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Athletics vs. Pirates Picks, Predictions & Odds: Finding Ways to Fade Oakland

Michael McClymont

Last Updated: June 7, 2023 10:24 AM EDT • 3 min 62 sec read.

We're looking for ways to fade the historically bad Oakland A's in our Athletics vs. Pirates picks
Shintaro Fujinami #11 of the Oakland Athletics looks at a tablet as he sits in the dugout in the eighth inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on June 5. Justin Berl/Getty Images/AFP

The daytime action in the MLB kicks off with the Oakland Athletics visiting the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday. Here's our Athletics-Pirates pick based on the top MLB odds from the best sports betting apps.

Break up the Oakland Athletics! The A's snapped a five-game losing streak with an 11-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night. 

Oakland surprised while hanging five earned runs on the Pirates' Mitch Keller and hitting four home runs during the win.

But has that victory only improved the prices available to back the Pirates in the series finale?

Here is our best Athletics-Pirates pick (odds via theScore Bet; Pick confidence is based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Athletics vs. Pirates pick

Pirates -1.5 (+115 via theScore Bet) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Let's get the obvious out of the way: The A's are historically bad.

Despite winning Tuesday night, the Athletics own a 13-50 record. If the season ended today, that would stand as the ninth-worst record in MLB history, and the worst such mark since 1890, according to StatMuse.

Oakland is on pace to challenge for the most losses in MLB history and the worst record in MLB history.

The 1899 Cleveland Spiders went 20-134 and the A's are currently on pace to lose about 131 games. The worst record during a 162-game season belongs to the 2003 Detroit Tigers, who went 43-119 with a .265 winning percentage. Oakland's current winning percentage is .206.

The A's have actually won three of their last 10 contests, but they remain a heavy betting underdog on a game-by-game basis. Wednesday's matinee pits the Pirates' Roansy Contreras and his 3-4 record and 4.82 ERA against the A's Hogan Harris, a reliever who has only appeared in three games this season and sports a 6.97 ERA.

The A's are 1-25 in day games this season and the Pirates range anywhere from -175 at DraftKings to -189 through Caesars on the moneyline. With such a steep price, what's the best way to find value betting against the Athletics? Look no further than the run line.

Oakland's run differential is already at -204 after 63 games. Those 2003 Tigers finished with a -337 run differential.

With such a horrendous per-game run differential, bettors can take the Pirates on the run line with confidence. Oakland has suffered 39 multi-run defeats over its 50 losses.

Athletics vs. Pirates best odds

theScore Bet (+115)

DraftKingsFanDuelBetMGMCaesarsPointsBet
Pirates -1.5Pirates -1.5Pirates -1.5Pirates -1.5Pirates -1.5
+105+112+105+105+110

Most sportsbooks are still hanging plus-money prices on the Pirates' run line. Of our top sports betting sites, theScore Bet provides the best odds on this spread. 

Athletics vs. Pirates odds

Check out our World Series odds.

Athletics vs. Pirates odds analysis

The Pirates opened at -180 on the moneyline, but they're still drawing 80% of the bets. 

The total opened at 8.5 runs, but has since climbed to as high as 9.5. The Over has been hit hard, drawing 57% of the wagers.

Athletics vs. Pirates game info

  • Date: Wednesday, June 7, 12:35 p.m. ET
  • TV: ATT SportsNet-Pit, NBCSCA, MLB Network
  • Location: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA
  • Weather: 67 degrees, mostly cloudy, 47% chance of precipitation

Athletics-Pirates pick made 6/7/2023 at 9:49 a.m. ET.

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Written By:
Michael McClymont
Michael McClymont is a Publishing Editor for Sportsbook Review, providing coverage on NFL and college football. Prior to joining SBR, he covered football as an NFL editor at theScore. Mike has more than 15 years of experience in the journalism industry as a writer and editor. Mike enjoys a good futures bet and to hammer live in-game odds. While his favorite bet was Julian Edelman Super Bowl LIII MVP at +4000, his biggest regret was cashing out a Lamar Jackson 2019 MVP bet in Week 8, a week before he cemented the award with his highlight-reel rushing TD against the Bengals.