Athletics look to stop 6-game skid against Pirates
Oakland Athletics (14-19, fifth in the AL West) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (14-14, fourth in the AL Central)
Pittsburgh; Friday, 7 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Athletics: Brett Anderson (3-2, 4.36 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 18 strikeouts) Pirates: Joe Musgrove (3-2, 1.54 ERA, .91 WHIP, 31 strikeouts)
LINE: Pirates favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 7 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: Oakland enters the matchup as losers of their last six games.
The Pirates are 6-7 on their home turf. Pittsburgh has slugged .368 this season. Bryan Reynolds leads the club with a .724 slugging percentage, including seven extra-base hits.
The Athletics are 4-11 on the road. Oakland's team on-base percentage of .311 is fourth in the American League. Matt Chapman leads the club with an OBP of .385. This is the first game between these teams in 2019.
TOP PERFORMERS: Josh Bell leads the Pirates with six home runs and is slugging .588. Starling Marte is 10-for-45 with two doubles, three home runs and nine RBIs over the last 10 games for Pittsburgh.
Chapman leads the Athletics with 16 extra base hits and is slugging .570. Robbie Grossman is 4-for-28 with a double, two home runs and three RBIs over the last 10 games for Oakland.
LAST 10 GAMES: Pirates: 2-8, .229 batting average, 5.46 ERA, outscored by 27 runs
Athletics: 3-7, .218 batting average, 4.64 ERA, outscored by 11 runs
Pirates Injuries: Edgar Santana: 60-day IL (elbow), Chad Kuhl: 60-day IL (elbow), Nick Burdi: 10-day IL (biceps), Chris Archer: 10-day IL (thumb), Corey Dickerson: 10-day IL (shoulder), Lonnie Chisenhall: 10-day IL (finger), Jose Osuna: 10-day IL (neck), Kevin Newman: 10-day IL (finger), Erik Gonzalez: 60-day IL (collarbone), Jacob Stallings: 10-day IL (neck), Francisco Cervelli: day-to-day (hand/wrist).
Athletics Injuries: Lou Trivino: day-to-day (thumb), Sean Manaea: 60-day IL (shoulder), Daniel Gossett: 60-day IL (elbow), Marco Estrada: 10-day IL (lumbar strain), Jharel Cotton: 60-day IL (elbow), Nick Martini: 10-day IL (knee), Mark Canha: 10-day IL (wrist), Matt Olson: 10-day IL (hand), Chris Herrmann: 60-day IL (knee).
