Houston will look to improve on its 25-44 record when take on Pittsburgh, a key part of the MLB odds lineup on Thursday.

Jordan Lyles gets the call for the Houston Astros and he will try to build on a 0-1 mark. In the other dugout, James McDonald brings a 4-4 ledger to the game for the Pirates as he tries to quiet the Astros bats.



View Pittsburgh vs Houston Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Baseball odds makers opened the Astros as -115 moneyline favorites in this matchup. Over under bettors saw the number open at 8.

Power Rankings:
This game matches up the No. 15 (Astros) and the No. 16 (Pirates) teams in their respective leagues, according to our current MLB Power Rankings.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Houston's No. 10 ranked National League offense (4 runs per game) against a Pirates defense and pitching staff that sits at No. 6 in the National League at 3.9 runs allowed per game. The Astros have been averaging 9 hits per game, more than the Pirates have managed so far this season (8 hits on average).

Houston owns the National League's No. 15 defense, allowing 5.1 men per game to cross the plate. That contrasts with Pittsburgh's National League No. 6-rated defense.

Pittsburgh won its last outing, a 7-3 result against the Astros on June 15. Bettors who backed the Pirates at +100 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (10) sent OVER bettors to the payout window. The Pirates enjoyed a 7-3 victory at the expense of the Astros on Wednesday, with Charlie Morton throwing 5 innings of 8-hit ball at Minute Maid Park.




Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 2-8
Before playing Cleveland are 4-6
After playing Houston are 7-3
After a win are 5-5

Houston Astros Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
Before playing LA Dodgers are 4-6
After playing Pittsburgh are 2-8
After a loss are 3-7

A few Pirates at Astros trends to consider:
Pittsburgh is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Houston
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Houston is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Houston's last 11 games
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Houston's last 18 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Houston's last 9 games when playing Pittsburgh


Next up:
Pittsburgh at Cleveland, Friday, June 17
Houston at LA Dodgers, Friday, June 17