The set­up: This series features a couple of lop­sided mismatches on the mound, and this is one of them. In fact the talent­gap is so large in my opinion, that I do indeed feel that Clay Buchholz and the hard­hitting visitors are well worth the price of admission this evening. The home side sends Jabob Nix to the hill.

The teams: Buchholz is so far 5­2 with a 2.67 ERA. He most recently gave up two runs off seven hits with two walks while striking out eight in a 9­3 victory over San Francisco on Saturday. His 8.1 K/9 rate is his best since 2015 and note that he's 3­2 with a tiny 2.18 ERA on the road. Nix is so far 1­0 with a 0.00 ERA, who looked sharp in his debut against the Phillies on Friday. Nix was dominant in Triple­A and that momentum was carried over into his first career big­league start, but there's no question that he faces a much stiffer test thisevening in the Diamondbacks' potent hitting line­up.

The pick: The skies are the limit for Nix, but I think he's in over his head here. Buchholz has been a pleasant surprise for Arizona this season and I find no reason not to believe that the veteran can't carry over his consistency once again in this favorable match­up. Lay the price.