Houston will look to improve on its 34-66 record when take on Pittsburgh, a key part of the MLB odds lineup on Friday.

Jeff Karstens, with a record of 3-2 on the season, gets the ball for the Pirates, while the Astros trot Jordan Lyles to the mound in this one. He is 2-7 so far in 2012.



View Pittsburgh vs Houston Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Sportsbooks had set the Astros as +135 underdogs on the Sportsbook moneyline for this contest. The over under opened at 8.5 for bettors hoping to turn a profit on totals.

Power Rankings:
This game matches up the No. 16 (Astros) and the No. 12 (Pirates) teams in their respective leagues, according to our current MLB Power Rankings.



How They Match Up:
On offense, it's a battle between Houston and its National League No. 13-rated batting order, averaging 3.8 runs per nine innings, against the National League's No. 10 lineup of the Pirates at 4.1 runs per outing.

Defensively, Pittsburgh features the National League's No. 11-rated defense on the road, allowing 4.7 runs per game. Houston, meanwhile, comes in at No. 7 in the National League at home, scoring 4.2 runs per game.

The Pirates were a 5-3 Sportsbook in their most recent outing on the road against the Astros. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Pittsburgh at -165 on the moneyline, while the total score (8) was good news for UNDER bettors. Pittsburgh looks to continue its winning ways following a victory last time out against the Astros, a 5-3 final on Thursday in support of A.J. Burnett at Minute Maid Park.




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

Houston Astros Trends:
When playing on Friday are 4-6
Before playing Pittsburgh are 2-8
After playing Pittsburgh are 1-9
After a loss are 1-9

A few Pirates at Astros trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Houston's last 7 games
Houston is 16-7 SU in its last 23 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Houston's last 12 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston's last 6 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh


Next up:
Pittsburgh at Houston, Saturday, July 28