Handicapper Matt Rivers has a free Thursday night sports pick. It’s to take Pittsburgh +127 at BetUs Sportsbook

How about those scrappy Little Bucos? They were huge $250 plus dogs in each game of the doubleheader on Wednesday and not only won but won going away in both, 4-0 and then 8-2. Don’t tell me that they are the team on the field today who has quit as that honor goes squarely to Lou Pinella’s dreadfully underachieving Cubbies. Also factor in how Aramis Ramirez is banged up and without a healthy Alfonso Soriano Chicago has only Derrek Lee left to fear and for all I know he will even get a day off today in this meaningless spot.
 
Paul Maholm certainly has struggled on the road a bunch this season but Jeff Samardzjia is never going to be what some thought. The righthander does have that fastball but that’s about it and Andrew McCutcheon, Garret Jones and the young Pirates will be all over that. The former Notre Dame football star finally had a decent enough start in Milwaukee about a week ago but that does not convinced me of anything as even that was nothing more than average at best. He even hot a Home Run at Miller Park in that contest but once again so what?
 
It’s pretty crazy to say that after trading away a lot of their team (McLouth, Adam LaRoche, Sanchez and a few others) and being the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates it’s the visitors who really are the better team today with the better pitcher. I’m not saying that will definitely translate into a victory but Pittsburgh is for sure the club that wants to play this game and feels pretty good about itself after Wednesday.
 
Chicago is not good, doesn’t care at all and probably will show it one more time so why not back the Bucs.

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