The Los Angeles Dodgers open as heavy home favorites over the Pittsburgh Pirates in Sunday afternoon’s series finale, and the market has largely treated the game as a formality. Blake Snell takes the ball for Los Angeles, the total sits at 8, and the Dodgers are priced at -290 on the moneyline. The more useful question is not whether the Dodgers win, but how they win, and whether the number attached to them leaves anything for the visitors.
Last Updated: August 23, 2026
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. L.A. Dodgers — Time & How to Watch
| Where | Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA |
| When | Sunday, August 23 — 4:10 PM ET |
| TV | SportsNet LA / SportsNet Pittsburgh |
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Betting Preview
The pitching matchup shapes everything here, and it is lopsided on paper. Snell carries a 1-1 record, a 3.60 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP with 20 strikeouts across 15 innings this season. He is still building back from a roughly three-month elbow layoff, and he looked the part in his return, when he struck out 10 over six innings. The caveat that matters for betting is workload. A pitcher three starts into a comeback is rarely turned loose for 110 pitches, so his night likely ends earlier than his talent would otherwise dictate.
Pittsburgh counters with right-hander Lake Bachar, who sits at 1-2 with a 3.75 ERA and profiles as a swing arm rather than a traditional starter. In practice, that makes this a bullpen-heavy assignment for the Pirates. Both staffs, then, project to lean on their bullpens for the middle and late innings, which matters as much as the names penciled in for the first pitch.
The standings tell a familiar story. Los Angeles enters at 78-51 and sits atop the NL West, winners of seven of their last 10. Pittsburgh, at 63-67 and 17.5 games back in the NL Central, has played to a more even 5-5 stretch. For more context, our read on Saturday’s Pirates vs. Dodgers matchup covers the backdrop that carried into today.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Odds
| Run Line | Moneyline | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pirates | +1.5 (+105) | +230 | U 8 (+100) |
| Dodgers | -1.5 (-125) | -290 | O 8 (-120) |
Odds accurate as of August 23, 2026 via TheSpread.com. Odds change, get the latest MLB Odds – Futures – Props
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Los Angeles Dodgers — Who Is the Public Betting?
| Pirates | 17% | 83% | Dodgers |
See the latest MLB Public Betting Splits and make smarter wagers!
Pirates vs. Dodgers Prediction — Can Underdog Hang Around?
The load-bearing signal here is how the game is likely to be pitched, not who is favored. Snell’s limited pitch count means the Dodgers hand the ball to their bullpen around the fifth or sixth inning, and Pittsburgh is essentially running relievers all night behind an opener. That is the profile of a game that stays connected on the scoreboard rather than one that blows open, since neither side has a workhorse starter positioned to bury the other early.
The structure of the run line reinforces the point. Los Angeles is a home favorite, and home favorites are the weaker side of the -1.5, since a lead after the top of the ninth ends the game before the Dodgers can pad it, and walk-off wins routinely land by a single run. Roughly a quarter of MLB games are decided by one run, which is why the line sits at 1.5. Taking the visitors with a run and a half at plus money is a cleaner expression of a tight game than laying -125 the other way. The market nudged this way too, as the moneyline drifted from -300 toward -290 despite lopsided public money on Los Angeles.
The case against is real. The Dodgers’ lineup is deep enough to hang a crooked number on a bullpen game in a hurry, and if Los Angeles jumps the Pirates’ opener early, the cushion evaporates and -1.5 cashes with ease. This is a lean on game shape and price, not a statement that Pittsburgh is the better team. It is not.
The Pick: Pirates Run Line +1.5 (+105)
Pirates vs. Dodgers Prediction — Will the Bats Go Quiet?
The total is the second place the number and the environment point the same way. Dodger Stadium has long been one of the more run-suppressing parks in the majors, and Snell’s swing-and-miss stuff against a lower-tier Pittsburgh offense points toward a slow-scoring start. The market seems to agree. This total opened at 8.5 and has since been bet down to 8, with the under still available at even money.
The counterweight is the same bullpen dynamic that helps the run-line lean. Two short starters mean a lot of relief innings, and relief innings are where overs tend to cash, especially with a Los Angeles lineup capable of a big frame. Still, the Dodgers’ own bullpen should keep a weak Pittsburgh attack in check late. With the park, the pitching edge and the line move all leaning the same way, the value sits with the number staying down.
The Pick: Under 8 (+100)
Final Thoughts and Bonus Angle
Both leans rest on the same read: a tight, low-scoring game in which the Dodgers are favored but not positioned to run away. The swing factor is the first two innings. If Los Angeles jumps the Pirates’ opener early, both the run line and the under are in trouble at once. If the game stays close through the middle innings, both tickets are live late. For the rest of the day’s card, see more of our latest MLB predictions.
For a smaller, higher-variance angle, the logic that makes +1.5 attractive also makes the outright price on the visitors interesting. In a game projected to stay close, a live underdog facing a short-leashed favorite has a real, if minority, path to stealing the finale. Treat it as a flyer, not a foundation.
Bonus Pick: Pirates Moneyline (+230)
To recap the card: the primary lean is Pittsburgh on the run line at +1.5 (+105), supported by the under 8 (+100), with a small-stake flyer on the Pirates moneyline at +230. All three rest on a projection of a close, low-scoring afternoon rather than a Los Angeles blowout.
MLB Pirates vs. Dodgers FAQ: Sunday August 23, 2026
What time does the Pirates vs. Dodgers game start?
First pitch for the series finale between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers is scheduled for 4:10 PM ET, which is 1:10 PM local time in Los Angeles. It is a Sunday afternoon start at Dodger Stadium, closing out the three-game set between the two clubs.
What channel is the Pirates vs. Dodgers game on?
The game airs on regional sports networks rather than national television. Viewers in the Los Angeles market can watch on SportsNet LA, while the Pittsburgh feed runs on SportsNet Pittsburgh. There is no national broadcast window for this matchup, so coverage is limited to the two teams’ regional carriers and their associated streaming options.
Who is pitching in the Pirates vs. Dodgers game on Sunday?
Left-hander Blake Snell is the probable starter for the Dodgers, carrying a 1-1 record and a 3.60 ERA in a small sample since returning from injury. The Pirates counter with right-hander Lake Bachar, listed at 1-2 with a 3.75 ERA, in what shapes up as a bullpen-oriented pitching plan for Pittsburgh.
Where are the Pirates and Dodgers playing today?
The Pirates and Dodgers meet at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, the Dodgers’ home ballpark. This is the third and final game of the series, with Pittsburgh serving as the visiting club and Los Angeles batting last as the home team.
Where do the Dodgers stand in the NL West?
The Dodgers sit in first place in the NL West at 78-51, holding a comfortable lead over the division and a 7-3 record across their last 10 games. The Pirates, by contrast, are 63-67 and well back in the NL Central, sitting 17.5 games out of first entering the series finale.