A key battle on the MLB odds menu sees visiting Houston duelling Pittsburgh on Sunday at PNC Park.

James McDonald gets the call for the Pittsburgh Pirates and he will try to build on a 2-2 mark. In the other dugout, JA Happ brings a 2-4 ledger to the game for the Astros as he tries to quiet the Pirates bats.



View Houston vs Pittsburgh Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Sportsbooks had installed the Pirates as -120 moneyline favorites in this particular MLB matchup. The total, meanwhile, was set early at 8.5 before betting started to move the line.

Power Rankings:
It's a baseball betting matchup between the National League No. 16-rated Pirates and the league No. 14-ranked Astros, according to the latest MLB power poll here at Odds Shark.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Pittsburgh's No. 12 ranked National League offense (3.7 runs per game) against a Astros defense and pitching staff that sits at No. 16 in the National League at 5.3 runs allowed per game. The Pirates have been averaging 7.7 hits per game, less than the Astros have managed so far this season (9.2 hits on average).

Pittsburgh owns the National League's No. 9 defense, allowing 4.1 men per game to cross the plate. That contrasts with Houston's National League No. 16-rated defense.

Houston lost its last outing, a 6-1 result against the Pirates on May 7. Bettors who backed the Pirates at -118 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (7) sent UNDER bettors to the payout window. The Astros endured a 6-1 loss at the hands of the Pirates on Saturday, with Bud Norris throwing 7 innings of 7-hit ball at PNC Park.




Houston Astros Trends:
When playing on Sunday are 5-5
Before playing Cincinnati are 3-7
After playing Pittsburgh are 3-7
After a loss are 6-4

Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Sunday are 2-8
Before playing LA Dodgers are 6-4
After playing Houston are 6-4
After a win are 2-8

A few Astros at Pirates trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Houston's last 8 games
Houston is 15-6 SU in its last 21 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Houston's last 7 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games at home
Pittsburgh is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Houston
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games when playing at home against Houston
Pittsburgh is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games


Next up:
Houston home to Cincinnati, Monday, May 9
Pittsburgh home to LA Dodgers, Monday, May 9