Great American Ball Park hosts an MLB battle between the Cincinnati Reds and the visiting Houston Astros on Monday.

Houston puts its faith in starter JA Happ to earn a win and boost his personal mark of 6-15. Getting the ball for the Reds is Dontrelle Willis, who owns a 0-6 record on the season with a 5.04 ERA.



View Houston vs Cincinnati Odds and Stats.

Power Rankings:
The Reds sit at No. 8 in the National League in the current MLB power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Astros sit at a National League No. 13 on the same chart.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Cincinnati's No. 2 ranked National League offense (4.6 runs per game) against a Astros defense and pitching staff that sits at No. 16 in the National League at 4.8 runs allowed per game. The Reds have been averaging 8.9 hits per game, almost the same as the Astros have managed so far this season (8.9 hits on average).

Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping factors and Cincinnati has the National League's No. 12-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Astros own the National League's No. 16 mark in runs allowed.

Last time out for Houston, they were a 3-2 Sportsbook as they battled the Cubs on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Astros at +133 were rewarded, while the 5 combined runs moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. Houston got the job done in their last match in a 3-2 victory over Chicago on Sunday at Wrigley Field behind starter Brett Myers.

Last time out for Cincinnati, they were an 8-1 loser as they battled the Brewers at home. Moneyline bettors who got the Brewers at -169 were rewarded, while the 9 combined runs moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. The Reds were saddled with a loss last time out in Matt Maloney's start, as they lost 8-1 against Milwaukee on Sunday at Great American Ball Park.


Houston Astros Trends:
When playing on Monday are 7-3
Before playing Cincinnati are 3-7
After playing Chi Cubs are 6-4
After a win are 4-6

Cincinnati Reds Trends:
When playing on Monday are 4-6
Before playing Houston are 7-3
After playing Milwaukee are 4-6
After a loss are 5-5

A few Astros at Reds trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Houston's last 7 games when playing on the road against Cincinnati
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston's last 6 games when playing Cincinnati
Houston is 5-10 SU in its last 15 games
Cincinnati is 15-4 SU in its last 19 games when playing at home against Houston
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Cincinnati's last 7 games when playing at home against Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cincinnati's last 6 games when playing Houston
Cincinnati is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games


Next up:
Houston at Cincinnati, Tuesday, September 20