The set-up: The 63-61 Pittsburgh Pirates lost five of six games on their recently completed homestand to fall 3 1/2 games back of the NL's second wild card spot, with the Marlins two games in front of them. Pittsburgh has been a participant in each of the last three wild card games in the NL and will get a chance at picking up some ground this weekend, as they open a four-game series in Milwaukee. The Brewers have matched their season high with four consecutive victories, scoring six or more runs in five of their last seven but are still just 57-70 on the season.

The pitching matchup: Chad Kuhl (3-1, 3.62 ERA) gets the nod for Pittsburgh with Wily Peralta (5-9, 6.00 ERA) taking the mound for the Brewers. Rookie Chad Kuhl will make his eighth career start for Pittsburgh and his fourth since he was recalled from the minors on August 9. Kuhl lost for the first time in seven major-league starts last Saturday, when he gave up three runs (two earned) on five hits in six innings of a 3-1 loss to Miami. Perlata has had a very disappointing season for the Brewers in 2016,
getting demoted to Triple-A Colorado Springs for nearly two months. He is 1-2 with a 3.50 ERA in three starts since returning to the Brewers on August 9 and on the season Milwaukee is 6-10 (minus-$356) in his 16 starts.

The pick: There can be no denying the Pirates' troubles with the Brewers, who own a 103-54 record against them since the 2007. In particular, the Pirates open this series having lost have nine in a row in at Miller Park, falling to 17-64 since the start of that 2007 season! However, Peralta has been on shaky ground all year and Kuhl has seen the Pirates go 6-1 in his seven starts in 2016, giving him the 12th-best moneyline mark (plus-$895) among starters in 2016. Pittsburgh earns a top rating of 10*s.