The Athletics opened a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Sacramento on the night of the article, and the timing matters because they are in the middle of 32 games in 34 days. After a six-game stretch in Las Vegas, they came home with a 4-2 run that included two of three against the Milwaukee Brewers and two of three against the Colorado Rockies.
That is why Pirates vs Athletics was drawing attention now: it was not just another series, but the next stop in a grind that has left little room to breathe. The Athletics were back in Sacramento after a six-game series in Las Vegas, which served as a preview of the team's future home, and they were doing it in Sacramento's heat while trying to keep momentum from a week that included a 15-14 loss to the Brewers and enough offense to win the other four games.
The Pirates arrived with a 36-36 record, fourth place in the NL Central, and little margin for another stumble after losing seven of their past ten games. They have been built around young pitching, with Paul Skenes leading the way, and that staff had still managed to rank fourth in starter's ERA in the National League. But the record also told a less flattering truth: a club that once made the postseason three times between 2013-2015 has not had a winning season since 2015, and since 2017 it has finished either fourth or fifth in the NL Central.
Jared Jones was set to start against J.T. Ginn on opening night, giving the matchup a sharper edge because Jones missed all of last season and the early part of this year with an elbow injury before making three starts after returning from the IL. Ginn had his own rebound test after allowing five runs against the Milwaukee Brewers in his previous outing. On Tuesday, Mitch Keller and Jack Perkins were scheduled to face each other, a pairing that keeps the series centered on pitching even as both teams carry different kinds of pressure into it.
For the Athletics, the challenge is simple: keep stacking results through a crowded calendar. For the Pirates, the task is harder, because a.500 record can keep them in the conversation only if the next stretch looks more like their first half than their last ten games.
