Pittsburgh at Houston

The pitching matchup here is a bit deceptive, as both hurlers are heading in opposite directions with one moving up and the other on a slide. The Pirates got a great surprise when Paul Maholm started the season 3-0 pitching to an 0.87 ERA. What has happened since is that Maholm has pitched to a 7.16 ERA over his last three starts, and a 5.38 ERA since his great start. There are signs he has lost his command beyond those numbers as Maholm has uncorked a wild pitch four times in his last four starts, and six times in his last seven. The Astros have seen just the opposite from Brian Moehler who opened the season with a near seven era into early June, but has pitched to a 2.65 ERA over his last three starts. The Astros have now won his last four starts, and eight of his last 10. The Pirates have not been good inside the Central Division as they are a woeful 17-44 in their last 61. The Astros have been 43-17 over their last 60 games against teams with a losing record, and 7-0 with Moehler on the hill. I'm going with the Astros here.