Athletics vs Pittsburgh Pirates Pick and Prediction September 19th, 2025
Two teams in rebuild mode will go head-to-head when the Pirate host the Athletics on Friday at 6:40 p.m. EST in PNC Park. Check out our Sacramento Athletics vs Pittsburgh Pirates pick and prediction here!
The Athletics are finally starting to look promising with a few key players as a part of their core. They have been winning games with a 6-4 record in their last ten and an overall record of 72-81, ahead of the Angels in the AL West. If they play their cards right, the A's could be in playoff contention in a couple of years. Meanwhile, the Pirates are still stuck at the bottom of the NL Central with a 65-88 record. They are an awful 1-9 in their last ten and they have lost four in a row heading into this contest. The Pirates are barely favored at a -112 money line while the total is set at 8.5 runs. Can the A's earn an upset win on the road?
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Athletics on the Rise?
The A's played the spoiler against Boston and won by a score of 5-3 in their latest outing. Brent Rooker had a homer with two RBI and Tyler Soderstrom added an RBI in the effort. Lawrence Butler had two hits and two runs scored while Nick Kurtz also scored two runs. J.T. Ginn had a great start with two runs surrendered on five hits through six innings. The bullpen faltered a little bit, but the A's still secured the win.
The Athletics didn't make many moves at the trading deadline, but one move in particular made headlines across the baseball world. Closer Mason Miller was traded to San Diego along with JP Sears for a package of players, including Henry Baez, Eduarniel Nunez, Leo De Vries, and Braden Nett. They also sent Miguel Andujar to the Reds for Kenya Huggins in a smaller trade on the same day. The Athletics look like they are developing a solid core with Kurtz and Rooker, but the Mason Miller trade was unexpected to say the least. Leo De Vries was one of the top prospects in baseball at the time of the trade, so it will be interesting to see how he develops.
Luis Severino will take the hill as the starter for the Athletics in this one. The righty currently has a 6-11 record with a 4.82 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP in 2025, well above his career averages. Through 27 starts and 151.1 innings pitched, Severino has 116 strikeouts. He started out strong in April with a 3.82 ERA, but he continued to regress and in June he had a 7.71 ERA. He rebounded in July with a 3.81 ERA but made only one start in August. His September has been average at best with a 4.80 ERA. His past three starts against the Pirates have been good and bad, with two excellent starts in 2022 and April of 2024. His most recent start against Pittsburgh in July of 2024, however, was a start to forget.
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Pirates Planning on 2026
The Pirates fell to the Chicago Cubs by a score of 8-4. Joey Bart had a homer and three RBI on the day while Andrew McCutchen had the other RBI for Pittsburgh. Jared Triolo and Nick Gonzales each had two hits on the day, but it wasn't enough. Johan Oviedo gave up four earned runs on five hits in five innings as the starter. After the Cubs scored three runs in the sixth inning, the game was essentially over.
Pittsburgh was busy during July, albeit with several minor moves. Early on in the month, Pittsburgh traded Hunter Stratton for Titus Dumitru and cash. They later traded Adam Frazier for Cam Devanney and then sent Ke'Bryan Hayes to the Reds for a package of Taylor Rogers, Sammy Stafura, and cash. They weren't done, though, with David Bednar shipped to the Yankees for Rafael Flores, Edgleen Perez, and Brian Sanchez along with Bailey Falter sent to Kansas City for Evan Sisk and Callan Moses. This points to a clear emphasis on rebuilding, hoping to get at least a year or two of potential playoff contention with Skenes before he gets a long-term deal or leaves in free agency.
Mitch Keller will get the nod as the starter for the Pirates in this one. He has a 6-14 record with a 4.13 ERA in 30 starts this season. The righty has 140 strikeouts and a 1.25 WHIP through 167.2 innings pitched. He had a sparkling 2.93 ERA through July, but August has seemingly been his kryptonite with a 6.52 ERA. So far in September, he has returned to normal with a 3.09 ERA in two starts.
Athletics vs Pirates Pick
Money Line Pick for Athletics vs Pirates
- Athletics Money Line (4 units)
I'm sorry, but I cannot willingly pick a team that has lost nine of its last ten and has no motivation heading into this contest unless Paul Skenes is on the mound. The A's have proven they can win on the road with a 39-39 record and their last series against Boston should give them confidence heading into this series. The Athletics have won their last five in a row against the Pirates in head-to-head meetings while Luis Severino has had previous success against the Pirates. Simply put, I trust the offense of the A's to put up more runs than the Pirates, who have scored an average of only 3.56 runs per game all season.
Over/Under Pick for Athletics vs Pirates
- Under 8.5
Severino has had a couple quality starts against the Pirates and it seems that Keller has returned to his solid form earlier in the season. Keller has given up three runs or less in each of his last four starts and the Pirates are averaging just over 3.5 runs per game this year. Pittsburgh is 81-67 on the under this season and the last three meetings in 2024 resulted in the under being hit every time. The Athletics are 7-2-1 on the under in their last ten and the Pirates are 7-2 on the under in their last nine.
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