Three strong MLB bets headline the September 9 slate: Pirates-Orioles Under 2.5 runs first 3 innings (Ashcraft vs Bradish), Athletics Over 2.5 runs first 5 (May struggles, A’s power at home), and Yankees Over 4.5 runs (Mize fade amid Tigers’ lineup). Road woes for Pittsburgh and the bloom of Baltimore’s home edge frame the night’s value plays.

Also noted are situational angles: Ashcraft’s innings limit, Bradish’s first-time-through-the-order stability, May’s recent home-run trouble, and the Yankees’ potent offense against a fade-prone Casey Mize. These elements shape a compact, targeted night of bets with clear upside for fantasy and betting enthusiasts.

Week 24 of the 2025 fantasy baseball calendar centers on two-start pitchers with playoff implications. Yu Darvish anchors the streamer tier, drawing favorable home matchups against CIN and COL in Petco Park. Framber Valdez gets two starts against TOR and ATL, while Shota Imanaga tackles ATL and TB, offering a premium strikeout floor with solid ratios. Nick Lodolo and Jose Quintana land strong rosters with CIN and MIL in two-start weeks, and Adrian Houser alongside Eury Pérez bring enticing upside for longer weeks. Braxton Ashcraft, perched as a sleeper, carries multi-inning potential against two middling offenses, rounding out a slate that blends risk, reward, and strategic waiver moves.

With rosters under 50% in several cases, the waiver wire remains fertile for Week 24. The mix of high-floor arms and upside rockets provides a blueprint for playoff push lineups: leverage pitcher-friendly venues, weigh opponent lineups, and balance safe starts with upside streams. This week’s batch emphasizes two-start viability that can swing ratio stats and keep your ratios competitive during the final stretch.

The Pirates blanked Los Angeles 3-0 on Sept. 3 behind a steady start from Braxton Ashcraft and a sharp relief outing from Mike Burrows. Ashcraft logged five innings with defiant baserunner pressure early, leaving with a 2-0 edge after Reynolds and McCutchen drilled solo shots in the first two frames. Burrows in relief erased a pair of Dodgers threats, including a bases-loaded moment that ended with a Freeman double play on Ohtani’s leadoff double. The win secures Pittsburgh’s sixth straight home victory and its first winning home record since 2018, with ten home games left on the schedule.

Reynolds opened the scoring with a solo homer in the first and McCutchen followed in the second, padding the lead and providing the offense the pitching staff could lean on. The Dodgers threatened again in the middle innings but couldn’t muster a run, as Burrows and the bullpen kept L.A. off the board. It’s a notable performance for a Pirates club that has been exceptionally stingy at PNC all year, leveraging timely hitting and bullpen depth to climb ahead of a crowded playoff conversation for fantasy managers monitoring Pirates pitchers and hitters down the stretch.

Dodgers drop a 9-7 decision in Pittsburgh as the Pirates capitalize on eight walks and two big first- and sixth-inning rallies. Clayton Kershaw weathered a four-run first but then shut down Pittsburgh for five innings, while LA’s offense, boosted by Shohei Ohtani and Andy Pages homers, couldn’t string rallies together. Edgardo Henríquez struggled in relief, and Dennis Santana closed out the ninth for the Pirates. Ohtani is set to debut at PNC Park against Braxton Ashcraft in the next meeting.