The Pittsburgh Pirates are 6-2 in their last eight games against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Pirates will be looking to continue that success in a three-game series between the two teams starting on Friday in Pittsburgh.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates weekend matchup, betting odds
Two of the National League’s best teams meet over the weekend when the Los Angeles Dodgers pay a visit to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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Pittsburgh is a +120 home underdog in Friday night's series opener at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Staff ace Gerrit Cole will pitch for the Pirates as the team attempts to solve Clayton Kershaw, who will take the mound for the Dodgers as a -140 road favorite.
After getting a short 1-5 slump out of the way in the middle of July, the Pittsburgh Pirates have gotten back to doing what they do best, and that is winning. Pittsburgh went into that slump with an 8-1 record over its previous nine games, and has come out of it with an 8-4 record over its last 12.
With a record of 62-44 on the season, the Pirates currently sit in the top spot among the NL Wild Card teams, but are still six games back from catching the St. Louis Cardinals for the lead in the NL Central.
The Los Angeles Dodgers weren't able to get one of the big name pitchers available at the trade deadline, but they instead solidified their staff with two solid back end guys. Mat Latos and Alex Wood were acquired to strengthen a bottom of the rotation that has been in disarray all season beneath Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke.
Kershaw enters Friday’s game with a scoreless streak of 37 innings, his second scoreless streak of over 35 innings so far this season. The Dodgers are 6-1 over their last seven games, according to the OddsShark MLB Database.
Friday night's total for the Dodgers vs. Pirates betting matchup is set at six runs at the sportsbooks. Six total runs or fewer have been scored in each of Clayton Kershaw's last seven starts.
Both the Dodgers and the Pirates come into this game with 62 wins, and both have seemingly established themselves as legitimate playoff contenders. Over the weekend, Latos will go up against Francisco Liriano on Saturday and Wood will face Charlie Morton in prime time on Sunday Night Baseball.
