The Pittsburgh Pirates opened the second half of the season by getting swept over three games by the Brew Crew at Miller Park. I expect them to be more successful tonight when they visit the Kansas City Royals for the opener of a three-game set.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Pitching - The Royals will hand the ball to Yordano Ventura (4-6, 4.73 ERA) who's had a disappointing first half of the season. He's been dealing with injuries lately and has tossed only 11 innings over his last three starts but has still managed to surrender nine runs on 14 hits and six walks. The Pirates will counter with A.J. Burnett (7-3, 2.11 ERA) who's 1-2 in his last sevens starts despite posting a respectable 1.99 ERA. We can expect another solid outing tonight as he's 3-1 with a 1.83 ERA in his last six starts against the Royals.

2. Situational - The Pirates have won nine of their last 10 interleague games and five of Burnett's last six road-starts. They've also won five of the last six meetings with the Royals.

3. X-Factor - The Royals are 0-5 in Ventura's last 5 starts against a team with a winning record.

Selection: This is a play on the Pittsburgh Pirates +1.5 (8*)