The set-up: Philadelphia has taken the first two games of this series because of superior pitching. The Phillies will now look to sweep in the nation's capital as they once again benefit from a mismatch on the mound this evening. The visitors go with Nick Pivetta, while the home side goes with Jefry Rodriguez.

The pitchers: Pivetta is so far 4-6 with a 4.08 ERA. Pivetta comes in off another strong outing, giving up two runs off four hits with one walk, while also striking out 13 over 7.1 innings in what turned out to be no-decision against the Cards on Monday. Pivetta hasn't been perfect this year, but he does seem to be getting progressively better/more confident with each start. To go along with his respectable ERA, he also owns a sharp 1.18 WHIP and elite 94:22 K/BB over 79.1 frames of work this season.

Rodriguez is so far 0-0 with a 4.66 ERA. Rodriguez is in the rotation out of necessity. Most recently he was walloped for five earned runs over five innings against Baltimore on Tuesday. It was just his second appearance in the big leagues.

The pick: Philadelphia has looked great at the plate in this series and there's no reason not to think that the Phillies can't carry that offensive momentum over here in this very favorable matchup. I think Pivetta offers great value in this spot, play on Philadelphia.