Houston pays a visit to Chicago on Saturday, hoping to shut down the Cubs bats in baseball action at Wrigley Field.

For the Cubs, Matt Garza gets the ball, charged with keeping the Astros hitters off the base paths. He'll face JA Happ, 6-7 on the year.



View Houston vs Chi Cubs Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Sportsbooks had installed the Cubs as -145 moneyline favorites in this particular MLB matchup. The total, meanwhile, was set early at 999 before betting started to move the line.

Power Rankings:
The MLB Power Rankings at Odds Shark show the National League's No. 16-rated Astros taking on the National League's No. 14-rated Cubs in this contest.



How They Match Up:
Rating these teams in several key categories is important for handicappers and Chicago has the National League's No. 15-rated offensive output, at 8.3 hits per game. The Astros average 8.3 hits per game, good for No. 12 on the National League list.

Comparing defensive stats, Houston owns the National League's No. 16-rated road mark, allowing 5.7 runs per game on the highway. Chicago, on the other hand, rates No. 12 in scoring at home.

Last time out for Houston, they were a 4-0 loser as they battled the Cubs on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Cubs at -133 were rewarded, while the 4 combined runs moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. Paul Maholm shut down the Astros in their last game, striking out 6 in a 4-0 shutout over Houston in baseball action at Wrigley Field.




Houston Astros Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 7-3
Before playing Chi Cubs are 3-7
After playing Chi Cubs are 8-2
After a loss are 4-6

Chicago Cubs Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 6-4
Before playing Houston are 4-6
After playing Houston are 3-7
After a win are 4-6

A few Astros at Cubs trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Houston's last 14 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston's last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs
Houston is 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing Chi Cubs
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Houston's last 14 games when playing on the road against Chi Cubs
Chi Cubs are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing at home against Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi Cubs' last 6 games when playing Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Chi Cubs' last 14 games when playing at home against Houston
Chi Cubs are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing Houston


Next up:
Houston at Chi Cubs, Sunday, July 1