MLB Daily Picks – FREE pick for July 11th is St. Louis

MLB Daily Picks FREE pick of the day is St. Louis:

Fixture: St. Louis @ Chicago Cubs
Time/Date: 8:05 PM ET, July 11, 2013
Pick: St. Louis
Odds: -125 (1.80 in decimal odds) @ Pinnacle

This will be the first game of 4 game series played in Chicago. St. Louis is leading the season series 4-2, outscoring the Cubs 23-14.

St. Louis is the best team in MLB at the moment with 55-34 record. They are also the best road team in MLB with 28 victories in 46 away games. St. Louis is on a 5 game winning streak. Chicago Cubs are 4th in National League Central with 40-49 record, 15 games behind St. Louis. They are 20-24 at home.

Jake Westbrook will be starting for St. Louis tonight. He is 5-3, 2.78 ERA after 11 starts in 2013. Westbrook was excellent in his last start 6 days ago against Miami allowing just 1 earned run on 3 hits in 7 innings of work. He is 4-0, 2.35 ERA in his last 6 starts against the Cubs. Westbrook faced them last on June 19th, picking a win by throwing 7 scoreless innings. He has not allowed a homer to a current Cubs player in a combined 148 plate appearances.

Chicago Cubs are sending out Edwin Jackson, who is 5-10, 5.50 ERA in 17 starts this season. Jackson picked up 2 wins in his last 2 starts, but hasn't had too much success in his last 2 starts against St. Louis, going 0-2, 16.20 ERA. Chicago Cubs are 2-6 in Jackson's last 8 starts as an underdog of +110 to +150, 2-6 in Jackson's last 8 home starts and 2-7 in Jackson's last 9 starts vs. National League Central teams.

St. Louis second baseman Matt Carpenter has batted .360 with 14 extra-base hits (4 home runs and 17 RBI's) in his last 18 games.

St. Louis is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings against the Cubs and I expect them to win tonight.