Draftkings MLB DFS Picks: Dodgers vs. Pirates 9/4/25

Major League Baseball presents Draftkings baseball fans with a National League matchup featuring the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Let’s take a look at this MLB game from a DFS perspective.

Before we dive into the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates game let’s review the rules for the Draftkings MLB single game showdown contest.

Draftkings Single Game Showdown Contest Rules

You have $50,000 to utilize on five players from either team. However, one of those players will be designated as your team captain. The captain accumulates 1.5 times the standard fantasy points. Additionally, the captain is 1.5 times the standard cost of the flex position.

The remaining four players in your lineup will receive the standard fantasy points. Having stated that, it is highly important for you to identify the correct player for your captain position if you hope to win a large field DFS GPP (guaranteed prize pool) showdown contest.

If you have additional questions regarding the rules for the single game showdown contest, I recommend that you check out the Draftkings website for more details.

*I recommend that all readers review the starting lineups for both teams prior to setting your DFS lineup for this one game slate.

Here are my Draftkings picks for tonight’s Dodgers vs. Pirates matchup.

Draftkings MLB DFS Picks

Captain-Blake Snell, Starting Pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers $11,000

On Thursday night, Major League Baseball presents the final game of a three-game National League series featuring the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

How are these two teams playing entering this MLB game? The Los Angeles Dodgers arrive at the third game of this three-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates playing subpar baseball. The Dodgers have lost four of the team’s last five games played in the 2025 MLB regular season, including a 6-1 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks last week.

In direct contrast to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Pittsburgh Pirates are playing quality baseball entering this MLB game. More specifically, the Pirates have won four of the team’s last five games played this season, including a 5-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox five days ago.

Now that we have identified how both of these teams are currently playing let’s shift our focus to tonight’s contest. Starting pitcher Blake Snell has certainly been a standout performer for the Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitching rotation this season. Having stated that, how has the talented pitcher performed from a statistical perspective in 2025? Let’s review Snell’s relevant game data from the 2025 MLB regular season to answer that question.

Through seven starts made in 2025, Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell has compiled a 3-3 (win-loss record), a 2.41 ERA (Earned Run Average) and a 1.37 WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched). Additionally, Snell has amassed 38 strikeouts in 37.1 innings pitched this season.

Last month, in the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-0 shutout win over the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles starting pitcher Blake Snell pitched exceptionally well. Snell pitched six quality innings while scattering five hits and two walks in the Los Angeles Dodgers defeat of the Padres.

In my view, Blake Snell is the most likely player to post the most Draftkings points in this MLB game. For that specific reason, I am backing Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell at the captain position for this one game MLB DFS slate.

Flex plays I like to play well in this MLB regular season contest (Draftkings price noted): Paul Skenes, Starting Pitcher (Pittsburgh Pirates) $12,000: Shohei Ohtani, Outfielder (Los Angeles Dodgers) $10,000: Bryan Reynolds, Outfielder (Pittsburgh Pirates) $7,600.