Two of the National League’s best teams will duke it out Friday in the first of three games at PNC Park as the Pittsburgh Pirates host the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are road favorites for the contest at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark.
The NL West-leading Dodgers wrap up a six-game eastern road trip in Pittsburgh after taking two of three from the Philadelphia Phillies to improve to 6-1 in their past seven games overall.
Los Angeles got an outstanding hitting performance Thursday at Philadelphia from pitcher Zack Greinke, who went 3-for-3 from the plate with a home run to help overcome his worst start in three years during a 10-8 victory.
The Dodgers have now hit double digits in runs twice in seven games with the over going 4-3 for totals bettors during that stretch. However, the under had cashed in three of Los Angeles’ previous four games before Thursday.
The Pirates still hold the lead for the top wild-card spot in the National League, and they are 7-1 to win the NL pennant and 14-1 on the odds to win the World Series compared to 7-1 for the Dodgers on the World Series odds.
Pittsburgh has alternated wins and losses in seven straight games and will send ace Gerrit Cole (14-5, 2.29 ERA) to the mound in the series opener. Cole and the Pirates will take on Los Angeles’ Clayton Kershaw (9-6, 2.37), who currently has a 37-inning scoreless streak.
Pittsburgh has seen the under cash in three of four, and Friday’s pitching matchup makes it a good candidate to become four of five. The Pirates have lost three of Cole’s last four starts following a run of nine wins in 10 outings, and the under has cashed in each of his past three following a run of four consecutive over results.
The other two games of the Pirates vs. Dodgers betting matchup on Saturday and Sunday set up well for Pittsburgh from a starting pitching perspective and could mean favorite status in both. On Saturday, lefty Francisco Liriano (7-6, 2.92) will toe the rubber for the Pirates against Mat Latos (4-7, 4.29) of the Dodgers.
Then the Sunday Night Baseball matchup will feature Pittsburgh’s Charlie Morton (7-4, 4.19) versus Los Angeles’ Alex Wood (7-7, 3.65). Bettors should keep in mind that the Pirates still own one of the best home records in baseball (36-18), while the Dodgers have a losing mark on the road (25-28).
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