Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Picks and Prediction, Tuesday, September 2, 2025
Two teams on the opposite ends of baseball's spectrum will be facing off when the Pittsburgh Pirates host the Dodgers on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. EST in PNC Park. Check out our Los Angeles Dodgers vs Pittsburgh Pirates pick and prediction here!
L.A. is looking to repeat as champions and they are doing their best, holding a 2.5 game lead over the Padres in the NL West. With their 78-59 record, they are a bit away from the Brewers for the best record in the National League, but stranger things have happened in September. Meanwhile, the Pirates are merely looking for optimism heading into next year, as they have a 61-77 record, good for last in the NL Central. The Dodgers are favored at a -200 money line while the total is set at 8.5 runs. Can the Pirates earn an upset win at home?
Dodgers Determined to Go Back-to-Back
Los Angeles took home a 5-4 victory against the Diamondbacks in their most recent game. Will Smith had a pinch-hit homer, and Andy Pages plated a pair of runs in the effort. Mookie Betts had a pair of hits and runs scored, while Alex Freeland and Miguel Rojas joined him with multiple hits each. Yoshinobu Yamamoto gave up only four hits and struck out ten in seven innings pitched, giving up only one run.
The Dodgers only made a couple of minor moves before the final day of the trade deadline, sending Noah Davis to the Twins and trading Steward Berroa to the Brewers for cash. However, on the final day, Los Angeles acquired Paul Gervase, Adam Serwinowski, and Ben Rortvedt from the Rays in exchange for Hunter Feduccia. Alex Call was acquired from Washington for Sean Paul Linan and Eriq Swan. Dustin May was traded to the Red Sox for James Tibbs III and Zach Ehrhard. Then the Twins traded Brock Stewart to L.A. for James Outman. The Dodgers didn't need to make a big splash to be the favorite to repeat as champions, but we'll see if what they have is enough.
Clayton Kershaw will get the ball to start for the Dodgers in this one. While he is not the legendary pitcher that he once was, he is still productive with a 3.06 ERA and a 9-2 record this year. Through 17 starts and 88.1 innings pitched, the lefty has a 1.15 WHIP and 58 strikeouts. Kershaw has gone back and forth between good and bad over the course of this year, having an ERA above 4.70 for the months of July and May while having an ERA lower than 2.30 in June and August.
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Pirates Playing for 2026
The Pirates fell to the Red Sox by a score of 5-2 in their latest contest. Alexander Canario had a solo homer and was the only player with multiple hits on the day. Andrew McCutchen had two walks, but the rest of the offense was pretty stagnant. Mitch Keller didn't give up an earned run in five innings, but the Red Sox scored four unearned runs in the fifth inning to take the game.
Pittsburgh was busy during July, albeit with several minor moves. Early on in the month, Pittsburgh traded Hunter Stratton for Titus Dumitru and cash. They later traded Adam Frazier for Cam Devanney and then sent Ke'Bryan Hayes to the Reds for a package of Taylor Rogers, Sammy Stafura, and cash. They weren't done, though, with David Bednar shipped to the Yankees for Rafael Flores, Edgleen Perez, and Brian Sanchez, along with Bailey Falter sent to Kansas City for Evan Sisk and Callan Moses. This points to a clear emphasis on rebuilding, hoping to get at least a year or two of potential playoff contention with Skenes before he gets a long-term deal or leaves in free agency.
Carmen Mlodzinski will have a tough challenge ahead of him as he gets the chance to start in this one. So far in 2025, the righty has made 11 starts and 27 appearances. Through 84 innings pitched, he has 74 strikeouts with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. He also has a 3-7 record. Mlodzinski has looked better as the year has gone on, from a 6.04 ERA in April to 3.95 in May, to 3.09 in June, to a staggering 1.80 ERA in July. His August has been solid as well, with a 2.04 ERA and Pittsburgh is hoping September can be just as good for him.
Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5
The Dodgers have taken six of their last seven from the Pirates and they have much more to play for in this one. San Diego is still giving L.A. a run for its money, so there is no desire to put their foot off the gas. Clayton Kershaw is still a solid starter, and he has given up three runs in his last 13 innings pitched against Pittsburgh. While Mlodzinski is doing well, the question of who will follow suit behind him worries me to the point where I can't take the Pirates. The Dodgers have too much talent on offense for me to consider taking the Pirates at all.
Over 8.5
Six of the last eight meetings between these two have reached the over, and I cannot trust Pittsburgh's bullpen to keep the game under 8.5 runs. L.A. is averaging over five runs per game, and the Pirates are averaging over five runs per game in their last ten. The Dodgers scored only six runs in their three-game set against Arizona, so I expect them to put a greater emphasis on offensive production in this one.
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