Oakland Athletics vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction: An entertaining opener expected

Oakland Athletics and Pittsburgh Pirates will face off in game one of a three game series at Oakland Coliseum. Which side draws the first blood here?

The Oakland Athletics are coming off of a series win against the Baltimore Orioles, where they won two out of three games. In the first game of that series, the Oakland Athletics won 2-3; in game two, they lost. However, Oakland Athletics battled a 6-7 win in game three, giving them their fourth win in their last four games. This season, the Oakland Athletics have a 12-17 record and played better than expected at the start.

In this game 1, rookie right-hander Joe Boyle is expected to get the start for Oakland Athletics on the mound. Joe Boyle has a 1-4 record this season with a 7.06 ERA and a 1.80 WHIP over 21.2 innings pitched. Boyle has allowed two earned runs or fewer in three of his last five starts but has allowed seven earned runs against the Cleveland Guardians and Boston Red Sox.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have not shown character in the first month of this season. Pittsburgh Pirates have a record of 14-15 this season and are seated 8th in the National League while being 4th in the National League Central. In their last series, the Pittsburgh Pirates took on the San Francisco Giants and lost two of them.

On the mound this season, Bailey Falter is projected to start for the Pirates. This season, Bailey Falter has a 2-1 record with a 3.33 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP over 27.0 innings pitched.

Oakland Athletics come into this series with a win of three in their last four games, which will be a momentum boost. Pittsburgh is 9-8 on the road, but they have been awful over the last few weeks. The Oakland Athletics have been decent, but they are 4-9 on the road. While this will be a tight one, the Pittsburgh Pirates are 9-8 on the road this season, but the fact they have struggled in recent series will be a concern. Regardless, Bailey Falter has been excellent so far, and while the Pittsburgh Pirates are expected to bounce back from their recent poor play, a win for them is expected.