Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Francisco Giants Picks and Prediction for Friday September 25 2026

The Los Angeles Dodgers visit the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California, on Friday, September 25, 2026. First pitch is scheduled for 10:15 PM ET with coverage on MLB.TV. Los Angeles enters at 97-61 overall and 46-32 on the road, while San Francisco is 65-94 overall and 37-41 at home. The Dodgers lead the NL West by nine games despite coming off a 5-1 loss to San Diego, while the Giants sit fourth in the division and have dropped two straight. Los Angeles leads the season series 6-4 and has won each of the last three completed meetings, outscoring San Francisco 21-7 during that stretch. At the time of this writing the odds were not released. Be sure to check out our free MLB picks for more MLB predictions throughout the season.

Starting Pitchers

Los Angeles is scheduled to start Tarik Skubal, who enters at 11-7 with a 2.85 ERA and outstanding 0.99 WHIP through 151.2 innings. He has allowed only 123 hits and 14 home runs while striking out 176 against just 27 walks. San Francisco counters with Yunior Marte, who is 0-1 with a 4.66 ERA and 1.40 WHIP across 19.1 innings. He has surrendered 18 hits and three home runs while recording 11 strikeouts against nine walks. This is one of the clearest starting-pitching advantages on Friday's schedule. Los Angeles has a proven starter with elite control and swing-and-miss production, while San Francisco's starter enters with a much smaller workload, considerably higher ERA and WHIP, and nearly as many walks as strikeouts.

Los Angeles Has the Statistical Advantage

Los Angeles enters the final weekend of the regular season at 97-61 and has been excellent away from home with a 46-32 road record. The Dodgers had won four consecutive games before Wednesday's 5-1 loss to San Diego, with three of those victories coming against San Francisco by scores of 8-2, 10-4 and 3-1. Los Angeles is 4-1 over its last five games and has outscored opponents 29-12 during that span. The Dodgers have also won six of their ten completed games against the Giants this season.

The Dodgers are batting .258 with 788 runs, 1,368 hits and 199 home runs this season. They carry a .339 on-base percentage and .426 slugging percentage, giving them substantial offensive advantages over San Francisco in virtually every major category. The pitching difference is just as significant. Los Angeles owns a 3.59 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 1,465 strikeouts against 475 walks while holding opposing hitters to a .219 batting average.

The biggest strength for Los Angeles is that there is no obvious area in which the Dodgers need to overcome a statistical disadvantage. They have the superior offense, superior season-long pitching numbers, the better starting-pitching matchup and the stronger recent head-to-head results. Their 77-42 night record provides another indication of how consistently they have performed in this setting. Los Angeles is coming off a loss, but the broader form remains strong, and Friday presents a favorable opportunity to rebound.

San Francisco Faces Another Difficult Matchup

San Francisco enters at 65-94 overall and has struggled even at Oracle Park, where the Giants are 37-41. They have lost four of their last five games, with their only victory during that stretch coming 5-2 against Minnesota. The Giants lost the other two games of that series by scores of 3-2 and 4-2 after dropping consecutive games against Los Angeles. San Francisco has scored only 13 runs across its last five contests while allowing 24.

The Giants are batting .246 with 665 runs, 1,324 hits and 178 home runs. They own a .308 on-base percentage and .403 slugging percentage. Their pitching staff has a 4.36 ERA and 1.36 WHIP with 1,180 strikeouts against 586 walks while allowing opponents to bat .248. Those numbers create significant gaps against a Los Angeles club that has scored 123 more runs while also carrying advantages of 77 points in team ERA and 21 points in WHIP.

San Francisco's challenge is finding a way to keep the game close enough for its offense to matter. The Giants have already lost three straight completed meetings against Los Angeles, and their pitching has surrendered 21 runs across those games. Friday's starting matchup makes the task even more difficult. San Francisco must contend with a starter carrying a sub-3.00 ERA and sub-1.00 WHIP while trying to contain one of baseball's stronger offenses with a pitching staff that has struggled throughout the season.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Francisco Giants Picks and Prediction

Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers Moneyline

Los Angeles is the side pick for Friday night. The Dodgers hold major advantages in overall record, road performance, offense, pitching and the starting matchup. Los Angeles has scored 788 runs compared with 665 for San Francisco while posting a .258 batting average, .339 OBP and .426 slugging percentage. The pitching comparison is even stronger, with the Dodgers carrying a 3.59 ERA and 1.15 WHIP compared with San Francisco's 4.36 ERA and 1.36 WHIP. Most importantly, Los Angeles enters with a substantial starting-pitching advantage and has won the last three completed meetings between these teams. Unless the eventual moneyline is prohibitively expensive, the Dodgers are the preferred side.

Pick: Under 8.5 or Higher

The Dodgers are capable of doing considerable offensive damage in this matchup, but the Los Angeles starter makes the under attractive if the market gives us 8.5 or higher. San Francisco has scored only 13 runs over its last five games and managed just seven total runs across the last three completed meetings with Los Angeles. The Dodgers enter with a 3.59 team ERA, 1.15 WHIP and .219 opponent batting average, and Friday's starter has been even better with a 2.85 ERA and 0.99 WHIP. Los Angeles could do most of the scoring and still leave this game below the number. San Francisco's pitching creates enough volatility that I would not chase the total too far downward, but Under 8.5 or higher is the preferred position.

Final Picks: Los Angeles Dodgers Moneyline and Under 8.5 or Higher

This preview was completed on Thursday, September 24, 2026. Starting pitchers, betting lines and other game information are subject to change before the game begins.