Philadelphia (-162 favorites) has baseball’s best road record at 26-15, but hasn’t played well at home. The Phillies began their homestand last week with a 13-22 record at Citizens Bank Park, and they’d lost eight of their last nine.

If Ibanez plays for the first time since June 17, he’ll face Zach Duke, who has been the Pirates’ best starter.

The lefthander is 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA in three career starts versus the Phillies.

Joe Blanton might be the wrong pitcher to face if the Pirates want to get off to a good start in Philadelphia. Blanton limited the Mets to four hits Sunday in a 2-0 win.

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Pavano had a rough April after signing a one-year deal with the Indians in the offseason, going 0-3 with a 9.50 ERA. He has since turned it around despite recent setbacks.

The righthander is looking to help the Indians string together consecutive wins for the first time since June 11-12.

Pavano is 3-4 with a 4.69 ERA in 10 starts against the Pirates, whom he hasn't faced since 2004 while with Florida.

Zach Duke has been the Pirates' best pitcher, but if Pittsburgh's offense is struggling the lefthander hasn't fared well. The Pirates have scored a total of four runs in Duke's five losses.

Duke is 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA against the Indians, who are +115 underdogs tonight.

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They now own the Super Bowl champion Steelers and the Stanley Cup champion Penguins.

Even the World Series winners, the Philadelphia Phillies are in the same state.

No city has ever won more than two titles from the NBA, NFL, MLB, or NFL in the same year.

Pittsburgh’s feat, following the double by the Pirates and Steelers 30 years earlier, solidifies its claim as one of the nation’s most successful pro sports cities, per capita, even if the Pirates can’t overcome their current deficit in the NL Central and make it a triple.

Can you imagine if only Villanova’s Scottie Reynolds had missed that layup? The Panthers could have made a run at the NCAA title.

Other cities like L.A. and New York have had multiple champions before, but they also have more teams.

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Pittsburgh has had 16 consecutive losing seasons, but some of its greatest struggles have come in interleague play. Coming into 2009 the Pirates were 63-103 against the AL, a .380 winning percentage that was far and away baseball's worst in interleague play.

The Pirates' solid offensive output Wednesday in an 8-2 win came courtesy of three home runs, which is a rarity for a team that ranks 29th in the majors in that category.

A similar performance won't be easy with Nick Blackburn on the mound for the -155 favored Twins. Blackburn hasn't allowed a homer in 32 1-3 innings at home, where he's 2-0 with a 3.06 ERA in five outings.

Zach Duke will pitch for Pittsburgh.

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The Braves are 4-3 on a nine-game homestand, trying to build some momentum before a six-game trip with series in Cincinnati and Boston.

Jurrjens is 1-2 with a 3.18 ERA in three career starts versus Pittsburgh.

The Braves will face former teammate Charlie Morton, who will be recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis to face Atlanta a week after being dealt to Pittsburgh.

Morton, who went 4-8 with a 6.15 ERA in 15 starts and one relief appearance for Atlanta last year, will get his first start of the season.

The Pirates are only 9-28 in the last 37 meetings in Atlanta. Before the game tonight, be sure to place your MLB bets with Bodog today.

McLouth is 2-for-10 in his first three games with the Braves, but his second hit in his new uniform was a big one. He hit a tying double in the eighth inning Sunday against Milwaukee and scored on Yunel Escobar's single in Atlanta's 8-7 victory.

Zach Duke will be on the mound tonight for Pittsburgh, who is listed as a +125 underdog.

Duke, 2-3 with a 3.72 ERA in six starts against Atlanta, had his worst outing versus the Braves on April 19. He gave up six runs and 12 hits over six innings in an 11-1 loss in Pittsburgh.

Lately, however, Duke has been outstanding. The lefthander is 3-1 with a 2.43 ERA in his last five starts.

The Mets, losers of seven of their last nine on the road, have Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, Ryan Church, and Angel Pagan on the disabled list.

Those absences have been compounded by a stomach virus that's sidelined Carlos Beltran for three straight games.

Over his last four starts, Pelfrey has gone 0-1 with a 2.28 ERA and has received only four runs to work with.
The Pirates are looking to take advantage of New York's absences and win their third consecutive game.

Pittsburgh hopes Ross Ohlendorf can avoid a personal three-game slide when he takes the mound this afternoon. Get all your MLB betting with Bodog now.

Pittsburgh is averaging 9.5 runs during its last four games, scoring 11 against Colorado on Sunday and 12 versus Washington in this series' opener.

Pittsburgh has won six of eight, scoring at least five runs in each victory.

The Nationals now face Pittsburgh's Paul Maholm, who has surrendered two runs or fewer in five of his eight starts.

Washington will counter with John Lannan, who is 2-1 with a 2.50 ERA in his last six starts.

Backers hope Lannan can pitch deep into the game because the Washington bullpen has a collective 1-14 record and a major league-worst 6.68 ERA this season. Be sure to bet on MLB baseball in the Bodog Sportsbook.

Pujols went 4-for-4 and homered for the fourth time in five games as St. Louis snapped a three-game losing streak with a 4-2 win over Pittsburgh on Wednesday night.

The first baseman is batting .611 with two homers and three RBI in five games versus the Pirates this season and .371 with 37 homers and 109 RBI in 490 career at-bats against them.

Wellemeyer is 4-2 with a 3.93 ERA in seven starts and 11 relief appearances versus the Pirates.

Pittsburgh will turn to Ross Ohlendorf, who has been one of its most consistent starters. A 2.70 ERA and a .191 opponent batting average has helped him win three straight starts. Head over to the Bodog Sportsbook for the best in MLB odds.

The Pirates scored four runs to cap a ninth-inning comeback victory on Monday, then after a loss Tuesday pounded out 17 hits Wednesday in a 7-4 win.

The Pirates may be hard-pressed to come up with another stellar offensive effort against Carpenter, who’s 9-1 with a 2.24 ERA in his career against Pittsburgh.

Ross Ohlendorf will get the ball for Pittsburgh, and although he struggled after coming over from the New York Yankees in July, he solidified a spot in the rotation in spring training.

Ohlendorf went 1-1 with a 2.55 ERA in 24 2-3 innings, walking just two. The over is 4-0 in the last four meetings in St. Louis. Head on over to the Bodog Sportsbook today for the latest MLB baseball betting lines, odds, props and futures!