This is an 8* play on the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Pirates will host the Padres at PNC Park, and Pittsburgh has won five of it's last six. The Padres have lost five of seven, and they failed to score more than one run in four of those games.

A.J. Burnett will toe the slab for the Pirates, and he's having a fantastic season so far. Burnett (7-3, 2.05 ERA) allowed a pair of runs on seven hits over seven innings in a win at Detroit his last time out. He's been better at home, going 2-2 with a 1.29 ERA in seven starts at PNC Park.

The Padres will send ace James Shields to the mound, but he hasn't been pitching like an ace lately. Shields (7-3, 4.14 ERA) allowed a pair of runs on four hits and four walks over 6 2/3 innings in a home loss to Seattle his last time out. He's lost three straight, and he's winless in his last five starts. He owns a 5.50 ERA in nine starts on the road.

Shields won't have much margin for error, as the Pirates are 25-2 in their last 27 when scoring at least three runs.

Take PIT.

GL,

Jesse Schule