The Astros get a visit from the Pittsburgh Pirates in baseball action on Friday, with the home side looking to send the visitors to the showers with a loss.

Pittsburgh puts its faith in starter Jeff Karstens to earn a win and boost his personal mark of 6-3. Getting the ball for the Astros is Brett Myers, who owns a 3-9 record on the season with a 4.88 ERA.



View Pittsburgh vs Houston Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Sportsbooks had set the Astros as -115 favorites on the Sportsbook moneyline for this contest. The over under opened at 7.5 for bettors hoping to turn a profit on totals.

Power Rankings:
This game puts the Astros, most recently No. 14 in the National League Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings, up against the Pirates, who rate a National League No. 12 in the latest survey.



How They Match Up:
At the plate, Houston owns the No. 5 ranking for hits in the National League at 9 per game. By contrast, the Pirates are rated No. 13 in the same category at 8.2 per game.

Comparing defensive stats, Pittsburgh owns the National League's No. 6-rated road mark, allowing 4 runs per game on the highway. Houston, on the other hand, rates No. 11 in scoring at home.

Last time out for Pittsburgh, they were a 9-1 Sportsbook as they battled the Cubs at home. Moneyline bettors who got the Pirates at -122 were rewarded, while the 10 combined runs moved the game OVER for totals bettors. The Pirates enjoyed a 9-1 victory at the expense of the Cubs on Sunday, with Paul Maholm throwing 7 2/3 innings of 4-hit ball at PNC Park.

Houston was a 5-4 loser in its last match on the road against the Marlins. They lost as +130 underdogs, while the total score of 9 made Sportsbooks of OVER bettors. Houston didn't get the job done in their last match, falling 5-4 to Florida on Sunday at Sun Life Stadium.


Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Friday are 3-7
Before playing Houston are 9-1
After playing Chi Cubs are 5-5
After a win are 4-6

Houston Astros Trends:
When playing on Friday are 2-8
Before playing Pittsburgh are 2-8
After playing Florida are 4-6
After a loss are 2-8

A few Pirates at Astros trends to consider:
Pittsburgh is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing Houston
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing Houston
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh
Houston is 19-6 SU in its last 25 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
Houston is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing Pittsburgh
Houston is 1-9 SU in its last 10 games


Next up:
Pittsburgh at Houston, Saturday, July 16