Thursday night viewing has never been this good as we’ve got two mouth-watering games that will definitely whet your baseball appetite. Kicking things off tonight is the NL Central showdown between the streaking Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cincinnati Reds.
Following shortly thereafter is the intriguing clash between the Chicago Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers. Read on below for a quick breakdown of these two critical games and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the match between the Los Angeles Angels and the Houston Astros.
[sc:MLBArticles ]
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Cincinnati Reds (7:10 PM ET)
The Pittsburgh Pirates extended their winning streak to three games with a dominant 10-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday. The Pirates have now won five of their last six games to tighten their grip on the National League’s first wild-card spot. The Bucs will look to stretch their unbeaten run later tonight when they take on the Cincinnati Reds in their series opener.
[sc:MLB240banner ]Pitching for Pittsburgh this evening is A.J. Burnett (8-4, 2.68 ERA). He struggled in his last start, allowing five runs on 11 hits in just 5.2 innings of action in the Bucs’ humiliating 9-3 loss to the Washington Nationals on July 25. The Reds, on the other hand, will have David Holmberg on the mound tonight. This will be Holmberg’s first start in the majors this season. He was 7-6 with a 4.40 ERA at Triple-A Louisville. He was superb in his last start, allowing just one run on seven hits in six innings of work in Louisville’s 7-4 win against Columbus.
The Reds are 5-0 in their last five home games against the Pirates.
Line: Chicago Cubs (-141) at Milwaukee Brewers (+131); total: 7.0 – view all MLB lines
The Chicago Cubs returned to winning ways Wednesday with a nerve-wracking 3-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies. Jon Lester was phenomenal for the Cubs, allowing just two runs, five hits and one walk in eight innings of action. He struck out 14 Colorado batters, one shy of his career high.
The Cubs will look to sustain the momentum of that huge win they take on the struggling Milwaukee Brewers in the opening game of their four-game set. Starting for the Cubs tonight is Jake Arrieta (11-6, 2.61 ERA). Arrieta was the loser last Saturday as the Phillies’ Cole Hamels no-hit the Cubs. Arrieta surrendered three runs on six hits and three walks over six innings while striking out eight in that 5-0 loss.
The Brewers, on the other hand, will have right-hander Jimmy Nelson (8-9, 3.97 ERA) as their starter tonight. He was superb in his last outing, throwing seven innings of shutout ball in Milwaukee’s 2-1 win over Arizona on July 24. The Brewers have won five of their last six games with Nelson as their starting pitcher.
The Brewers are 3-2 in their last five home games against the Cubs.
