Pittsburgh Pirates at Los Angeles Dodgers Betting Preview
16 August 2021
Pittsburgh has gone just 1-4 in their last five games, and they have gone just 18-41 away from home this season. The Pirates bring an overall record of 42-76 into this game, and they are close to being the worst team in baseball again this season.
Los Angeles has now won four of its last five games, and that includes a three-game sweep over the New York Mets this past weekend. The Dodgers have improved their record to 72-46, but it still isn’t good enough to get past the San Francisco Giants in the NL West.
It should come as no surprise that the Dodgers are massive betting favorites on the moneyline for this series opener.
Pitching Sinking the Pirates
Pittsburgh comes into this series with a team ERA that is over 5.00, and that pitching staff is going to face a real challenge on Monday night. The Pirates do have an intriguing starting pitcher on the mound, but that bullpen has been a disaster.
Steven Brault will be on the mound on Monday night, and he is just starting to work his way back from an injury. Brault currently has an 0-1 record with a 3.00 ERA, but he is going to have to pitch extremely well to keep the Pirates in this game.
The Pirates have also had real trouble scoring runs this season, especially since the Trade Deadline. Pittsburgh is going to have to score a ton of runs to win this game, but they just have too many holes in the lineup.
Dodgers Doing it with Offense
The pitching staff of Los Angeles has been carrying the team for much of the season, but it was the offense that led the way this past weekend. Los Angeles belted five home runs on Sunday night to cap off a sweep of the New York Mets.
Max Muncy and Justin Turner have led this offense for much of the 2021 season, but this Dodgers team is now starting to get production from up and down the lineup. Muncy has blasted 25 home runs and driven in 69 runs to lead the team, and Turner sports a team-high .290 batting average.
Dodgers Destroy Pirates
Upsets can always happen in the sport of baseball, and even the biggest mismatches provide some surprising results. That could always be a possibility, but that is not going to happen on Monday night in Los Angeles.
Pittsburgh just doesn't have a lineup capable of keeping up with Los Angeles, and they don't have the pitching staff to shut them down. Los Angeles comes into this game playing some great baseball, and they stay red-hot with a comfortable win.
Bet the Los Angeles Dodgers -3.5 on Monday night as the home team wins this game by four runs.
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