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 Miguel Gonzalez 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 http://www.whitesoxfanproshop.com/authentic-tim-anderson-jersey , with his ERA rising more than a run from 2.58. Fortunately, 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 http://www.whitesoxfanproshop.com/authentic-yoan-moncada-jersey , 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, 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. Realmuto has gotten better every year since breaking into the majors in 2014. His latest step forward took him to 4.3 WAR, which was one more than any other catcher.Much of that has to do with his bat. The improvement of his OPS mirrors that of his increasing WAR Welington Castillo Jersey , and he's coming off career highs in OPS (.825) and home runs (21).It helps that Realmuto is fine-tuning his approach to perfection. In 2018, he achieved his best balance between swinging at strikes and taking balls:That led to another step up for his walk rate but more so improved the quality of his contact. Both his average exit velocity (88.9 mph) and his hard-hit rate (38.5 percent) reached new peaks.Just as it did for Yelich, a move away from Marlins Park would almost certainly unlock further offensive potential for Realmuto. His career road OPS is 170 points higher than his career home OPS, and some of his non-homer fly balls and line drives would have cleared the fences even at Kauffman Stadium.As it is, Wilson Ramos is the only catcher who had a higher OPS than Realmuto in 2018. If he continues to improve and benefits from a more hitter-friendly home park, he can become MLB's best offensive catcher in 2019 and 2020.Realmuto's talents don't end there. He was the fastest baserunner among all catchers in 2018. He's also one of the position's most well-rounded defenders.He threw out a career-high 38.2 percent of base stealers in 2018, mainly with the help of the fastest pop time in the game. He got the ball to second base in an average of 1.9 seconds.Last but not least, Realmuto has also made good on his desire to become a better pitch framer.Though he rated slightly below average in 2018 http://www.redsfanproshop.com/authentic-cliff-pennington-jersey , the trend in his percentages tells a more optimistic tale:2015: 83.8 in-zone strike%, 7.5 out-of-zone strike%2016: 83.3%, 7.6%2017: 85.7%, 7.8%2018: 86.9%, 8.1%Altogether, you can't ask for a better catcher than Realmuto. Since he's only 27 years old and has multiple talents to hone, there's a good chance he will become a better All-Star or even an MVP-caliber talent over the next two seasons.In the meantime, it's probable he won't be in a Marlins uniform the next time he sets foot on a major league field. It's just a question of which of his many possible suitors wants him the most. Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference Joey Votto Jersey , FanGraphs, Baseball Savant and Baseball Prospectus.