We’ve got two productive lineups in solid current form facing off against a pair of suspect starters in Pittsburgh this evening, setting the stage for what should be a high scoring affair.  Prior to last night’s shutout at the hands of the red hot Jake Arrieta, the Pirates lineup had hammered out just shy of six runs per game over the previous week.   The addition of Aramis Ramirez at the trading deadline filled a void in the cleanup spot; leaving the Pirates offense as an undervalued commodity moving forward.

Meanwhile, the Cubs have scored four runs or more on every game of their current road trip.  They’ve hit lefties like Jeff Locke significantly better than righties all year, averaging nearly a full run per nine innings more against opposing southpaws.  Locke has faced the Cubs three times already this season, and all three of those starts were rather ugly: 21 hits and 15 runs allowed in just 12.2 innings of work.  It’s surely worth noting that Locke has allowed at least three runs in each of his last four trips to the hill, not a shut-down starter at this stage of the season.

Dan Haren isn’t trustable either.  In pitcher friendly Miami, Haren compiled a 2.71 ERA in 11 starts this year.  On all other fields, that ERA jumped nearly a run and a half, with twice as many home runs allowed.  Haren’s recent track record in Pittsburgh isn’t pretty either; struggling both against current Pirates and at PNC Park in general.  On a beautiful summer night in Pittsburgh, expect a handful of crooked numbers on the scoreboard.  Take the Over.