The Pirates and the Orioles start their first significant series against each other since the 1979 World Series as Brad Lincoln takes on Chen Wei-Yin. Lincoln’s great stats as a reliever have not translated into starting yet, as he allowed seven runs in 10 innings. He also struck out eight and walked three, which if he can keep up should yield good results in the long run. Chen is undefeated at home with a 2.16 ERA. He’s only walked seven of his 22 batters in Baltimore.

Arizona tries to keep their hot streak going as they send Ian Kennedy against the pitching depleted Rangers and Colby Lewis. Kennedy’s three true outcomes are close to his 2011 numbers, but his hits per nine innings are way up. He allowed a .227 BA in 2011, .270 in 2012. The Diamondbacks ratEd High in UZR both years, so maybe hitters picked up on a pattern in Kennedy’s pitching. Lewis is once again on a pace to give up about 35 home runs, but with his greatly reduced walk totals, his ERA is down a run compared to last season.

Finally, the Cardinals host the other Chicago team as the White Sox visit St. Louis. I wonder if South Side fans hate the Cardinals as much as Cubs fans do, or if the enemy of the Cubs is the friend of the White Sox? Jose Quintana takes the mound for Chicago, having allowed just 15 hits in 22 rookie innings. Adam Wainwright stands in opposition. He has yet to put together a long streak of good starts, and is coming off two poor ones.

Enjoy!