Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates: Odds, Preview, & Prediction | Monday, May 9th | MLB Regular Season 2022
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Preview: Expect the Dodgers to roll
Tonight, the Los Angeles Dodgers travel to PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Dodgers have won six games in a row, each of them by at least two runs. The Pirates have lost eight out of their last 11 games, where the offense has struggled to score runs. These teams begin a three-game series tonight, with a clear advantage being held by one team.
Below, you will find a brief preview of each team followed by a prediction for the game.
Los Angeles Dodgers Preview:
The Los Angeles Dodgers pitching staff has been spectacular this season. They rank first in the MLB in numerous important pitching categories such as ERA, WHIP, and hits allowed. Tonight, Julio Urias will take the mound for the Dodgers looking to build off of recent success. Urias has allowed only two total runs over his last four starts, which has his ERA sitting at 1.88 on the season. The offensive talent of Los Angeles is evident, with stars like Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, and Trea Turner in the middle of the lineup. As expected, the Dodgers are among the best teams in the MLB and are showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. The key to victory for the Dodgers tonight is to take the Pirates seriously. This may sound funny, but baseball is a sport where, if you doubt your opponent's abilities, they will surprise you.
Sweep in Chicago? Common W. https://t.co/zZthnF8akn
"Sweep in Chicago? Common W." - @ Los Angeles Dodgers
To take care of business tonight, the Dodgers need a quality start from Urias and offensive production out of their key contributors.
Pittsburgh Pirates Preview:
Final. https://t.co/r5NzJyxdpU
"Final." - @ Pittsburgh Pirates
So far, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been let down by their pitching staff. As a whole, the Pirates rank 28th in the MLB in numerous important pitching categories. The bullpen hasn't been much better. Pittsburgh Pirates relievers rank in the bottom six in bullpen ERA, which is not a good trend, because their starting pitchers are failing to make it deep into games. The offense for Pittsburgh hasn't been awful, as they rank in the middle of the pack in team offense. Jose Quintana will get the start for the Pirates tonight, and he has been pretty average to begin the season. However, the majority of his starts came against offenses that rank outside the top 15 in team offense. This Dodgers lineup is not one that will be striking out a ton or letting pitchers get away with mistakes. The key to victory for the Pirates tonight is to keep the Dodgers under four runs, because if Pittsburgh tries to get into an offensive shootout with LA, it most likely won't end well.
Pick/Prediction: Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 (-145)
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been beating inferior teams all season long. Tonight shouldn't be any different. The Dodgers have covered this spread of 1.5 in six straight games and have a great matchup to keep that momentum up tonight. Going with the most talented team in baseball to win this game by 2+ runs. Let's go Dodgers!