The Pittsburgh Pirates (14-16) travel to face off against the Oakland Athletics (13-17) on Tuesday, April 30th. This game will be played at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland and televised on NSPCA. 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 Athletics. First pitch is set for 9:40 ET.
Pirates vs Athletics
It was all Oakland in the last game of this series, as the A’s took down the Pirates by a score of 5-1. The A’s offense only had two more hits than the Pirates and struck out 10 times, but still picked up a convincing win. Heading into the game, they were at +109 on the money line.
Pittsburgh got on the board first with a run in the top of the first, but the A’s responded with one run in the bottom half of the inning and took the lead for good with two more runs in the 4th. As for the Pirates, they could only muster one more run in the 5th.
Oakland’s big 4th inning came against Pirates starter Bailey Falter, who gave up five earned runs in just five innings of work and took the loss. Joe Boyle got the win for the A’s out of the bullpen, going five innings and giving up just one hit.
Pittsburgh is 14-16 overall and trail the Cubs by 4.5 games in the NL Central. The Pirates lost the first game of this series vs. the Athletics after taking the final game of their series vs. the Giants. So far, they are 2-2 in division games.
At home, the Pirates are 5-7 this year, and they have gone 9-9 on the road. As the favorite, the Pirates are just 3-6 this year and 11-10 as the underdog. Pittsburgh’s overall series record is 3-3-3 this year.
The Pirates have been a solid bet against the run line this season, going 17-13 overall. They have been especially good on the road, where they are 11-7 against the run line. They have been a better bet as the underdog, going 14-7 against the run line. Their average run margin in winning games is +2.9, while it is -3.1 in losing games.
After a four-game under streak, the Pittsburgh Pirates have had a combined run average of 8.1 runs per game this season. Their over/under record is 13-17, and the average over/under line for their games is 8 runs. So far, 50% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs, and in games with an over/under line of 8 runs, their record is 3-4.
Mitch Keller Gets The Start For The Pirates
Pittsburgh is sending Mitch Keller to the mound today, and he has made six starts this season. Keller’s ERA is currently 5.14, and his record for the season is 2-2. Looking back at his last outing, Keller finished with a no-decision after giving up four earned runs in five innings of work. He did give up a home run in that outing. Before that, he had won two straight starts. Keller’s WHIP for the season is 1.49, and he is averaging 8.23 strikeouts per nine innings.
Pirates Offense Breakdown
Heading into today’s game, the Pirates are averaging just 3.9 runs per game, which is 23rd in the league. At home, they are even worse, averaging only 3.1 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting just .232 and have the league’s 14th worst home run total. However, they do come into the game with the 3rd fewest strikeouts in the league and have the 8th best BABIP in the league.
Andrew McCutchen has struggled for the Pirates this season, batting just .197, and he has gone just 6/29 in his last nine games. However, he does have two homers in this stretch. Bryan Reynolds has also gone deep twice in his last 10 games, but he is batting just .237 in this stretch. Ke’Bryan Hayes has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 11/34 in his last nine games and is batting .282 for the season.
The Athletics are hosting the Pirates today with an overall record of 13-17, which has them 3.5 games behind the Mariners for the AL West lead. Oakland has won two straight games, taking the final game of their series vs. the Orioles and the first game of this series vs. the Pirates. So far, they are 2-1 in division games this year.
At home, the Athletics are just 5-9 this season compared to an even 8-8 on the road. This year, they have really struggled in night games, going 4-11. As the underdog, the Athletics are 11-17 this year, and they have yet to win a series this year, coming in at 4-4-1.
The Athletics have been a solid bet against the run line this season, going 16-14 overall. They have been especially good on the road, where they are 10-6 against the run line. They have also been a good bet as the underdog, going 16-12 against the run line in those games. Their average run differential in wins is +2.2, while it is -3.9 in losses.
Today’s over/under line for the Oakland Athletics game against the Pittsburgh Pirates is set at 8 runs. The combined run average for Athletics games this season is 7.2 runs per game, and their over/under record is 13-16. When the over/under line has been set at 8 runs, their record is 4-5-1. So far this season, 10 of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs, accounting for 33.3% of their games.
Alex Wood Gets The Start For The Athletics
Alex Wood will be looking to build off his last outing, where he faced the Yankees and picked up the win. In that start, he went 5 2/3 innings and gave up just one earned run. Looking at his overall numbers, Wood has made six starts and has a record of 1-2. His ERA for the season is 6.58, along with a WHIP of 1.98. Opposing batters are hitting .336 off Wood this season. Out of his six starts, Wood has given up at least one homer in four of them. At home, his ERA is 9.97.
Athletics Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Athletics have been one of the league’s worst offensive teams, averaging just 3 runs per game. They have been even worse at home, averaging only 2.8 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting just .206, which is the worst mark in the league, and they are also near the bottom of the league in on-base percentage and slugging.
Shea Langeliers and Brent Rooker are the Athletics’ leaders in RBIs, but both have struggled in terms of batting average, with Langeliers hitting just .172 and Rooker at .212. However, Rooker does have five homers, which is 2nd on the team and 6th in the league. JJ Bleday is batting .232 and has gone deep just once this season.
Pirates vs Athletics Prediction
Our prediction for today’s Pirates vs. Athletics game is to take the Pirates on the money line, with the payout being -134. We have the Pirates winning this one by a score of 5-4.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Mitch Keller finishing with seven strikeouts, which is good for fourth among today’s starters. As for Alex Wood, he is projected to finish with six strikeouts, which is good for sixth.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
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Last updated:April 30, 2024 Athletics, Pirates