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 +125  +120  +120

Posted at 1:15 PM EST and are subject to change.

Pittsburgh +125 over Chicago

8:05 PM EST. The Cubs’ stock is on the uptick after a three-game sweep of the Phillies to begin the second half of the season, but we’re not going to be buying in. If we didn’t like the Cubs as a pooch in ranges from +109 to +151 their last three games, we certainly are not going to step in now that they are spotting an inflated price against a pesky pooch.

JT Brubaker (RHP - PIT) goes today for the Pirates. He is coming off arguably his best start of the season against Miami, where he gave up just three hits and two walks over seven shutout frames. Brubaker is a solid pitcher that eats up innings and gets little to no credit for his efforts. His xERA is lower than his surface number, he sports a solid 9.29 K/9 strikeout rate, and he rarely gets taken deep (his home run rate is a puny 0.86 HR/9). Brubaker’s 2-8 record is not a reflection on him. Dude is solid. Also, it just so happens one of his wins came against these Cubs. Jonathan Brubaker has been a strikeout machine, with six or more strikeouts in four straight starts. He takes on a Cubs team that is striking out 24.4% of the time versus RHP the past month.

Adrian Sampson (RHP - CHI) will be on the bump for the Cubbies. How a journeyman such as Sampson can lay this kind of lumber against any big league lineup is a bit puzzling, but that is why we are here. In his last two turns, Sampson has just four strikeouts to five walks in 10.2 innings. As a big favorite that walks more batters than he sits, Sampson must be faded today.