home run or strikeout kind of guy.For the Indians, they need outfield help with Tyler Naquin going on the disabled list and having no one else really out there

The National League Central-leading Chicago Cubs (69-50) begin a key divisional series against the Pittsburgh Pirates (61-60) on Thursday in what is listed as a pick'em matchup at sportsbooks. The Pirates will be trying to break a three-game losing streak to stay in the playoff race at home http://www.marlinsfanproshop.com/authentic-martin-prado-jersey , where they have a 33-29 record this season. MLB betting line: The Cubs opened as -114 favorites (wager $114 to win $100); the total is at 8.5 runs, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. Line updates and matchup report.MLB betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 6.8-4.0, Pirates.MLB picks on every game.Check out the OddsShark podcast on iTunes or at OddsShark.libsyn.com for more odds information, betting picks and a breakdown of this week's top sports betting news.Why the Cubs Can Pay on the MLB LinesThe Cubs avoided seeing the Milwaukee Brewers pull to within one game of the division lead Wednesday, when they beat them 8-4 at Wrigley Field to earn a split of their two-game set. Now they have to guard against a letdown after facing the Brewers and Washington Nationals in their past five games.This will be a good test for Chicago ace Jon Lester (12-5, 3.89 ERA), who has struggled since the MLB All-Star break. Lester is winless over his previous five starts, with his ERA rising more than a run from 2.58. Fortunately Andre Dawson Jersey , he is 2-1 versus Pittsburgh in four outings this season and owns a better record on the road at 7-2 with a 3.48 ERA in 11 starts. That bodes well here. Why the Pirates Can pay on the MLB linesThe Pirates have won two of their past three meetings with the Cubs, and they are 5-6 in the season series overall through the first 11, according to the OddsShark MLB Database. These teams still play four more times at Wrigley in late September, but now is the time for Pittsburgh to go on a positive run in an effort to snag one of the two NL wild-card spots.Ivan Nova (7-6, 4.42 ERA) will toe the rubber opposite Lester, and he has gone 3-0 in his past six outings, with the Pirates winning five times during that stretch. Nova is 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA in two starts against Chicago this year, and he has performed better at home in 2018, with a 2-3 mark and 3.55 ERA in 10 games.Smart Betting PickThis is a huge game for Lester and the Cubs Wei-Yin Chen Jersey , who are attempting to win the NL Central for the third season in a row. Milwaukee and the St. Louis Cardinals are squaring off in a three-game series, starting Friday, and both teams have a chance to catch Chicago down the stretch. The Cubs cannot afford to lose in this spot, so look for them to win.MLB Betting TrendsChicago is 4-2 in its past six games on the road.The total has gone under in six of Chicago's past eight games.Pittsburgh is 1-4 in its past five games. All MLB odds and betting trends according to Bleacher Report's official odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can also download the free odds tracker app. We are just a couple of days away until the MLB is about to get hectic.We've already seen a fair amount of trades happen, but by 4 p.m. ET on July 31, there's going to be a ton more movement around the league.With the number of teams trying to make the postseason, there's plenty of holes to fill, thus resulting in needs for the teams.Here http://www.marlinsfanproshop.com/authentic-jeff-locke-jersey , we'll look at rumors surrounding three players who could be patching up those holes for their new teams.Let's dive in.Mets Shopping MesoracoWith infielder Asdrubal Cabrera and pitcher Jeurys Familia already shipped off, the New York Mets could be looking to add to the players they've let go of.One player in particular that they're shopping is a someone who they got earlier this season in a trade involving pitcher Matt Harvey鈥攃atcher Devin Mesoraco, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post:Mike Puma NYPost_MetsIt sounds like Devin Mesoraco has moved ahead of Zack Wheeler on the Mets list of players likely to be traded by Tuesday.Mesoraco hasn't done much of anything this season, hitting just .227 with eight home runs.At one time, Mesoraco was a top prospect in the sport, but he's never been good offensively.Mesoraco wouldn't cost much of anything and would really only be catcher depth.He's not anything to get overly excited about.Realmuto Likely Staying PutAccording to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com, we should expect to see the Miami Marlins hold on to catcher J.T. Realmuto through Tuesday's non-waiver trade deadline.Frisaro reports that the Marlins have been asking for a haul in return for Realmuto and mentions that they plan on trying to sign him to an extension after this season.One team that has tried to go after Realmuto is the Washington Nationals. The Marlins asked for two of their top prospects in return in Victor Robles and Carter Kieboom, as Frisaro notes.The Marlins have no need to trade Realmuto unless they get a king's ransom.He's just 27 years old and is batting .309 with 13 bombs this season.Furthermore, he's under team control until 2021.With all of that in mind Cameron Maybin Jersey , there's a very minimal chance Realmuto is dealt unless we see teams give up their best prospects.It's going to take a Fernando Tatis Jr.-and-MacKenzie Gore-from-the-San Diego Padres kind of a haul to get him off the Marlins.There's no point in trading him. Expect Realmuto to be in Miami for a long time.Indians and Phillies Interested in GalloOne thing you can never get enough of in baseball is the long ball.That happens to be something that Texas Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo is pretty good at, with 25 sent over the fence already this season.Because of that, teams are interested in his services.According to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, the Philadelphia Phillies and Cleveland Indians are interested in his services.There are a few positives with Gallo, but he has one extremely glaring negative/weakness.Let's start with the positives: He's a 24-year-old, isn't arbitration-eligible until after 2019 and is under team control through 2022.The negative is that he strikes out. Like a lot. Like over 35 percent of the time a lot, which has helped lead him to a .190 batting average.Yup, he's essentially a home run or strikeout kind of guy.For the Indians, they need outfield help with Tyler Naquin going on the disabled list and having no one else really out there besides Michael Brantley. Rajai Davis can't be relied on every day at this point.Out of the contending teams Lewis Brinson Jersey , the Indians have the weakest outfield.The Phillies are a bit more interesting because they have a suitable outfield, though acquiring Gallo could move Nick Williams to a fourth outfielder role, giving them an outfield of Gallo, Odubel Herrera and Rhys Hoskins.Both teams could use Gallo. The Indians could also use him at designated hitter if they needed to, but they need the outfield help.Gallo has a pretty good shot at getting dealt it seems, even at his young age. Teams might give up enough to lure his big bat away from the Rangers.Statistics courtesy of Baseball Reference.