Pittsburgh Pirates vs Los Angeles Dodgers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/21/2026

Game Time: 10:10 pm ET, Friday, August 21, 2026

Venue:  Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Pirates +194, Dodgers -239; Over/Under:  8 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Pirates +190, Dodgers -250; Over/Under:  8 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Pirates +190, Dodgers -250; Over/Under:  8 runs

Pittsburgh Pirates:  63-66 (4th place, NL Central)

Los Angeles Dodgers:  77-51 (1st place, NL West)

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Pittsburgh Pirates:  5-5 last 10

Los Angeles Dodgers:  7-3 last 10

The Pirates are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Detroit Tigers 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 63-66 record overall and have a road record of 29-34. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Dodgers on Friday and they have Thursday off as a day of rest. Their offense ranks 4th in the MLB with a .744 OPS. Paul Skenes was their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Bubba Chandler is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 6-8 with a 4.23 ERA this season. His team won their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 2 ER, 0 HR, and 2 BB with 5 SO on 4 hits through 5 IP against the Boston Red Sox.

The Dodgers are entering this series off a win and completed the sweep in their 3-game series against the Colorado Rockies 3-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 77-51 record overall and have a home record of 37-26. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Pirates on Friday and they have Thursday off as a day of rest. Their offense ranks 1st in the MLB with a .765 OPS. Rōki Sasaki was their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Yoshinobu Yamamoto is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 12-7 with a 2.60 ERA this season. His team won their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 earned run, 0 homers, and 2 walks with 9 strikeouts on 4 hits through 6 innings pitched against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The current betting odds have the Dodgers listed as a big favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Dodgers have looked great in their games this season with their 77-51 record overall which has them right at the top of the NL West with one of the best records in MLB. They have looked great in their own ballpark too with their 37-26 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Pirates haven't looked great in their games this season with their 63-66 record overall which has them right near the bottom of the NL Central. They haven't been a good road team either with their 29-34 road record this year. The Pirates just won their last series over the Tigers, but they are 5-5 in their last 10 games and still haven't looked great lately. The Dodgers were going through a terrible slump themselves, but lately they have been getting hot again, now 7-3 in their last 10 games. The Dodgers are going with Yamamoto in this one and he has looked great this season. He is 12-7 with a 2.60 ERA and he has been one of their best starters all season. He is coming off another great start giving up 1 earned run which has been a common theme for him all year and the team has had a lot of success with him, winning 2 games in a row now with him starting. The Pirates are going with Chandler in this one and he hasn't looked great this season. He is 6-8 with a 4.23 ERA and he has been really up and down all season. He only gave up 2 earned runs in his last start and the team has won 3 games in a row now with him starting, but that hasn't been a common theme for him all year and the Pirates don't have a great bullpen to help him out either. The Dodgers still have one of the best offenses in MLB and have been getting hot again lately, so look for them to take advantage of this pitching matchup. The best way to place a bet here is on the Dodgers to win this game and on the runline. 

Pirates Dodgers Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, August 21, 2026 (10:10 pm ET start time) is Dodgers 7 Pirates 4.

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Pittsburgh Pirates: 51-39 (+9.6 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 20-22 (+3.8 units) on the moneyline vs. an NL team with a slugging percentage of .430 or better on the season. 32-40 (+1.9 units) on the moneyline vs. NL teams allowing 4.0 or less runs/game on the season. 6-0 UNDER as a road underdog of +150 or more.

Los Angeles Dodgers: 44-45 (-24.7 units) on the moneyline against NL Central opponents. 292-193 (-22.7 units) on the moneyline in all games. 153-89 (-19.6 units) on the moneyline in home games. 20-12 UNDER at home when the total is 8 to 8.5.

Pittsburgh Pirates:  E. Rodriguez (C) Ten Day IL - Hip. M. Keller (SP) Sixty Day IL - Arm. R. O'Hearn (RF) Ten Day IL - Quad. K. Griffin (SS) Sixty Day IL - Finger.

Los Angeles Dodgers:  E. Diaz (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Neck. J. Wrobleski (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Forearm. B. Treinen (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. D. Rushing (C) Ten Day IL - Arm. W. Klein (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. W. Smith (C) Sixty Day IL - Neck. K. Bubic (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. B. Graterol (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. B. Casparius (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. T. Glasnow (SP) Sixty Day IL - Back. J. Cousins (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. G. Stone (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. B. Miller (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder.

“I wasn't surprised. I wasn't expecting it to be two nukes in the bottom of the ninth. But I had a feeling that we were going to win that game, and so when you have a good team like we do, it's like, who's it going to be? And so we had some guys step up today.” - Paul Skenes after their win against the Tigers in their game on Wednesday. 

“He’s been great for us. Roki is not a finished product, but he’s gotten considerably better from last year. Since the break, you look at the numbers, he’s been outstanding. Tonight, I thought the fastball was good, the split was good and he didn’t run from altitude. It was a little bit of a grind – he got the pitch count up [99, 73 strikes]. But getting through that fifth inning kind of put us in a much better spot with the ‘pen.” - Dave Roberts after his team’s win against the Rockies in their game on Wednesday.

Spencer Horwitz (L) 1B

Brandon Lowe (L) DH

Bryan Reynolds (S) LF

Esmerlyn Valdez (R) RF

Oneil Cruz (L) CF

Nick Gonzales (R) 2B

Jacob Gonzalez (L) SS

Jared Triolo (R) 3B

Henry Davis (R) C

Shohei Ohtani (L) DH

Andy Pages (R) CF

Teoscar Hernández (R) LF

Freddie Freeman (L) 1B

Mookie Betts (R) SS

Miguel Rojas (R) 2B

Kyle Tucker (L) RF

Enrique Hernández (R) 3B

Ben Rortvedt (L) C

Batting Average:  Rafael Flores (.313)

Hits:  Nick Gonzales (140)

Home Runs:  Brandon Lowe (27)

RBI:  Brandon Lowe (80)

Stolen Bases:  Oneil Cruz (22)

Wins:  Braxton Ashcraft (13)

Saves:  Gregory Soto (14)

ERA:  Khristian Curtis (0.00)

Batting Average:  Freddie Freeman (.303)

Hits:  Freddie Freeman (142)

Home Runs:  Shohei Ohtani (30)

RBI:  Andy Pages (80)

Stolen Bases:  Andy Pages (12)

Wins:  Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12)

Saves:  Tanner Scott (18)

ERA:  Seth Halvorsen (0.00)

Managers:

Pittsburgh Pirates: Don Kelly (2nd season)

Los Angeles Dodgers: Dave Roberts (11th season)