5-2-23 – By Christian Wolf – @CWolfPGH on Twitter
When & Who
Oakland Athletics (12-49) at Pittsburgh Pirates (31-27)
Game 1 – (6/5, 7:05 EST)
Probable Pitchers:
For the Pirates – Johan Oviedo (3-4, 4.50 ERA)
For the Athletics – JP Sears, (0-3, 4.37 ERA)
Game 2 – (6/6, 7:05 EST)
Probable Pitchers:
For the Pirates – Mitch Keller (7-1, 3.25 ERA)
For the Athletics – James Kaprielian (0-6, 8.12 ERA)
Game 3 – (6/7, 12:35 EST)
Probable Pitchers:
For the Pirates – Roansy Contreras (3-4, 4.82 ERA)
For the Athletics – Hogan Harris (0-0, 6.97 ERA)
Team Trends
The Athletics are bad. Worse than bad. Their owner is counting down the games until he can move to Las Vegas. The A’s fans no longer show up to games. They are on pace to win less than 40 games. Next question.
The Pirates are coming off a series sweep of the Cardinals, and have won five in a row. The bullpen was fantastic all series and the offense did just enough in each game to get the win. David Bednar completed saves in three straight games for the first time in his career.
Who’s Hot
For the Athletics – Ramon Laureano – Laureano collected hits in each game against the Marlins, and struck out only twice in the series. He is hitting .400 (8-20) over his last seven games.
For the Pirates – Ke’Bryan Hayes – This is certainly a welcome site. Hayes had two three-hit games against the Cardinals, going 7-for-11 in the series overall and hitting two home runs. Hayes is hitting .310 (9-29) over his last seven games.
Who’s Not
For the Athletics – Aledmys Diaz – Plenty of options here, and Diaz is one. He is hitting just .100 (2-20) over his last seven games and did not collect a hit in the series against Miami, and struck out three times.
For the Pirates – Jack Suwinski – Suwinski collected just one hit against the Cardinals, and had three strikeouts. He is hitting just .212 over his past thirty games.
Series Overview & Prediction
Plain and simple, the Pirates are the better team, no matter where you look. The Athletics pitching staff is historically bad, and their offense has been trending downward recently as well. This team is 12-49. TWELVE WINS, and we are in June.
The Pirates, really, should sweep the A’s, no questions asked. But because I feel personally like I am the great jinx master; I will settle for a simple series win in terms of winning two of the three games. But it really will not get easier for the Bucs again this season.
Steel City Pirates 