The Marlins get a visit from the Houston Astros in baseball action on Saturday, with the home side looking to send the visitors to the showers with a loss.

The Marlins will rely on Ricky Nolasco to turn in a quality outing on the mound in this one, while Brett Myers will be his counterpart for the Astros. Ricky Nolasco is 5-5 this season, and Brett Myers is 3-8.



View Houston vs Florida Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Baseball odds makers opened the Marlins as -150 moneyline favorites in this matchup. Over under bettors saw the number open at 8.

Power Rankings:
It's a baseball betting matchup between the National League No. 9-rated Marlins and the league No. 14-ranked Astros, according to the latest MLB power poll here at Odds Shark.



How They Match Up:
Rating these teams in several key categories is important for handicappers and Florida has the National League's No. 13-rated offensive output, at 8.3 hits per game. The Astros average 9 hits per game, good for No. 5 on the National League list.

Florida owns the National League's No. 10 defense, allowing 4.4 men per game to cross the plate. That contrasts with Houston's National League No. 16-rated defense.

Houston lost its last outing, a 6-3 result against the Marlins on July 8. Bettors who backed the Marlins at -158 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (9) sent OVER bettors to the payout window. The Astros endured a 6-3 loss at the hands of the Marlins on Friday, with Jordan Lyles throwing 6 innings of 7-hit ball at Sun Life Stadium.




Houston Astros Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 5-5
Before playing Florida are 5-5
After playing Florida are 5-5
After a loss are 2-8

Florida Marlins Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 6-4
Before playing Houston are 7-3
After playing Houston are 5-5
After a win are 4-6

A few Astros at Marlins trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Houston's last 11 games when playing on the road against Florida
Houston is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Houston is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Florida
Houston is 2-12 SU in its last 14 games when playing on the road against Florida
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Florida's last 11 games when playing at home against Houston
Florida is 12-2 SU in its last 14 games when playing at home against Houston
Florida is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Houston
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Florida's last 9 games


Next up:
Houston at Florida, Sunday, July 10