10* UNDERDOG OF THE MONTH on the San Diego Padres.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 3.5 games back of the Cubs in the NL Central, and they come into Game 2 of this series versus the Padres as losers of five of their last seven. San Diego will have it's ace on the mound on Thursday, and my money is on the Friars as a home dog.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Pitching - James Shields will get the nod for San Diego, and he's still looking for his first win of the season. He's pitched pretty well so far, but simply hasn't gotten the run support. He's only faced the Pirates twice over the last three seasons, but he's been sharp posting a 1.38 ERA over 13 innings.

2. Batter vs. Pitcher - The Pirates lineup has not been able to solve Shields, batting just .138 over a combined 69 at bats. During that span they have twice as many strikeouts (18) as they do hits (9).

3. X-Factor - Pittsburgh has really struggled against the Padres, they are 21-43 in the last 64 meetings.

Selection: This is a play on the San Diego Padres (10*)