LA Dodgers vs Pittsburgh Pirates Odds, Predictions & Starting Pitchers (June 5)

• The Pittsburgh Pirates host the Los Angeles Dodgers Wednesday night. The Pirates look to win the series over one of the top teams in baseball following a 1-0 win on Tuesday.
• All eyes are on Pittsburgh starter Paul Skenes, who is at the center of all the hype as he takes the majors by storm. Skenes was selected No. 1 overall out of LSU and is already one of the hardest throwers in the game.
• See the best picks for Wednesday’s game below.

The Pittsburgh Pirates and standout rookie starter Paul Skenes look to take the series over the monster Los Angeles Dodgers Wednesday afternoon from PNC Park in Pittsburgh. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. ET.

The Pirates took Game 1 over Los Angeles 1-0 in what was a true pitcher’s duel. Tyler Glasnow and Jarad Jones combined to allow just 6 hits, 5 walks, 15 strikeouts and just one 1 between the pair through 12 solid innings of work (6 IP each). Pittsburgh’s Jack Suwinksi launched a solo homer in the 3rd inning, which proved to be the winning run.

Can Skenes get enough run support to earn a win over the Dodgers or will the Los Angeles’ monster bats finally wake up? Check out the top odds for tomorrow’s game below, as well as a look at the starting pitchers and a prediction.

Dodgers vs. Pirates Starting Pitchers (June 5)

The Dodgers will be starting left hander James Paxton, who is a perfect 5-0 this season. Skenes, despite limited work, is 2-0 on the season.

The Pirates have combined for 11 at-bats against Paxton across their careers. Andrew McCutchen has faced him the most and is 2-5 with a double, home run, 3 RBIs, a walk and 1 K.

Pittsburgh is a strikeout heavy team, especially against southpaws. They rank 6th in the majors in strikeout percentage and 4th overall with 557 Ks on the season. It’s a big reason why Glasnow was able to throw 9 Ks against Pittsburgh yesterday, despite a loss. Paxton is not a strikeout pitcher (the most he’s had in a single game this season is 5) but he has a real shot at hitting over 3.5 tonight just based on matchup.

Let’s shift over to Skenes, who is making his 5th start of the season. Skenes has only seen 22 innings of work this year but holds a strong 2.45 ERA with 30 Ks in that time, a really impressive number. He’s thrown the fastest pitch in the majors this season among starters (101.9) and sits at 0.91 WHIP.

The Dodgers are the toughest test Skenes has faced this season. Their lineup is stacked and features some of the best hitters in baseball such as Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts, but they’re also average in the majors as far as strikeouts are concerned.

Pirates vs. Dodgers Odds

Odds seen above via Fanatics Sportsbook. Check out our Fanatics Promo Code for more info on a fantastic welcome offer to use for MLB action this Summer. 

The Dodgers are considered road favorites on the run line (+150), but the money is heavily in favor of Pittsburgh +1.5 (-200). The moneyline is a dead sprint at -110.

Pittsburgh is an incredible 10-3 as the home underdog this season and 19-8 following a win. The Pirates are 14-14 across all home games. On the other hand, Los Angeles is 15-12 as the away favorite and 15-13 across all away games.

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The runline is set at 8.5, with the under slightly favored at -115. The Pirates are 6-6 as the home underdog against the over and 13-13 against the over as the home team. In other words, trends won’t help us much here.

The Dodgers’ story is a little different. Los Angeles is 10-17 against the over as the away favorite and 10-18 in all away games. Finally, LA is 29-30-1 as the favorite against the over.

Dodgers vs. Pirates Prediction (June 5)

At the end of the day, here’s what this may come down to: Do you believe Paul Skenes can work through the Dodgers order – one of the best groups in baseball – the same as he did against the Cubs and Tigers in mid-May?

I’ll be the Debbie Downer and pick against Skenes this time around. I find it highly unlikely that this Dodgers lineup will struggle to score runs the same way they did last night twice in a row. I’d wager Skenes will still have a pretty solid outing as we may be on a collision course with the under.

This Pirates batting lineup will likely find it tough to give Skenes the run support he needs. As stated earlier, the Pirates have struggled against lefties in recent weeks and they’re already a bottom 10 hitting team in Major League Baseball. There’s a reason the ML and run line are so close in this matchup, but I could definitely see a 3-0 or 3-1 Dodgers victory on the horizon.

LAD vs. PIT picks: LAD -1.5 (+150), U 8.5 (-115)