Subscribe
Follow Us
Walker Buehler and the Los Angeles Dodgers end their series with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Dodgers-Pirates prediction and pick.
Dodgers-Pirates Projected Starters
Walker Buehler vs. Bailey Falter
Walker Buehler (1-3) with a 4.32 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP
Last Start: Last time out, Buehler went six innings against the Rockies, giving up four runs, with three earned. He gave up six hits and four walks in the game and took the loss.
2024 Road Splits: Buehler has struggled on the road this year. He has made two starts on the road, going just nine innings, and giving up six runs. Home runs have been an issue for Buehler on the road. He has given up four home runs in nine innings on the road so far, while players have hit .314 off of Buehler.
Bailey Falter (3-2) with a 3.22 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP.
Last Start: Last time out, Falter pitched six innings, giving up two hits and two walks while striking out five. He was not scored on in the game, but the Pirates would fall in 14 innings to the Blue Jays.
2024 Home Splits: Bailey Falter is 2-0 in five starts at home this year. He has pitched 31.2 innings, giving up nine runs. Players have hit just .184 against Falter, but they have hit five home runs in those 31.2 innings at home.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Dodgers-Pirates Odds
Los Angeles Dodgers: -1.5 (-115)
Moneyline: -188
Pittsburgh Pirates: +1.5 (-104)
Moneyline: +156
Over: 9 (-108)
Under: 9 (-112)
How to Watch Dodgers vs. Pirates
Time: 6:40 PM ET/ 3:40 PM PT
TV: SNLA/SNP
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Dodgers Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Dodgers are seventh in the majors in runs scored, while sitting fifth in batting average, second in on-base percentage, and third in slugging. Shohei Ohtani has been great this year for the Dodgers. He is hitting .321 on the year with a .390 on-base percentage. Ohtani has 17 doubles and 14 home runs, leading to 38 RBIs and 41 runs scored. Ohtani has also stolen 14 bases. Teoscar Hernandez is tied with Ohtani to lead the team in RBIs. He is hitting .251 this year and has 12 home runs on the year. Hernandez has also scored 33 times. Rounding out the top bats on the year is Mookie Betts. He is hitting .314 on the year, with 14 doubles and nine home runs. This has led to 32 RBIs and 43 runs scored.
There have been some struggles for the Dodgers offense in the last week. Will Smith has been solid in his last week though. He is hitting .400 in his last four games, with two home runs, three RBIS, and three runs scored. Further, Shohei Ohtani is hitting just .222 in the last week, but he has a home run and three RBIs. Jason Heyward has been solid in the last week too, with a .400 on-base percentage, with two RBIS and three runs scored.
Current Dodgers have just 18 at-bats against Bailey Falter in their career. They have hit just .22 against him with a home run and two RBIs. The home runs and two RBIs come from Teoscar Hernandez. He has one hit in three at-bats, but the one hit is the two-run home run.
Why The Pirates Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Pirates are 23rd in runs scored this year while sitting 26th in batting average, 24th in on-base percentage, and 27th in slugging percentage. Bryan Reynolds has been great this year. He is hitting .257 this year, with 12 doubles and eight home runs. This has led to 32 RBIs and 21 runs scored. Connor Joe has also been solid this year. He is hitting .276 on the year with six home runs and 24 RBIS. He has also scored 33 times. Rounding out the top bats is Andrew McCutchen. McCutchen is hitting .234, with eight home runs and 20 RBIs.
It has been McCutchen to led the team in the last seven days. He is hitting .280 with a home run and six RBIs, plus five runs scored in his previous six games. Meanwhile, Rowdy Tellez has been better as of late. He is hitting .313 in the last week, with four RBIs and a run scored.
Current members of the Pirates have 25 career at-bats against Walker Buehler. They have hit .360 with a .429 on-base percentage against Buehler. Still, they have just one RBI in those 25 at-bats. That is from Bryan Reynolds, who is two for nine with a solo home run in his time against Buehler.
Final Dodgers-Pirates Prediction & Pick
The Dodgers offense struggled in the first game of the series, but now have a solid match-up against Bailer Falter. Players like Mookie Betts, and Teoscar Hernandez are not driving in runs as of late, but that will turn around in this one. Take the Dodgers to get the win.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Dodgers-Pirates Prediction & Pick: Dodgers ML (-188)
