The Los Angeles Dodgers are clearly the best team in the National League right now and they continue a long road trip Friday night by opening their lone series of the year against the Pirates in Pittsburgh. The Dodgers are favored on the MLB lines behind good-looking youngster Walker Buehler.

How to Bet Dodgers vs Pirates MLB Lines & Game Info

.@JBell_19 joined #MLBCentral to talk about his relationship with @Pirates manager Clint Hurdle, learning to switch hit at age 5 and of course… splashing homers!

Watch the full interview here: https://t.co/0sYUXy829Z pic.twitter.com/ctmcYHlTwh — MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) 24 de mayo de 2019

• When: Friday, 7:05 PM ET
• Where: PNC Park
• Probable pitchers (away/home): Walker Buehler/TBA
• TV: MLB Extra Innings
• Live Stream: MLB.tv
• Radio: 93.7 The Fan
• MLB Lines: TBA

Season Series

The Dodgers swept three at home vs. the Pirates from April 26-28. The only game decided by a single run was the finale, a 7-6 victory. Max Muncy singled home the tying run in the fifth inning and the go-ahead run in the seventh. The Dodgers were down 5-1 at one point. The Pirates have lost eight consecutive games overall and 14 of their last 16 against the Dodgers.

Why Bet on LA Dodgers?

L.A. split two games at Tampa Bay to open this week, getting routed 8-1 on Wednesday. Max Muncy went 2-for-4 and smacked a solo home run during the loss. He went yard against Yonny Chirinos in the sixth inning. The blast tied up the game in what was a pitchers’ duel at the time, although the Rays were able to pile on some runs against the Dodger bullpen in the late innings. Muncy was the only Dodger with multiple knocks in the loss. He owns a .269 batting average with 10 home runs and 30 RBI in 49 games.

Cody Bellinger failed to reach base safely for the first time in 46 starts this season. He went 0 for 4, dropping his major league-leading batting average to .394. He still leads the NL in hits (67), on-base percentage (.487), slugging percentage (.783), runs created (54), total bases (130) and times on base (97). He is second in the NL in homers (17) and is tied for first in RBI (44).

Manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Wednesday that Pedro Baez (knee) was able to move around well, and that he’s optimistic that he’ll be ready to return on Friday. Baez was hit in the knee by a 103 mph line drive on Tuesday but was diagnosed with just a right upper leg contusion. In the month of May, Dodger relievers have posted a 2.72 ERA, which ranks second in the National League behind the Mets (2.14).

It’s Walker Buehler on the mound here, his first time ever facing the Pirates. In nine starts this season, he owns a 4-1 record with a 3.83 ERA (21 ER/49.1 IP), limiting batters to a .230 average and posting a 1.05 WHIP. He last pitched Saturday against the Reds at Great American Ball Park, where he allowed four runs (one earned) on seven hits in 6.0 innings, receiving the loss in the Dodgers’ 0-4 defeat. He struck out seven batters without allowing a walk on 99 pitches.

Team Stats

• Runs: 5.14
• Hits: 8.36
• Walks: 4.10
• Strike Outs: 7.94

Defense

• Runs: 3.90
• Hits: 7.36
• Walks: 2.28
• Strike Outs: 8.82

Why Bet on Pittsburgh?

Since taking three-of-four from the Dodgers at PNC Park in 2016, the Pirates have gone 2-5 against LA on their home turf while being outscored 41-31.

The Pirates have a ton of guys on the disabled list, including starting pitchers Jameson Taillon and Trevor Williams – thus it’s not yet clear who will start Friday. One of those guys is Trevor Williams, who has begun light rehab activities. But he’s not throwing yet, and there won’t be a timetable for his possible return until he does. Williams was placed on the injured list May 17 after he suffered a right side strain during a start against the Padres on May 16.

Third baseman Jung Ho Kang (side) is hitting in the cages, throwing, and fielding grounders. The next step is live batting practice, and then Kang should be cleared for a minor league rehab assignment shortly after that. He’s been on the injured list since May 12 due to a left side strain. Colin Moran will continue to fill in as the Pirates’ primary third baseman.

First baseman Josh Bell hit another homer on Wednesday. Bell hit the Allegheny River on the fly in the second inning with a 454-foot shot that left his bat at 116.1 mph. It was the fifth home run to land directly in the river in the 19-year history of PNC Park, and the second by Bell in the past two weeks. The 26-year-old Bell is having a breakout season. He’s already hit more homers (15) than he did in 148 games last year (12). He has a .329/.398/.694 slash line with 45 RBI and 32 runs scored.

It might be that the Pirates call up Mitch Keller from Triple-A Indianapolis sooner than they prefer to start Friday. Keller has been one of the Pirates’ top prospects for several years and has worked his way up through the minor league system. But Keller hasn’t been all that impressive at Triple-A. And the Pirates say he is trying to add one more pitch so that he can become an effective starter at the major league level.

If it’s not Keller, then the Pirates might just go with an “opener” or a bullpen-by-committee on Friday.

Team Stats

• Runs: 3.96
• Hits: 8.45
• Walks: 2.77
• Strike Outs: 8.38

Defense

• Runs: 4.85
• Hits: 8.40
• Walks: 3.40
• Strike Outs: 9.04

Dodgers vs Pirates MLB Betting Trends

• Dodgers are 6-0 in Buehler’s last 6 starts during game 1 of a series
• Over is 37-14 in the last 51 meetings in Pittsburgh
• Dodgers are 7-0 SU in their last 7 games against Pittsburgh
• The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Dodgers’ last 7 games on the road
• Pirates are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games
• The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 5 games at home

Expert Final Score Prediction for Dodgers vs Pirates

LA Dodgers 5 – Pittsburgh Pirates 2