The set-up: Two hungry teams collide on Sunday afternoon, making the home field advantage crucial in my opinion. The visitors hand the ball to veteran Gio Gonzalez, while the home side goes with Yu Darvish.

The pitchers: Gonzalez (2-2, 4.34 ERA) is 4-3 with a 2.77 ERA in 13 career starts vs. the Cubs, but he comes in off a terrible outing in which he was shelled for nine runs off nine hits over five innings to St. Louis.

Darvish (5-6, 4.25) has 183 K's over 152 1/3's innings of work this season. Since the All Star Break Darvish is 3-2 with a 2.93 ERA.

The pick: The Brewers are 6.5 games back. The Cubs are 2.5 back of St. Louis. Milwaukee continues to struggle with injuries to key sluggers though, including to Keston Hiura and Mike Moustakas. Also note that Darvish is 1-1 with a 2.05 ERA in four career starts vs. the Brewers. Lay the price and expect a convincing home side victory.

8* ULTIMATE AFTERNOON BLOWOUT on the Chicago Cubs.