Houston will try to be nasty hosts on Wednesday when the Pittsburgh Pirates pay a visit to Minute Maid Park.

The match puts starter James McDonald for the Pirates on the hill facing JA Happ for the Astros. McDonald brings a 8-6 mark to the game, while Happ is 4-15 to date on the season.



View Pittsburgh vs Houston Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The Astros were listed as +105 moneyline underdogs at most sportsbooks tracked by Odds Shark, while oddsmakers set the Sportsbook total around 8.5 earlier on Monday.

Power Rankings:
This game matches up the No. 13 (Astros) and the No. 16 (Pirates) 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 Houston's National League No. 12-ranked scoring average of 3.9 runs per game, against a Pirates offense rated No. 14 and scoring 3.8 runs per game in the league. The Astros have averaged 9 hits per game to date this season, more than the Pirates hitters have managed (8.2 per nine innings).

Comparing defensive stats, Pittsburgh owns the National League's No. 7-rated road mark, allowing 4.1 runs per game on the highway. Houston, on the other hand, rates No. 9 in scoring at home.

Pittsburgh lost its last outing, an 8-2 result against the Astros on August 30. Bettors who backed the Astros at +108 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (10) sent OVER bettors to the payout window. The Pirates were saddled with a loss last time out in Charlie Morton's start, as they lost 8-2 against Houston on Tuesday at Minute Maid Park.




Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Wednesday are 4-6
Before playing LA Dodgers are 7-3
After playing Houston are 6-4
After a loss are 5-5

Houston Astros Trends:
When playing on Wednesday are 6-4
Before playing Milwaukee are 4-6
After playing Pittsburgh are 4-6
After a win are 5-5

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


Next up:
Pittsburgh home to LA Dodgers, Thursday, September 1
Houston home to Milwaukee, Friday, September 2