Pirates and Athletics meet in series rubber match

By AP News Published Sep 21, 2025 01:07 am

Athletics (73-82, fourth in the AL West) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (66-89, fifth in the NL Central)

Pittsburgh; Sunday, 1:35 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Athletics: Mitch Spence (3-5, 4.48 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 64 strikeouts); Pirates: Mike Burrows (2-4, 4.10 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 94 strikeouts)

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Pirates -112, Athletics -107; over/under is 8 1/2 runs

BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Pirates and Athletics meet on Sunday with the winner claiming the three-game series.

Pittsburgh is 66-89 overall and 43-37 at home. The Pirates have a 35-9 record in games when they scored at least five runs.

The Athletics are 73-82 overall and 40-40 in road games. The Athletics have a 52-18 record in games when they scored five or more runs.

Sunday’s game is the third time these teams square off this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Oneil Cruz has 18 doubles, three triples, 19 home runs and 57 RBIs for the Pirates. Spencer Horwitz is 8 for 29 with three doubles and two home runs over the last 10 games.

Nick Kurtz leads the Athletics with 33 home runs while slugging .615. Jacob Wilson is 13 for 38 with four doubles, a home run and three RBIs over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Pirates: 2-8, .195 batting average, 3.21 ERA, outscored by 10 runs

Athletics: 7-3, .244 batting average, 2.83 ERA, outscored opponents by eight runs

INJURIES: Pirates: Ronny Simon: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Endy Rodriguez: 60-Day IL (elbow), Enmanuel Valdez: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Jared Jones: 60-Day IL (elbow)

Athletics: Sean Newcomb: 15-Day IL (elbow), Zack Gelof: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Ben Bowden: 60-Day IL (lat), Joey Estes: 15-Day IL (back), Jacob Lopez: 15-Day IL (flexor), Jack Perkins: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Austin Wynns: 60-Day IL (abdomen), Denzel Clarke: 10-Day IL (abductor), Grant Holman: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Gunnar Hoglund: 60-Day IL (hip), Jose Leclerc: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Luis Medina: 60-Day IL (elbow)

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

By The Associated Press