The St. Louis Cardinals have lost six of their past eight games to fall 11 games behind the Cubs at the top of the NL Central. The Milwaukee Brewers have lost 10 of their last 15 games but I think they can keep this a close game and possibly record an outright upset.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Pitching - The Cardinals hand the ball to Jaime Garcia (5-6, 4.09). He has a good track record against Milwaukee, but the left-hander was dinged for five runs on 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings at Seattle his last start. The Brewers counter with Matt Garza (1-0, 2.81 ERA). The veteran picked up his first win of the season his last outing despite surrendering four runs in six innings against the Nats. He had allowed just one run in a total of 10 innings in his previous two starts combined.

2. Home Woes - The St. Louis Cardinals are just 15-23 home at Busch Stadium this season and they've dropped seven straight in front of the home fans. The Brewers are 4-1 in their last five when visiting a team with a home winning % of less than .400.

3. X-Factor - The Brewers have won seven of their last 10 when coming up against a left-handed starter.

Selection: This is a play on the Milwaukee Brewers +1.5 (8*)