The Oakland Athletics will travel to PNC Park to conclude their three-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday afternoon. Each team has taken a game in this series so far and will look to claim the rubber match in Pittsburgh. While both teams have been knocked out of postseason contention, they are still playing for pride late in the year. Here, I break down this matchup and you can find my Athletics vs Pirates prediction below.
Our Athletics vs Pirates Pick
- Pick: Pirates moneyline
- Confidence: 3/5
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Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Athletics vs Pittsburgh Pirates
- Date & Time: Sunday, September 21, 2025, 1:35 PM ET
- Starting Pitchers: Mitch Spence (ATH) vs Mike Burrows (PIT)
- Stadium: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA
- Broadcast: SportsNet-PT, NBCS-CA
Key Storylines
Pitching matchup
Mitch Spence will take the mound for Oakland. He enters with a record of 3-5 and an ERA of 4.48. He will try to eat up as many innings as possible today to limit the exposure for a bullpen that has struggled for most of the year. Mike Burrows is on the hill for Pittsburgh. He is 2-4 with a 4.10 ERA. Burrows has not been lights-out but has been enough in spots, particularly against weaker offenses when his command is sound. Neither starter is dominant, which suggests this could become an offense-friendly affair if either team gets early runners on base.
Recent team streaks
- Athletics have won two of their last three games and will try to make it three out of four with a win today.
- The Pirates snapped a long losing streak with their win over the A’s on Saturday.
Best Player Props
| Player | Prop |
|---|---|
| Lawrence Butler (ATH) | Over 1.5 Total Bases |
| Nick Kurtz (ATH) | 1+ Home Run |
| Mike Burrows (PIT) | Over 4.5 Strikeouts |
Betting Trends & H2H
- The season series between these teams is tied 1-1.
- This is the final time these teams will play this season.
- The first two games of this series have gone under their respective totals.
Athletics vs Pirates Model Projection
Score Projection: Pirates 5 – Athletics 4
Win Probability: Pirates 52%, Athletics 48%
Final Thoughts
This game could go either way as far as I’m concerned. I’m not sure that there’s a lot of value betting it one way or the other. If I had to pick a side, it would be the Pirates at home. But I think that there is more value on the MLB betting board elsewhere on this Sunday full of games around the league. Targeting a game with playoff implications or at least something to play for on either side might be a better move.
