The reeling Pittsburgh Pirates have lost nine of their past 10 games. They're running the risk of getting swept over three games by their division rival the Chicago Cubs here on Sunday night, and I think we're getting a reasonable price on the currently superior Cubs.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Pitching - The Pirates hand the ball to 24 year old Jameson Taillon (1-0, 1.93 ERA) who will make his third start in the majors. The rookie is coming off an extraordinary outing when he held the Mets to two hits over eight scoreless innings, but I think he's due for a let down game here. The Cubs counter with Kyle Hendricks (4-6, 3.05) who was 0-1 with a 6.63 ERA in four starts against the Pirates last year. The 26 year old is enjoying a solid season though and this is a great time to face the Pirates and their ice cold bats.

2. Pittsburgh's Struggles To Score - The Pirates have averaged 3.25 runs per game behind a .219 batting average here in June. They've scored just nine runs during their current four-game slide.

3. X-Factor - The Cubs have won seven of eight meetings this season.

Selection: This is a play on the Chicago Cubs (8*)