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.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 60-Day-ILBrooks Kriske RP — Kriske (shoulder) will be shut down from throwing for at least three weeks, Jason Burke of SI.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILDenzel Clarke CF — Clarke (hamstring) will receive a platelet-rich plasma injection Tuesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
- 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.
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.
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.