MLB Free Premium Play 08/13: Los Angeles Dodgers @ Pittsburgh Pirates

LA Dodgers  at Pittsburgh

MLB - 901 Los Angeles Dodgers @ 902 Pittsburgh Pirates (Starting Pitchers: A. Harang vs J. Karstens) This will be an interesting 4-games series between two teams fighting for the wild card position. The Dodgers will have Harang as their SP and he has been having command issues, as he has walked 14 batters on his last four outings. He has been able to limit the damage until now, but with a FIP of 4.74, 7.44, 3.75, 4.96 and 4.48 on his starts after the all-star game, it's clear that he is clearly struggling. He will now face a Pirates offense who are hitting quite well with .262 BA vs RHP's on his last 10 games. They were shutout by Marquis last Saturday, but they bounced back yesterday by scoring 11 runs. In fact, Pittsburgh is #3 in SLG in the current month with .465, just behind the Yankees and the Angels. Therefore, I believe Harang will struggle today in handling the Pirates' offense. On the other hand, Pittsburgh will have Karstens in the mount, a SP who has also been struggling with his command. The truth is that Karstens missed almost two months with a shoulder injury and his outings lately have been against Houston (twice), the Cubs, Colorado, Miami and Arizona, teams that are respectively #29, #30, #12, #22 and #15 on BA over the last 30 days, so Karstens hasn't really been fully tested after his injury, especially as when he faced Colorado and Arizona, the only two teams that he faced with some hitting powers, he allowed 4 ER to Colorado and 3 ER to Arizona. The Dodgers offense has been improving since their injured players got back into the lineup and with their new trade acquisitions, the Dodgers have been keeping their BA always over .280 on their last four games. Yes, they have struggled with their RISP, but they are generating hits and their current roster is .290 BA against Karstens, so I expect a confident Dodgers (after a good win yesterday in Miami, with some great hitting late in the game) to cause some problems to Karstens tonight. With both pitchers having the potential to struggle tonight, I see value on the Over, with the current line being at just 8 runs. Therefore, I'll be taking the Over on this contest. Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 901/902 Over 8 (w/ A. Harang & J. Karstens) @ +105 / 2.05 on 5 Dimes