<p>The Pittsburgh Pirates carry a funk with them to Southern California for the opener of a three-game series with the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine Friday night. Which way are we going with our free MLB pick?
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<h2>MLB Betting Odds </h2>
<p>Friday's MLB betting odds opened Los Angeles and Ryu at around -175 over Pittsburgh and Archer, with an over/under of 7.5 runs. Early betting action then dipped that line down to -170.
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<p>The Dodgers could also be found getting around +120 giving the run and a half on the MLB run line.
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<h2>Pirates vs. Dodgers Set-Up </h2>
<p>Pittsburgh just got swept four games at home by Arizona, losing Thursday's series finale 5-0. But prior to that, the Pirates had won three series in a row.
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<p>At 12-11 overall Pittsburgh trails first-place St. Louis by 2.5 games in the NL Central.
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<p>LA, meanwhile, just dropped two of three games to the Cubs in Chicago this week, avoiding the sweep with a 2-1 victory Thursday. Just before that, the Dodgers took two of three games from the Brewers in Milwaukee.
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<p>At 16-11 overall Los Angeles leads the NL West by a half-game over second-place Arizona.
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<p>This series is the first meeting between these teams this season. Last year LA took the season series from Pittsburgh five games to one.
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<h2>Friday's Starting Arms </h2>
<p>Lefty Ryu is 2/4 on quality starts this season, but one out away from being three-for-four. Last Saturday, in his first start following a short stint on the DL, Ryu held Milwaukee to two solo home runs through 5 2/3 innings, with nine strikeouts, although the Dodgers lost that game 5-0. And through his first two starts of this season, he allowed just three runs through 13 innings. His only iffy outing was 18 days ago against St. Louis, when he gave up two runs in less than two innings, then left with a pulled groin (ouch).
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<p>Los Angeles is 2-2 with Ryu this season.
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<p>This will be Ryu's first start against the Pirates since 2017, and that's already a long time ago when it comes to this Pittsburgh team.
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<p>Archer, by our strict standards, is only one-for-four on quality starts this season, but he's been pretty good overall. Last Sunday he gave up three runs and six hits through five innings of a 3-2 Pirates loss to San Francisco, but in his previous start, he held Washington to one run through seven innings, although Pittsburgh also lost that game 3-2.
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<p>The Pirates are only 1-3 with Archer this season, but that's not his fault.
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<p>This will be Archer's first start against the Dodgers since 2016 when he was with Tampa Bay.
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<h2>Friday's Batting Splits </h2>
<p>Pittsburgh is batting .219/.272/.316 this season against left-handed pitching. This lineup has also produced just 31 runs total over its last 11 games.
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<p>Los Angeles is batting .267/.357/.492 against right-handed pitching this season. But this lineup has also been held to three runs or less five times in its last eight games.
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<h2>The Bullpens</h2>
<p>The Pirates bullpen owns a 4.60 ERA this season, along with a 1.33 WHIP and a 90/27 K/BB ratio.
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<p>The Dodgers bullpen owns a 4.83 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP and a 98/30 K/BB ratio. </p>
<h2>Totals Report</h2>
<ul>
<li>The unders are 14-9 in Pirates games this season.</li>
<li>The overs are 14-13 in Dodgers games this season.</li>
<li>The overs are 7-6 in games played at Dodger Stadium this season.</li>
<li>The overs finished 5-1 in Pirates-Dodgers games last season.</li>
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<span style="font-size:16px;"><b><span style="color:#008000;">Get more details:</span></b> <a class="advblue" href="https://www.sportsbettingstats.com/mlb/matchup/1075113">Pittsburgh at Los Angeles MLB Match-Up Stats</a></span>
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