Stealing a series from the Cubs

Who would've thought after Friday's debacle that the Pirates would actually have a shot at winning this series two days later? Regardless, that is actually the case this afternoon as Paul Maholm and Ted Lilly face off in the rubber match of this series at 1:35. Lilly and Maholm have pretty similar ERAs, but nothing else about their pitching lines is really close beyond that. Lilly's ERA is a little high for the way he's pitched this year while Maholm's is just about spot-on. Maholm's been pretty consistent in May, but not in a good way because he's allowed four runs in just about six innings in each of his past three starts. If he can even himself out some today, the Pirates might have a chance. If not, only the crappy parts of the bullpen are going to be available today after last night's marathon and we might have a repeat of Friday on our hands.