The Pirates will look to turn their sinking ship around on Saturday night at home against a Dodgers team they’ll likely have to fend off further along down the road if they’re to qualify for one of the two available National League wild card slots.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
The Dodgers currently sit six games in back of the NL West leading Giants, but you can still get a 3-1 return on them to win the division. After coming back to snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat on Tuesday night against the Nats, Dave Roberts’s squad has now secured victories seven of the last eight time it stepped onto the diamond. The club will be looking to jump over the breakeven point on the road throughout this series, but will have to do away with a nasty series trend that’s seen the Pirates take eight of the last 10 when hosting this rivalry.
The window on the Pirates chances of bringing another World Series title to the city of Pittsburgh looks to have already slammed shut. While there’s some nice pieces in play, it just doesn’t look to be enough to keep up with what’s turned out to be a juggernaut in the Cubs. Heck, they trail the Cardinals in the wild card standings as well. While it was nice to score the 1-0 win in the series opener with San Francisco immediately after getting swept out of Wrigley over the weekend, the Giants came back the very next day and dropped a 15-4 bomb on Clint Hurdle’s head. This clubs going nowhere – fast!
PROBABLE PITCHERS
The Dodgers possess one of the best pitching staffs in all of baseball. One of the contributors to the team’s dominant pitching stats has been Japanese import Kenta Maeda who has fit in very nicely as Clayton Kershaw’s compliment.
He’s 6-4 overall and owns a 2.64 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. Maeda’s been at his absolute best on the road where he checks in 4-0 with a miniscule 2.14 ERA and .185 batting average against. While longevity has been his one glaring weakness, teams that have yet to see him have really struggled with his stuff. The Buccos are slumping at the plate right now, and that bodes terribly for them in this spot.
The MLB season is slowly but surely slipping away from the Pirates. One of the main reasons why is because of a pitching staff that’s failed to do much of anything accept give up runs in bunches. Gerrit Cole’s 2.77 ERA leads the team. He’s on the DL. From there, it goes Jonathon Niese (4.74), Francisco Liriano (5.03) and then Jeff Locke (5.44).
Guess who gets the starting nod in this one? Yup, Mr. Locke and his wretched 4.7 K/9 average will toe the bump looking to build off a surprising six-plus innings of shutout ball versus the giants to snag his first win since the beginning of June. He has been at his best at home in going 4-1 with a 3.26 ERA, and also gets the benefit of throwing at a LA offense that much prefers hitting against righties than lefties.
LIVE BETTING
I’m quite certain Pittsburgh is going to have trouble with Maeda the first couple times through the order. Should Kenta bring his “A” game to the park in this one, it would set the Dodgers up for an easier victory with LA sporting the much better overall bullpen than that of the Pirates.
Kenley Jansen is just about as automatic as it gets, and the guys building the bridge to him have been rock solid of late as well. Should Maeda hand the ball over to the pen with the game either tied or up a run, I’d live bet the Dodgers to seal the deal.
QUICK PICK
The Dodgers like to hit when Kenta leads their charge on the road. Maeda has received an average of 6.3 runs per game to work with over the course of his 33.2 innings pitched away from Chavez Ravine. Jeff Locke might possess the split advantage over LA in this one, but I’m simply not a believer in his stuff.
Prior to his last outing, he was blown up for 18 ER and 20 hits. The over is 11-3 in his 14 overall starts, and it’s 5-1 in his six PNC Park outings. Look for some runs to get put on the board in this one with the Dodgers doing most of the heavy lifting.
MLB Odds: Dodgers 9, Pirates 3
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! First pitch for the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates is scheduled for Saturday, June 25, 2016, at 7:15 p.m. ET at PNC Park. The matchup will be televised regionally on FOX.
