The set-up: These teams were locked in a tight battle into the latter frames last night, but I'm expecting a decisive victory for the visitors on Thursday afternoon. The Phillies hand the ball to Nick Pivetta, while the Cubs go with Tyler Chatwood.

The pitchers: So far Pivetta is 4-4 with a 3.48 ERA. Pivetta most recently gave up three earned runs over four innings in a loss to the Giants on Friday. Previous to that though Pivetta had been on fire, going into that sub-par outing having given up just three earned runs, while striking out 32 over 24 innings. Pivetta owns a sharp 1.15 WHIP over 62 innings and he's been at his best in all "day" games, with a 2-1, 1.88 ERA record.

Chatwood is so far 3-4 with a 4.02 ERA. Chatwood most recently gave up two runs off four hits and four walks while striking out three over 5.1 innings against the Mets on Friday. Previous to that decent performance though Chatwood had been pulled after 2.2 innings in his previous two starts, while also walking 11 opponents in that span. Chatwood owns a poor 1.73 WHIP with 47 K's and 49 walks over 53.2 innings.

The pick: Chicago has been struggling at the plate, and I think it's going to have its hands full with Pivetta. Chatwood's been consistently inconsistent all year and I don't foresee anything changing here. Play on the Phillies.