Pittsburgh Pirates at Athletics

By Bush StaffUpdated 68d ago·2 min read
Pittsburgh PiratesPIT(36-36)
AthleticsATH(35-36)
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Jared Jones (1-0, 4.73) draws J.T. Ginn (4-3, 3.15) for first pitch at 6:40 PM PT. Jones is still building up after a long layoff and was capped at 75 pitches over 4 innings in his last outing against the Dodgers. Ginn is the steadier arm on paper, though his last start against Milwaukee was a grind — 5 earned in 5.2 innings with 97 pitches just to get the W.

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Total
Pirates(36-36)
LWLLW
2
Athletics(35-36)
LWWWW
11
Best BetAthletics -126
Pregame

The A's at -121 feel honestly priced given Ginn's 3.15 ERA against a banged-up Pirates lineup missing Cruz. Pittsburgh has scored 8 runs in its last 3 games combined and is sending a pitcher still on a short leash. Lay it.

The bigger story for Pittsburgh is who isn't here. Oneil Cruz is on the 10-day IL with non-displaced fractures in his left hand from a home-plate slide, and Ben Cherington put the timeline at 4-to-6 weeks. Konnor Griffin (forearm) is rehabbing in Bradenton, Joey Bart is on a rehab assignment of his own, and Mike Clevinger is out roughly six weeks with an MCL sprain. That is a lot of lineup and bullpen to replace for a team that just dropped 2 of 3 at home to the Marlins.

Pittsburgh Pirates
Jared Jones
(1-1)·5.76 ERA
Jun 10 vs Dodgers
ND
4.0IP
2ER
4K
1BB
75P
06/15 Lineup
Athletics
J.T. Ginn
(6-4)·3.15 ERA
Jun 9 vs Brewers
W
5.2IP
5ER
5K
3BB
97P
06/15 Lineup
Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
(10)
  • Day-To-DayAnthony Solometo (SP)Solometo underwent left shoulder labrum surgery and is expected to be sidelined until at least April 2027, Mark Chiarelli of Baseball America reports.06/09
  • Day-To-DayMitch Jebb (LF)
  • Day-To-DayOddanier Mosqueda (RP)Mosqueda will not throw for a couple weeks due to left forearm inflammation, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.05/08
  • Day-To-DayMike Clevinger (RP)Clevinger is expected to be sidelined for around six weeks after being diagnosed with an MCL sprain in his right knee, Jason Mackey of MLB.com reports.05/08
  • Day-To-DaySean Sullivan (SP)Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Sullivan is battling right elbow soreness, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.05/08
  • 10-Day-ILOneil Cruz (CF)Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that Cruz (hand) is facing an estimated recovery timeline of 4-to-6 weeks, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.06/14
  • 10-Day-ILKonnor Griffin (SS)Griffin will report to the Pirates' facility in Bradenton, Fla. during the upcoming week to continue rehab for his right forearm strain, Aidan Stepansky of MLB.com reports.06/14
  • 10-Day-ILJoey Bart (C)Bart (foot) will begin a rehab assignment Wednesday at Single-A Bradenton, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.06/10
  • 15-Day-ILWilber Dotel (RP)The Pirates recalled Dotel from Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday.06/13
  • 60-Day-ILChris Devenski (RP)Devenski (illness) was transferred from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL on Sunday.06/07
Athletics
Athletics
(6)
  • 10-Day-ILBrent Rooker (DH)The Athletics placed Rooker on the 10-day injured list Friday, retroactive to Tuesday, due to a bone bruise in his left knee.06/12
  • 15-Day-ILAaron Civale (SP)Civale (shoulder) is expected to be reinstated from the 15-day injured list to start Wednesday's game against the Pirates in Sacramento, Jason Burke of Roundtable.io reports.06/13
  • 15-Day-ILLuis Severino (SP)The Athletics announced Tuesday that Severino has been diagnosed with a strain of his right shoulder capsule and subscapularis muscle and will be re-evaluated in 4-to-6 weeks, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.06/03
  • 60-Day-ILBrooks Kriske (RP)Kriske (shoulder) will be shut down from throwing for at least three weeks, Jason Burke of SI.com reports.06/02
  • 60-Day-ILDenzel Clarke (CF)Clarke (hamstring) will receive a platelet-rich plasma injection Tuesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.05/27
  • 60-Day-ILGunnar Hoglund (SP)Hoglund (knee/back) will be sidelined for the rest of the 2026 season after undergoing surgery on his left hip Monday.05/20

The Athletics are not exactly arriving on a cloud either. They ripped off 4 straight wins over the Brewers and Rockies before getting absolutely curb-stomped 23-9 in the Las Vegas finale Sunday — the most runs they've surrendered since 1955, per the Review-Journal. Jeffrey Springs got bled for 8 runs in 4 innings, Willi Castro put up 7 RBIs, and outfielder Carlos Cortes ended up pitching the 8th. That is the kind of loss that gets you back to your actual ballpark in a hurry.

Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
(36-36)
Jun 14Lvs Marlins2-4
Jun 13Wvs Marlins3-2
Jun 12Lvs Marlins3-8
Jun 11Lvs Dodgers6-8
Jun 10Wvs Dodgers9-8
Athletics
Athletics
(35-36)
Jun 14Lvs Rockies9-23
Jun 14Wvs Rockies7-5
Jun 13Wvs Rockies6-4
Jun 11Wvs Brewers4-3
Jun 10Wvs Brewers7-5

Aaron Civale is reportedly being lined up to come off the IL for Wednesday's game in this series, which gives the A's a real rotation again behind Ginn. The pen, on the other hand, just got dragged through 14 innings of Vegas heat and may not be fully loaded for a long Jones start. If Pittsburgh can scratch across early and turn this into a battle of middle relievers, the Pirates have a path even without their best bat.

Without Cruz, the Pirates need Bryan Reynolds and Andrew McCutchen to actually carry an offense that put up 2 and 3 runs in back-to-back losses to Miami. The A's bats — Lawrence Butler, Jacob Wilson, Tyler Soderstrom — have been the lineup that's actually shown up over the last two weeks even with Brent Rooker on the shelf with a bone bruise. The hosts look like the better team right now; the question is whether Sunday's beating lingers into Monday night.

MLBPittsburgh PiratesAthleticsPolymarketKalshiJared JonesJ.T. Ginn