Pittsburgh Pirates vs Athletics Prediction, Preview and Odds - 06/17/2026

Game Time: 9:40 pm ET, Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Venue:  Sutter Health Park, West Sacramento, CA

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Pirates -120, Athletics +100; Over/Under:  10 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Pirates -120, Athletics +100; Over/Under:  10 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Pirates -115, Athletics -105; Over/Under:  10 runs

Pittsburgh Pirates:  36-37 (4th place, NL Central)

Athletics:  36-36 (2nd place, AL West)

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Pittsburgh Pirates:  2-8 last 10

Athletics:  6-4 last 10

The Pirates are entering this series off a loss and lost their 3-game series against the Miami Marlins 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 36-37 record overall and have a road record of 16-18. This is the series finale of a 3-game series with the Athletics on Wednesday with the 2nd game still to be played on Tuesday. The Pirates lost the series opener on Monday. Their offense ranks 7th in the MLB with a .736 OPS. Mitch Keller is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Braxton Ashcraft is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 5-3 with a 3.30 ERA this season. His team lost their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 2 ER, 0 HR, and 2 BB with 4 SO on 5 hits through 5 IP against the Miami Marlins.

The Athletics are entering this series off a loss and won their 3-game series against the Colorado Rockies 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 36-36 record overall and have a home record of 16-19. This is the 3rd game of a 3-game series with the Pirates on Wednesday with the 2nd game of this series still to be played on Tuesday. The Athletics won the 1st game of this series on Monday. Their offense ranks 3rd in the MLB with a .752 OPS. Jack Perkins is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Aaron Civale is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 5-2 with a 4.20 ERA this season. His team won 4 of their last 5 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 7 earned runs, 3 homers, and 1 walk with 2 strikeouts on 9 hits through 4 innings pitched against the Seattle Mariners.

The current betting odds have the Pirates listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Athletics haven't looked great in their games this season with their 36-36 record overall, but that record has them right near the top of the AL West. They haven't looked great in their own ballpark either with their 16-19 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Pirates haven't looked great in their games this season with their 36-37 record overall which has them right near the bottom of the NL Central. They haven't been a great road team either with their 16-18 road record this year. The Athletics are 6-4 in their last 10 games and they have looked a lot better than the Pirates who are 2-8 in their last 10 games and have fallen into a slump now. As bad as they have been lately, the Pirates still have one of the best offenses in MLB and this is a pitching matchup that they can take advantage of. Ashcraft is on the mound for the Pirates in this one and he has looked great this season. He is 5-3 with a 3.30 ERA and he hasn't been giving up many runs all year. His team has lost 2 games in a row now with him starting, but he is coming off a great start in which he gave up 2 earned runs and that has been a common theme for him. The Athletics are going with Civale in this one and he hasn't looked great tis season. He is 5-2 with a 4.20 ERA and he is making his 1st start back from an injury that has kept him out the last few weeks. His team has been having success with him as they have won 4 of their last 5 games with him starting, but he was terrible in his last start with 7 earned runs given up. The Pirates have the offense to put up runs in this game and they should be able to get a much needed bounce back win with some better pitching here. The best way to place a bet here is on the Pirates to win this game. 

Pirates Athletics Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Wednesday, June 17, 2026 (9:40 pm ET start time) is Pirates 6 Athletics 2.

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Pittsburgh Pirates: 15-22 (-6.7 units) on the moneyline against AL West opponents. 184-213 (-20.7 units) on the moneyline in all games. 80-115 (-18.2 units) on the moneyline in road games. 26-13 OVER as a favorite of -110 or higher.

Athletics: 93-80 (+16.6 units) on the moneyline when the money line is +125 to -125. 59-62 (+7.2 units) on the moneyline in an inter-league game. 53-50 (+9.3 units) on the moneyline vs. an NL team with a team batting average of .255 or worse. 7-2 OVER as a home underdog of +100 or higher.

Pittsburgh Pirates:  W. Dotel (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Undisclosed. O. Cruz (CF) Ten Day IL - Hand. C. Devenski (RP) Sixty Day IL - Illness. K. Griffin (SS) Ten Day IL - Flexor Tendon. J. Bart (C) Ten Day IL - Foot Infection.

Athletics:  B. Rooker (DH) Ten Day IL - Knee. B. Kriske (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. L. Severino (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Shoulder. A. Civale (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Shoulder. D. Clarke (CF) Sixty Day IL - Foot. G. Hoglund (SP) Sixty Day IL - Knee.

“Didn’t seem as sharp as his last outing. I thought the last outing, it was sharper. Fastball velo was there, seemed like the ball was coming out pretty well. Just didn’t have the breaking ball today.” - Don Kelly on Jared Jones after his team’s loss against the A’s in their game on Monday. 

“He continues to do things that are opening people’s eyes. I think that people should really pay attention to the year he’s having and where it ranks amongst those guys that are ahead of him.” - Mark Kotsay on Nick Kurtz after his team’s win against the Pirates in their game on Monday. 

Spencer Horwitz (L) 1B

Brandon Lowe (L) 2B

Bryan Reynolds (S) DH

Ryan O'Hearn (L) RF

Nick Gonzales (R) SS

Endy Rodríguez (S) C

Tyler Callihan (L) 3B

Jake Mangum (S) CF

Esmerlyn Valdez (R) LF

Nick Kurtz (L) 1B

Shea Langeliers (R) C

Tyler Soderstrom (L) LF

Jacob Wilson (R) SS

Carlos Cortes (L) DH

Zack Gelof (R) 3B

Lawrence Butler (L) RF

Henry Bolte (R) CF

Jeff McNeil (L) 2B

Batting Average:  Rafael Flores (.667)

Hits:  Nick Gonzales (74)

Home Runs:  Brandon Lowe (17)

RBI:  Brandon Lowe (46)

Stolen Bases:  Oneil Cruz (21)

Wins:  Paul Skenes (6)

Saves:  Gregory Soto (10)

ERA:  Evan Sisk (1.80)

Batting Average:  Michael Stefanic (.400)

Hits:  Shea Langeliers (76)

Home Runs:  Shea Langeliers (18)

RBI:  Nick Kurtz (57)

Stolen Bases:  Nick Kurtz (7)

Wins:  Aaron Civale (5)

Saves:  Hogan Harris (6)

ERA:  Brooks Kriske (0.00)

Managers:

Pittsburgh Pirates: Don Kelly (2nd season)

Athletics: Mark Kotsay (5th season)