The set-up: Pittsburgh won big in Cincinnati on Sunday afternoon, while the Indians were on the road in Texas. Clearly Cleveland has the advantage on the mound with ace Corey Kluber, but I think the Pirates can carry their momentum over from yesterday's convincing victory and keep this one close enough to at the very least, cover with the spread once it's all said and done. The visitors hand the ball to Trevor Williams.

The pitchers: Williams is so far 7-7 with a 4.36 ERA. In his final start before the All Star game he'd go five scoreless against the Nationals. I think Williams benefits here in the AL format and also with the extra time off because of the break.

Kluber is so far 12-5 with a 2.76 ERA. Kluber was forced to miss the All Star game because of an injection in his knee. Kluber was then shut-down for a week, but he's been cleared to go here.

The pick: Take it for what you will, but Pittsburgh is a red hot 10-2 (+6.8 units) this year in all inter-league games, while Cleveland is just 18-25 (-14.9 units) against clubs with winning records. Look for the Bucs to keep the good times rolling with a competitive effort in the opener of this inter-league series, but grab the extra run-and-a-half as insurance.