Great American Ball Park hosts an MLB battle between the Cincinnati Reds and the visiting Houston Astros on Monday.

For the Reds, Mike Leake gets the ball, charged with keeping the Astros hitters off the base paths. He'll face JA Happ, 1-4 on the year.



View Houston vs Cincinnati Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
If you're backing the visitors in this one, you'll find the Astros listed as underdogs of +-180 at most sportsbooks. Total bettors saw the number open in the area of 8.5, depending on the book.

Power Rankings:
The Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings have the Reds at No. 10 in the National League and the Astros at No. 14 in the National League heading into this contest.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Cincinnati's No. 2-rated National League offense, averaging 5.2 runs per game, against a Astros defense that ranks No. 16 in the National League at 5.4 in runs allowed per game. The Reds have averaged 9 hits per game so far, less than Astros batters have averaged on the year (9.2 hits per game).

Cincinnati owns the National League's No. 11 defense, allowing 4.6 men per game to cross the plate. That contrasts with Houston's National League No. 16-rated defense.

Houston won its last outing, a 5-0 result against the Brewers on May 1. Bettors who backed the Astros at +102 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (5) sent UNDER bettors to the payout window. Bud Norris fanned 11 Milwaukee batters in the team's last outing, leading the Astros to a 5-0 victory over the Brewers at Minute Maid Park.

The Reds were a 9-5 loser in their most recent outing at home against the Marlins. That made winners of bettors who got Florida at +114 on the moneyline, while the total score (14) was good news for OVER bettors. The Reds endured a 9-5 loss at the hands of the Marlins on Sunday, with Bronson Arroyo throwing 7 innings of 7-hit ball at Great American Ball Park.


Houston Astros Trends:
When playing on Monday are 4-6
Before playing Cincinnati are 2-8
After playing Milwaukee are 7-3
After a win are 2-8

Cincinnati Reds Trends:
When playing on Monday are 6-4
Before playing Houston are 7-3
After playing Florida are 6-4
After a loss are 6-4

A few Astros at Reds trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Houston's last 13 games on the road
Houston is 6-15 SU in its last 21 games on the road
Houston is 7-18 SU in its last 25 games when playing Cincinnati
Houston is 3-13 SU in its last 16 games when playing on the road against Cincinnati
Cincinnati is 13-3 SU in its last 16 games when playing at home against Houston
Cincinnati is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games when playing Houston
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cincinnati's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Cincinnati's last 9 games at home


Next up:
Houston at Cincinnati, Tuesday, May 3