The Brewers have lost two straight to the lowly Pirates, so watch out for fireworks on Thursday. It is the first against the worst in terms of offense. Brewers are .290/.886 over the last 15 days while the Pirates occupy the cellar at .199/.594. The Brew Crew looks to Woodruff to stop the bleeding. He has been sharp in his last 7 games with a 4-1 record and an ERA of 2.31. He has been even better in his last two appearances, giving up just 2 runs over 12+ innings, striking out 17.

Zack Thompson starts for the Pirates and was absolutely crushed in his last two starts, giving up well over a run an inning with a total of 10+ innings pitched. While he pitched better than that in early July, he still ended up allowing opposing batters a .304 average. The Brewers have hit Thompson very hard in the past.

The Pirates do have a very good bullpen at the moment, but if Thompson continues as he has been pitching, it is likely the damage will have been done by then. Look for the Brewers to be swinging for the fences on Thursday. Take Milwaukee on the run line at – 1 ½. 9*.