In this article we will formulate an Oakland Athletics vs Pittsburgh Pirates prediction for this MLB game on Monday, April 29th at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California. Let’s take a look at the prediction for game one in this series.
Oakland With a Rare Series Win
The Oakland Athletics are 12-17 this year and they have won three of their last four games. Oakland is coming off of a series win against Baltimore, where they won two out of three games. Prior to that series, the Athletics split a four game set with the Yankees and were swept by the Guardians. Oakland is not as bad as we thought they would be this season and they are currently third in the AL West, ahead of the Angels and Astros.
The Oakland pitching staff has a 4.13 ERA, a 1.31 WHIP, and a .254 opponent batting average. The Athletics offense has scored 84 runs with a .203 batting average and a .275 on base percentage. JJ Bleday is batting .227 with one home run and six RBI’s for the A’s. Oakland has one of the worst scoring offenses in the MLB so far this year, but they have held two of their last four opponents to two runs or fewer.
Pittsburgh Continues to Struggle
The Pittsburgh Pirates are 14-15 this season and they have lost 10 of their last 13 games. Pittsburgh is coming off of a series loss to the Giants, where they dropped two out of three games. Prior to that series loss, the Pirates split four games with the Brewers and were swept by the Red Sox and Mets. Pittsburgh has not won any of their last six series.
The Pittsburgh pitching staff has a 3.70 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP, and a .227 opponent batting average. The Pirates offense has scored 115 runs with a .236 batting average and a .318 on base percentage. Bryan Reynolds is batting .254 with four home runs and 17 RBI’s for the Pirates this year. Pittsburgh has struggled with both their pitching and hitting recently and they have scored three runs or fewer in 10 of their last 13 games. The Pirates are 21st in the MLB in runs scored
Starting Pitchers
The projected starting pitcher for Oakland is Joe Boyle, who is 1-4 with a 7.06 ERA and a 1.80 WHIP over 21.2 innings pitched this year. Boyle has allowed two earned runs or fewer in three of his last five starts, but has allowed seven earned runs against the Guardians and Red Sox. The projected starting pitcher for Pittsburgh is Bailey Falter, who is 2-1 with a 3.33 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP over 27.0 innings pitched this year. Falter has allowed two earned runs or fewer in four straight starts and has really been dominant over the Brewers, Mets, Phillies, and Orioles.
Oakland Athletics Team Facts
- The underdogs have won eight of the last nine games between the Pirates and Athletics.
- The underdogs have covered the run line in each of the last nine games between the Pirates and Athletics.
- The Athletics have led after 3 innings in each of their last three games against the Pirates.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the last four night games between the Pirates and Athletics.
- The Athletics have led after 5 innings in four of their last five games as home underdogs against NL Central opponents.
Pittsburgh Pirates Team Facts
- The Pirates have lost seven of their last eight games as favorites against AL West opponents following a loss.
- The Pirates have failed to cover the run line in each of their last nine games as favorites against AL West opponents.
- The Pirates have lost the first inning in four of their last five games as favorites against American League opponents.
- The Pirates have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last three games as favorites against American League opponents.
- The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Pirates’ last seven road games.
Oakland Athletics vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction
Oakland comes into this series third in the AL West and they have won three of their last four games. The Athletics have been decent with their pitching staff this season, but they are just 4-9 at home. Pittsburgh is 9-8 on the road, but they have been awful over the last few weeks. The Pirates continue to really struggle at the plate and you can’t count on them scoring more than three runs consistently. I do think Pittsburgh will have a bounce back night in this matchup, as I don’t love Joe Boyle. On the other side, Bailey Falter has been very sharp in his last four starts and faces an Oakland team that is second to last in runs scored. My Oakland Athletics vs Pittsburgh Pirates prediction is for the Pirates to get the win.