Athletics vs Pirates Prediction, Picks, Odds

Covers

07 June 2023

Athletics vs Pirates Prediction, Picks, Odds

Both the Pirates and Athletics are sending liabilities to the mound on Wednesday afternoon, such that even Oakland can think about putting numbers up. Find out who our MLB picks are backing.

The Oakland Athletics and the Pittsburgh Pirates wrap up a three-game interleague series at PNC Park in the Steel City on Wednesday afternoon.

The A’s have resembled an actual major league team lately, going a respectable 3-5 across the past eight games. That’s not great, but with a 13-50 overall record, it’s a big improvement.

The Pirates suffered an embarrassing 11-2 setback in the middle game of the set Tuesday, following up a narrow 5-4 win in the series opener.

Can the A’s win their second series in the past three tries, or will the Pirates right the ship as MLB odds favorites? We’ll discuss in our MLB picks and predictions for Athletics vs. Pirates on Wednesday, June 7.

Athletics vs Pirates odds

Athletics vs Pirates predictions

The A’s snapped a 15-game road losing streak in a big way with the 11-2 win on Tuesday. Jace Peterson had two homers and a career-high five hits while picking up five RBI. It was also a milestone night, as he had his 500th career major league knock. As a result of the huge game, he raised his batting average 24 points to .218.

The Athletics looked like they forgot to pack their hitting shoes in the first two games down in Miami to kick off this nine-game road trip. However, Oakland has found its stride in the past three outings, piling up 20 runs, which is well above the team’s 3.51 runs per game average on the season.

Oakland continues to struggle on the pitching side, ranking dead-last in the majors with a 6.59 ERA and 1.62 WHIP, while checking in second-to-last with just 12 quality starts.

The A’s turn to LHP Hogan Harris for his first major league start on Wednesday afternoon. The Ragin’ Cajun has allowed eight runs with six walks and 10 strikeouts across 10 1/3 innings in three long relief appearances.

The Pirates counter with RHP Roansy Contreras, who probably wishes he was on the road like the A’s. Contreras has a solid 3.12 ERA and .223 opponent batting average in 26 road innings over four starts and a relief appearance, but he has a 2-2 record, 6.30 ERA and .299 OBA in 30 IP at home across six starts.

With Contreras struggling when he toes the slab at home, and a southpaw making his first major league start, I expect to see plenty of offense under the sun in Pittsburgh.

My best bet: Over 8.5 (-120 at BetMGM)

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Athletics vs Pirates moneyline analysis

The A’s have some rather ugly numbers despite the recent uptick. With Tuesday’s win, Oakland is still just 1-6 in the past seven interleague road games, while going 3-13 in the past 16 interleague road outings against a right-handed starting pitcher.

Oakland has been god-awful stacking wins, too, going 2-10 in the past 12 following a victory. In addition, Oakland is still just 14-47 in the past 61 against teams with a winning overall record.

Pittsburgh saw its six-game win streak snapped with the blowout loss on Tuesday, but it is still 4-1 in the past five games at home.

The Bucs have handled the twig well against southpaws lately, too, going 11-4 in the past against left-handed starting pitchers, and 7-3 in the past 10 at home vs. LHP.

Look for the Bucs to bounce back and send the A’s out of town holding an L.

Athletics vs Pirates Over/Under analysis

The A’s have seen the Over come in at a 3-0-1 clip across the past four games, while going 3-0-1 in the past four interleague games, too.

In addition, the Over has connected a 3-0-1 clip in the past four games against a right-handed starting pitcher. Some of that has to do with slightly better offensive production, but it also has a lot to do with the team ranking dead-last in ERA on the pitching side, too.

For the Bucs, the Over is 4-0-1 in the past five games against an opponent with a winning percentage under .400, for which the A’s certainly qualify.

The Over is also 18-7-1 in the past 26 tries against American League West Division foes, while cashing at a 3-1-1 clip in the past five games overall against the AL.

Again, we have an inexperienced pitcher for the A’s against a very giving pitcher at home for the Bucs. Look for a lot of offense in this getaway game, and pair the Over with the home side for a nice parlay opportunity, too.

Athletics vs Pirates game info

Starting pitchers

Hogan Harris (0-0, 6.97 ERA): The 26-year-old southpaw from Lafayette, Louisiana is making his first-ever start in the majors, and just his fourth-ever appearance overall. He had a nightmare debut April 14, as he was hammered for six earned runs while allowing five walks and just one hit in just a third of an inning. After some seasoning at Triple-A Las Vegas, he has bounced back with 10 strong innings of long relief, allowing a total of just two runs and six hits with one walk and 10 strikeouts.

Roansy Contreras (3-4, 4.82 ERA): The Dominican right-hander was slapped around for five runs and seven hits (including two homers) in a no-decision last time out against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday. He hasn’t picked up a win since April 26, a span of five starts and six appearances. He has allowed 19 earned runs and 31 hits with 11 walks and just 18 strikeouts across the past 28 1/3 innings during the nosedive.