirates’s offense scored their only two runs in the 5th inning. Rowdy Tellez went 2/3 with two doubles and two RBIs.
Pittsburgh’s overall record is 14-15 heading into today’s road matchup vs. the Athletics. The Pirates are 4th in the NL Central, four games behind the Brewers for the division lead. So far, they are 2-2 in divisional games this year.
The Pirates dropped the final game of their series vs. the Giants. This season, the Pirates’ series record is 3-3-3, and they are 9-8 on the road compared to 5-7 at home. As for their record as the favorite, they are 3-5 and 11-10 as the underdog.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have been a solid bet against the run line this season, going 17-12 overall. They are 11-6 against the run line on the road, where they have a positive run differential of 0.5 runs per game. However, they have been even better as an underdog, going 14-7 against the run line in those games.
The Pirates have seen their over/under line set at 8 runs in 51.7% of their games this season. Their games have averaged 8.1 runs per game, and they have a 13-16 over/under record on the year. Their games have gone under the total in three straight contests, and their over/under record when the line is set at 8 runs is 3-4.
Bailey Falter Gets The Start For The Pirates
After picking up a win in his first start of the season, Bailey Falter will be on the road to take on the Oakland Athletics. In his last outing, Falter went 7 innings, allowing just 1 earned run on 3 hits and striking out 8. He has been solid in all of his starts so far this season, as he has yet to give up more than 2 earned runs in a start.
Pirates Offense Breakdown
So far, the Pirates offense has been one of the worst in the league, averaging just 4 runs per game (22nd) and are near the bottom of the league in home runs, slugging percentage, and isolated power. One positive is that they are 3rd in the league in walks and have a good team on-base percentage of .318. As a team, the Pirates are batting just .236.
Bryan Reynolds has been the Pirates’ most consistent hitter this season, batting .254 with a team-leading 17 RBIs and 4 homers. He is also on a bit of a hot streak, going 6/25 with 2 homers over his last six games. Joey Bart, Edward Olivares, and Andrew McCutchen are all tied for 2nd on the team with 3 homers apiece.
The Athletics’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Orioles, closing out their series with a 7-6 win. After allowing six runs to the Orioles in the 4th inning, the Athletics responded with three runs of their own. Oakland went on to tie things up in the 8th with two more runs and added another two in the 9th to close things out. Going into the game, the Athletics were at +176 on the money line.
Paul Blackburn got the start for the Athletics and took the no-decision. He only lasted four innings, giving up six earned runs. Kyle McCann was the offensive star for the Athletics, going 2/4 with a homer and two RBIs.
Oakland is hosting the Pirates today with an overall record of 12-17, which has them 3rd in the AL West. The Athletics are 3.5 games behind the Mariners for the division lead. So far, they have gone 2-1 in divisional games. Oakland was able to win the final game of their series vs. the Orioles.
At home, the Athletics have gone just 4-9 this year compared to an 8-8 mark on the road. So far, they have been the underdog in most of their games, and they are 2-9 as the home underdog. Oakland’s overall series record is 4-4-1 this year.
When the Oakland Athletics win, they do so by an average of 2.0 runs per game, but when they lose, it’s by an average of 3.9 runs. They have covered the run line in 15 of 27 games as the underdog, but have yet to do so in two games as the favorite. They are 5-8 against the run line at home, but have covered in 10 of 16 road games.
When the Oakland Athletics have played at home this season, the over/under line has been set at 8 runs, and their games have averaged 7.3 runs. Overall, the over/under record for the Athletics is 13-15, and when the line has been set at 8 runs, their record is 4-5-1. So far this season, 34.5% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs, while 31.0% have had lines set lower than 8 runs.
Joe Boyle Gets The Start For The Athletics
Joe Boyle will be taking the mound for the A’s at home against the Pirates. Boyle has started 3 games this season, with his most recent outing being a loss to the Yankees. In that game, he went 3 innings and gave up 2 earned runs. In his first start of the season, he went 6 innings and gave up 7 runs to the Guardians.
Athletics Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Athletics offense has been one of the worst in the league, averaging just 2.9 runs per game, which is 29th in the MLB. They are also last in the league in batting average, hitting just .203. The team’s collective on-base percentage of .275 is also near the bottom of the league.
Shea Langeliers and Brent Rooker are the Athletics’ top home run hitters this season, but both are batting under .230. Rooker has gone just 6/30 in his last nine games, but two of those hits have been home runs. Tyler Nevin has gone 9/33 in his last nine games, with two homers.
Pirates vs Athletics Prediction
With the Pirates at -132, this is a great opportunity to take them on the money line. We have them winning this one by a score of 5-4. If you’re looking for a parlay, you could also look to the over/under, with the line sitting at 8 runs. We have this one going over, but our preferred bet is to stick with the Pirates on the money line.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Joe Boyle of the Athletics has a good chance to pick up a win, but we have him finishing with seven strikeouts, which is second best among all starters today. Bailey Falter is projected to finish with four K’s, and we have him finishing with a line of 5 IP, allowing five hits.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:April 29, 2024 Athletics, Pirates