The Pittsburgh Pirates host Houston on Tuesday, looking to build on their 44-41 mark against the 29-57 Astros in MLB betting action at PNC Park.

Houston puts its faith in starter Wandy Rodriguez to earn a win and boost his personal mark of 6-4. Getting the ball for the Pirates is Jeff Karstens, who owns a 5-3 record on the season with a 2.68 ERA.



View Houston vs Pittsburgh Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The Pirates were listed as -130 moneyline favorites at most sportsbooks tracked by Odds Shark, while oddsmakers set the Sportsbook total around 7 earlier on Monday.

Power Rankings:
This game matches up the No. 12 (Pirates) and the No. 14 (Astros) teams in their respective leagues, according to our current MLB Power Rankings.



How They Match Up:
Scoring stats point to some edges in this matchup. The game features Pittsburgh's National League No. 11-ranked scoring average of 3.9 runs per game, against a Astros offense rated No. 9 and scoring 4 runs per game in the league. The Pirates have averaged 8.2 hits per game to date this season, less than the Astros hitters have managed (9 per nine innings).

Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping factors and Pittsburgh has the National League's No. 5-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Astros own the National League's No. 16 mark in runs allowed.

In their last action, Houston was a 5-3 loser on the road against the Pirates. Bettors on Pittsburgh at -128 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (8) sent OVER bettors home happy as well. The Astros endured a 5-3 loss at the hands of the Pirates on Monday, with Brett Myers throwing 6 innings of 13-hit ball at PNC Park.




Houston Astros Trends:
When playing on Tuesday are 4-6
Before playing Pittsburgh are 3-7
After playing Pittsburgh are 1-9
After a loss are 2-8

Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Tuesday are 4-6
Before playing Houston are 7-3
After playing Houston are 8-2
After a win are 5-5

A few Astros at Pirates trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Houston's last 9 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Houston's last 9 games
Houston is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Houston
Pittsburgh is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
Pittsburgh is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Houston
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing Houston


Next up:
Houston at Pittsburgh, Wednesday, July 6