MLB Daily Picks – FREE pick for July 6th is Pittsburgh

MLB Daily Picks FREE pick of the day is Pittsburgh:

Fixture: Pittsburgh @ Chicago Cubs
Time/Date: 4:05 PM ET, July 6, 2013
Pick: Pittsburgh
Odds: -125 (1.80 in decimal odds) @ Pinnacle

This will be the second game of 3 game series played in Chicago. Pittsburgh won 6-2 last night. They are leading the season series 7-3, outscoring the Cubs 31-17.

Pittsburgh is the beast team in MLB with 53-32 record. They are 24-17 on the road and they are 11-2 in their last 13 games overall.Chicago Cubs are 4th in National League Central with 36-48 record. They have only 17 victories in 40 home games so far.

Pittsburgh's pitching staff has the beast team ERA in MLB with 3.14, the Cubs are 14th with 3.92 ERA. Pittsburgh's relievers are ranked 4th in MLB with 2.92 ERA, while Chicago's relievers are 25th with 4.24 ERA.

Pittsburgh's left fielder Starling Marte is batting .373 during a 10-game hitting streak (including six multiple-hit games) with 9 of his 19 hits going for extra bases. He improved to 8 for 21 (.381) with 5 stolen bases during his last 5 games against the Cubs after going 3 for 6 with two steals yesterday. Their left fielder Andrew McCutchen is 7-for-17 with 2 home runs against Edwin Jackson, who will be starting for the Cubs today.

Jackson is 4-10, 5.75 ERA after 16 start in 2013. He is just 1-5, 6.69 ERA in 7 home starts. Jackson recorded a win in his last start 6 days ago in Seattle, but before that he had 2 consecutive losses with cumulative ERA of 9.00. Jackson is 1-2 in 3 starts against Pittsburgh this season. Chicago Cubs are 1-4 in Jackson's last 5 starts as a home underdog, 1-5 in Jackson's last 6 starts with 5 days of rest, 1-6 in Jackson's last 7 home starts and 1-7 in Jackson's last 8 starts vs. National League Central teams.

Pittsburgh is sending out Charlie Morton who is returning from Tommy John surgery. He went 1-1, 2.50 ERA in 4 starts this season. Since allowing a career-worst 10 runs to Chicago Cubs on August 14th, 2009, Morton is 2-1, 1.71 ERA in 4 starts against them.

Pittsburgh is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in Chicago and 6-1 in the last 7 meetings against the Cubs and I'm expecting Pittsburgh to win today.