Let's be honest, it's tough to have much excitement about the Pirates, even playing at home after having an off-day Wednesday. The Pirates were swept in a short two-game set at Wrigley Field by the Cubs and now send Zach Thompson to the hill in the opener. He's 0-3 with a 4.70 ERA, a 1.467 WHIP, 15 walks and 16 strikeouts over 30.2 innings in his last six starts. Thompson has seen opposing hitters post a .259/.344/.457 slash line against him in that stretch. Meanwhile, the Phillies bounced back from a sweep at home by the Cubs to take two of three from Atlanta. They send Zack Wheeler to the hill here and he's coming off a bitter no-decision at Wrigley over the weekend. He threw seven innings, allowing one run on three hits with no walks and six strikeouts in a game Philadelphia dropped 6-2 in 10 innings. Wheeler is 2-0 with a 2.22 ERA, a 1.069 WHIP, four walks and 26 strikeouts over 24.1 innings in four career starts against the Pirates. Given Pittsburgh's offensive issues and the rebound the Phillies had against Atlanta, you have to back them, even on the road here.