MLB Daily Picks – FREE pick for August 22nd is Pittsburgh

MLB Daily Picks FREE pick of the day is Pittsburgh:

Fixture: Pittsburgh @ San Francisco
Time/Date: 10:15 PM ET, August 22, 2013
Pick: Pittsburgh
Odds: +114 (2.14 in decimal odds) @ Pinnacle

This will be the first game of 4 game series played in San Francisco. Pittsburgh is leading season series 2-1 after 3 game series played in Pittsburgh back in June.

Pittsburgh is leading National League Central and they are sharing 2nd place in MLB with Detroit and LA Dodgers with 74-52 record. They are 32-30 on the road. San Francisco is last in National League West with 56-70 record and they are 32-33 at home this season.

Pittsburgh is coming to San Francisco from San Diego, where they took 2 out of 3 against the Padres, allowing just 4 runs in those 3 games. San Francisco lost 3 game home series against Boston 2-1, being outscored 21-4 by the Red Sox.

Pittsburgh has the best pitching staff in entire MLB, they have 3.16 team ERA. San Francisco's pitchers are ranked only 22nd with 4.15 ERA. Pittsburgh 's defense has allowed 121 runs less than San Francisco's defense.

Jeff Locke will be starting for Pittsburgh tonight. He is 9-4, 2.90 ERA after 24 starts in 2013. He is winless in his last 5 starts, going 0-2 during that period, but he was 3-1 in previous 4 starts. Locke is much better pitching away from home. He is 5-2, 1.81 ERA in 12 road starts. At home he went 4-2, 4.15 ERA in as many starts. Pittsburgh is 7-3 in Locke's last 10 starts vs. a team with a losing record.

San Francisco is sending out Matt Cain, who is 8-8, 4.35 ERA in 25 starts this season. Cain has been very consistent after the All Star break going 3-2, 2.41 ERA in his last 6 starts. San Francisco is 3-7 in Cain's last 10 starts, 1-6 in Cain's last 7 starts vs. National League Central teams, 1-6 in Cain's last 7 home starts and 0-4 in Cain's last 4 starts during game 1 of a series.

Pittsburgh is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings against San Francisco and I expect them to win tonight.