The Pittsburgh Pirates battle the visiting Houston Astros on Thursday in MLB betting action at PNC Park.

Bud Norris gets the ball in front of a hostile crowd for the Astros on this day; he's 5-5 on the season. The Pirates, meanwhile, will counter with Jeff Karstens, who will be looking to improve on his 1-2 mark.



View Houston vs Pittsburgh Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Bettors looking to side with the Pirates in this one will find them as -140 favorites on the MLB money line. Betting the over under instead? It was hovering near 8.5 at its open earlier today.

Power Rankings:
According to new MLB Power Rankings here, it's the National League No. 12-ranked Pirates and the National League No. 16-rated Astros in this matchup.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Pittsburgh's No. 11 ranked National League offense (4 runs per game) against a Astros defense and pitching staff that sits at No. 15 in the National League at 4.9 runs allowed per game. The Pirates have been averaging 8 hits per game, less than the Astros have managed so far this season (8.3 hits on average).

Defensively, Houston features the National League's No. 16-rated defense on the road, allowing 5.8 runs per game. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, comes in at No. 14 in the National League at home, scoring 3.5 runs per game.

The Astros were a 6-4 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Pirates. That made winners of bettors who got Pittsburgh at -139 on the moneyline, while the total score (10) was good news for OVER bettors. Houston suffered a 6-4 loss against Pittsburgh on Wednesday, as Dallas Keuchel wasn't able to lead his team to victory at PNC Park.




Houston Astros Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 3-7
Before playing Milwaukee are 3-7
After playing Pittsburgh are 2-8
After a loss are 2-8

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

A few Astros at Pirates trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Houston's last 19 games on the road
Houston is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
Houston is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Houston is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Houston
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Houston
Pittsburgh is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
Pittsburgh is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home


Next up:
Houston home to Milwaukee, Friday, July 6
Pittsburgh home to San Francisco, Friday, July 6