Baseball betting stays focused on inter-league play on Saturday as the Astros of Houston swing away against the Cubs of Chicago.

Travis Wood will take the mound for Chicago, and he'll carry a 5-6 record into the contest. Bud Norris gets the ball for Houston; he's 5-7 so far this season.



View Houston vs Chi Cubs Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Baseball odds makers, including Sportsbook, opened the Cubs as -170 moneyline favorites in this matchup. Over under bettors saw the number open at 10 at shops such as Sportsbook.

Power Rankings:
The Cubs sit at No. 8 in the National League in the current MLB power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Astros sit at an American League No. 15 on the same chart.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Chicago's No. 9-rated National League offense, averaging 3.9 runs per game, against a Astros defense that ranks No. 15 in the American League at 5 in runs allowed per game. The Cubs have averaged 8.1 hits per game so far, more than Astros batters have averaged on the year (8 hits per game).

Comparing defensive stats, Houston owns the American League's No. 6-rated road mark, allowing 4.4 runs per game on the highway. Chicago, on the other hand, rates No. 4 in scoring at home.

The Astros were a 3-1 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Cubs. That made winners of bettors who got Chicago at -175 on the moneyline, while the total score (4) was good news for UNDER bettors. Houston looks to rebound from a loss to the Cubs, who beat them 3-1 on Friday behind a start from Matt Garza at Wrigley Field.




Houston Astros Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 5-5
Before playing Chi Cubs are 7-3
After playing Chi Cubs are 4-6
After a loss are 5-5

Chicago Cubs Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 1-9
Before playing Houston are 4-6
After playing Houston are 6-4
After a win are 5-5

A few Astros at Cubs trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Houston's last 7 games when playing Chi Cubs
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Houston's last 12 games
The total has gone UNDER in 16 of Houston's last 23 games when playing on the road against Chi Cubs
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi Cubs' last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chi Cubs' last 7 games when playing Houston
Chi Cubs are 12-4 SU in their last 16 games when playing at home against Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 16 of Chi Cubs' last 23 games when playing at home against Houston


Next up:
Houston at Chi Cubs, Sunday, June 23