The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cincinnati Reds have split six games so far this season as the teams will take Great American Ball Park for another three-game set starting Monday night. The Pirates are coming in as sizable favorites, but I think the home team has good chance of upsetting the visitors.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Pitching - The Reds hand the ball to Dan Straily (1-1, 3.56) who logged his first win of the season his last start. Straily held the Giants to three runs on six hits in 6 1/3 innings of a 7-4 win on May 4, and he has allowed just a total of two runs on five hits in nine innings against the Pirates this year. The Pirates counter with Jonathon Niese (3-1, 5.94 ERA), and the left-hander has struggled this season. Niese has conceded a total of 15 runs on 29 hits and nine walks in just 15 1/3 innings in his past three starts, and he is 2-4 with a 4.06 ERA in seven career starts against the Reds.

2. Brandon Phillips - The Reds' second baseman has been batting .321 over the past seven days, and he has had a good amount of success in previous meetings with Niese going 9-for-21 with two home runs.

3. X-Factor - Straily has Pittsburgh's Andrew McCutchen limited to one hit with a pair of strikeouts in eight at bats.

Selection: This is a play on the Cincinnati Reds +1.5 (8*)