The Los Angeles Dodgers battle the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday in MLB betting action at Dodger Stadium.

Brad Lincoln, with a record of 1-2 on the season, gets the ball for the Pirates, while the Dodgers trot Chad Billingsley to the mound in this one. He is 10-10 so far in 2011.



View Pittsburgh vs LA Dodgers Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The Dodgers were listed as -160 moneyline favorites at most sportsbooks tracked by Odds Shark, while oddsmakers set the Sportsbook total around 7.5 earlier on Monday.

Power Rankings:
This game puts the Dodgers, most recently No. 3 in the National League Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings, up against the Pirates, who rate a National League No. 16 in the latest survey.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Los Angeles' No. 11 ranked National League offense (3.9 runs per game) against a Pirates defense and pitching staff that sits at No. 9 in the National League at 4.3 runs allowed per game. The Dodgers have been averaging 8.6 hits per game, more than the Pirates have managed so far this season (8.2 hits on average).

Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping factors and Los Angeles has the National League's No. 4-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Pirates own the National League's No. 9 mark in runs allowed.

The Pirates were a 6-1 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Dodgers. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Los Angeles at -152 on the moneyline, while the total score (7) was good news for UNDER bettors. Pittsburgh suffered a 6-1 loss against Los Angeles on Saturday, as James McDonald wasn't able to lead his team to victory at Dodger Stadium.




Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Sunday are 7-3
Before playing Arizona are 5-5
After playing LA Dodgers are 2-8
After a loss are 5-5

Los Angeles Dodgers Trends:
When playing on Sunday are 3-7
Before playing San Francisco are 5-5
After playing Pittsburgh are 9-1
After a win are 7-3

A few Pirates at Dodgers trends to consider:
Pittsburgh is 4-12 SU in its last 16 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Pittsburgh is 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing LA Dodgers
Pittsburgh is 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against LA Dodgers
LA Dodgers are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh
LA Dodgers are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
LA Dodgers are 11-4 SU in their last 15 games at home
LA Dodgers are 18-7 SU in their last 25 games


Next up:
Pittsburgh at Arizona, Monday, September 19
LA Dodgers home to San Francisco, Tuesday, September 20