2017 MLB Expert Picks and Winning Favorites for Thursday, July 6

While we all tend to focus on the top teams in MLB when it comes time to wager, it should be noted that there are plenty of games featuring middle of the road teams going head to head. Playing these seemingly meaningless games can help make them that much more interesting, and we are going to focus on a few of those for our Thursday baseball betting previews. Miami will be on the road in St, Louis, while the Pirates and Phillies will lock horns in a Pennsylvania duel. Finally, the Cleveland Indians will be looking to cement their place at the top of the Central division when they close out their series with the San Diego Padres.

A Closer Look At The 2017 MLB Expert Picks and Winning Favorites for Thursday, July 6

Miami Marlins (37-45) at St. Louis Cardinals (40-43)

When: Thursday, July 6 at 1:45 PM EST Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis TV: MLBN Probable Pitchers: Tom Koehler Vs Michael Wacha Analysis: The Miami Marlins have split the first two games of this series with the Cardinals, which is no real surprise given that they have been playing .500 ball for an extended period of time. This is a team that is tough to bet on because of their unpredictable play. They are 3-3 in their last 6 games in the OVER/UNDER, Run Line, and Straight Up, making them a very tough bet indeed. They will send Tom Koehler (1-3, 8.33 ERA) to the mound for this one. The Cardinals are just 4.5 games off the pace being set by the Milwaukee Brewers at the top of the division, but like their opponents here, they simply cannot seem to put together a consistent run of form. That said, they have been better of late, going 7-3 in their last 10 games. They have a shot at inching closer to the top if they can go on and win this series. Michael Wacha (5-3, 4.16 ERA) is unbeaten in his last 3 starts, and will go to the mound on Thursday.

Miami Marlins MLB Trends

Miami is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games The total has gone OVER in 4 of Miami’s last 5 games Miami is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games on the road The total has gone OVER in 4 of Miami’s last 5 games on the road Miami is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing St. Louis

St. Louis Cardinals MLB Trends

The total has gone OVER in 8 of St. Louis’s last 12 games The total has gone OVER in 6 of St. Louis’s last 9 games at home St. Louis is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Miami St. Louis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Miami The total has gone OVER in 10 of St. Louis’s last 11 games when playing Miami MLB Pick: Miami Marlins 3 St. Louis Cardinals 8

Pittsburgh Pirates (38-46) at Philadelphia Phillies (28-54)

When: Thursday, July 6 at 6:05 PM EST Where: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia TV: MLBN Probable Pitchers: Chad Kuhl Vs Jeremy Hellickson Analysis: The Pirates snapped out of a 4-game losing skid with a shutout win over the Phillies on Tuesday, tying up the series in the process. If you are going to play the Pirates, it’s well worth looking at the run total, as they have gone UNDER in 7 of their last 8 games. The Pirates are a miserable 17-24 on the road, but you still need to like their chances in Philly. Chad Kuhl (2-6, 5.26 ERA) will get the start for Pittsburgh. The Phillies are the worst team in baseball, yet they always seem to find a way to keep things close, and have covered the spread in 7 of their last 10 games. Unfortunately, they only managed to pick up the win in 4 of those games. Playing at home has not really helped their cause, as they are just 15-21 in their own ball park. They have been particularly poor versus Central division opponents, going 6-15 this season. Jeremy Hellickson (5-5, 4.48 ERA) is scheduled to start for Philly.

Pittsburgh Pirates MLB Trends

Pittsburgh is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games Pittsburgh is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh’s last 5 games Pittsburgh is 13-5 ATS in its last 18 games on the road Pittsburgh is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road

Philadelphia Phillies MLB Trends

Philadelphia is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games Philadelphia is 7-18 SU in its last 25 games The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia’s last 6 games Philadelphia is 8-15 ATS in its last 23 games at home Philadelphia is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games at home MLB Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates 4 Philadelphia Phillies 3

San Diego Padres (35-48) at Cleveland Indians (44-38)

When: Thursday, July 6 at 7:10 PM EST Where: Progressive Field, Cleveland TV: MLBN Probable Pitchers: Dinelson Lamet Vs Josh Tomlin Analysis: The Padres are already a staggering 20 games back in the NL West, but they are proving to be a tough team to beat in the final week of the first half, winning 4 of their last 6 games, including back to back wins to start the week. The Padres picked up a surprising 1-0 win over the Indians in the opening game of this series, taking their interleague record to 6-8 on the season. They will send Dinelson Lamet (3-2, 5.35 ERA) to the mound on Thursday. The Cleveland Indians are back on top in the Central, but will they be there when this week ends? Both the Royals and Twins are winning, and are both just a game and a half back. You might want to take a look at the UNDER here, as only 2 of the last 14 games that the Indians have played have hit the OVER. Interleague play has not been kind to this group, as they are just 2-10 right now. Josh Tomlin (4-9, 6.17 ERA) will start.

San Diego Padres MLB Trends

San Diego is 15-5 ATS in its last 20 games San Diego is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Diego’s last 6 games San Diego is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games on the road The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Diego’s last 5 games on the road

Cleveland Indians MLB Trends

The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Cleveland’s last 14 games Cleveland is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games at home Cleveland is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games at home The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cleveland’s last 5 games at home The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland’s last 5 games when playing San Diego MLB Pick: San Diego Padres 2 Cleveland Indians 4