An unfortunate sequence of events the past two nights for the Cubs, who blew a 3-0 lead in the 8th inning on Monday vs. the Bucs, then had the misfortune of running into Paul Skenes on the mound for the Bucs last night. Domingo German, however, is not Skenes, and indeed we wonder why Derek Shelton is opting to start him after a couple of awful efforts in long relief, surrendering 10 runs and 11 hits across just 5 2/3 IP in his last two outings. Maybe no one else is available? Hardly an endorsement for Pittsburgh, especially as Chicago cannot squander another game here if it wants to stay in the NL wild card discussion. Craig Counsell does have an edge on the mound in this one with Shota Imanaga, with a very serviceable 3.30 ERA across his six August starts. The Cubs have also won six of his last eight starts. Play Cubs on Run Line