Chicago at Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs are both chasing the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central, but a more realistic outcome would be for these teams to get to the Wild Card game. That makes this series vital for both teams, and this will be the series opener after the initial game was washed out by rain last night. Jake Arrieta has been more than the Cubs could have hoped for with eight straight quality starts and an overall record of 11-6 backed by a solid 2.62 ERA. J.A. Happ needed a change of scenery, and I would expect him to thrive in Pittsburgh. The Cubs have had trouble getting started in a series, dropping six of their last eight series openers, and will face a dominating home team in the Pirates - now 66-30 in their last 96 at home. Overall, Pittsburgh has been at their best vs. right-handed pitching where they own a 51-21 record in their last 72 against them in this building. The Cubs have struggled here at 6-15 in their last 21. Take Pittsburgh.