Pittsburgh will try to be nasty hosts on Monday when the Houston Astros pay a visit to PNC Park.

Houston puts its faith in starter Edgar Gonzalez to earn a win and boost his personal mark of 0-0. Getting the ball for the Pirates is Jeff Locke, who owns a 0-0 record on the season with a 0.00 ERA.



View Houston vs Pittsburgh Odds and Stats.

Power Rankings:
According to new MLB Power Rankings here, it's the National League No. 13-ranked Pirates and the National League No. 16-rated Astros in this matchup.



How They Match Up:
When it comes to getting on base, the visiting Astros rank No. 16 in the National League at 7.9 hits per game. That compares with Pittsburgh’s No. 12 ranking in that category.

Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping factors and Pittsburgh has the National League's No. 6-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Astros own the National League's No. 15 mark in runs allowed.

The Astros were a 5-3 loser in their most recent outing at home against the Reds. That made winners of bettors who got Cincinnati at -149 on the moneyline, while the total score (8) was good news for UNDER bettors. Houston didn't get the job done in their last match, falling 5-3 to Cincinnati on Sunday at Minute Maid Park.

Last time out for Pittsburgh, they were a 12-8 loser as they battled the Brewers on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Brewers at -163 were rewarded, while the 20 combined runs moved the game OVER for totals bettors. The Pirates were saddled with a loss last time out in James McDonald's start, as they lost 12-8 against Milwaukee on Sunday at Miller Park.


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

Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Monday are 7-3
Before playing Houston are 8-2
After playing Milwaukee are 4-6
After a loss are 4-6

A few Astros at Pirates trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games on the road
Houston is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Houston is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games
Houston is 1-9 SU in its last 10 games when playing Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Houston
Pittsburgh is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Pittsburgh's last 16 games at home


Next up:
Houston at Pittsburgh, Tuesday, September 4