A key battle on the MLB odds menu sees visiting Houston duelling Florida on Friday at Sun Life Stadium.

For the Marlins, Javier Vazquez gets the ball, charged with keeping the Astros hitters off the base paths. He'll face Jordan Lyles, 0-3 on the year.



View Houston vs Florida Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Bettors looking to side with the Marlins in this one will find them as -135 favorites on the MLB money line. Betting the over under instead? It was hovering near 9 at its open earlier today.

Power Rankings:
The Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings have the Marlins at No. 9 in the National League and the Astros at No. 14 in the National League heading into this contest.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Florida's No. 13 ranked National League offense (3.8 runs per game) against a Astros defense and pitching staff that sits at No. 16 in the National League at 5 runs allowed per game. The Marlins have been averaging 8.3 hits per game, less than the Astros have managed so far this season (9 hits on average).

Defensively, Houston features the National League's No. 15-rated defense on the road, allowing 4.9 runs per game. Florida, meanwhile, comes in at No. 12 in the National League at home, scoring 3.8 runs per game.

Last time out for Houston, they were a 5-0 loser as they battled the Marlins on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Marlins at -140 were rewarded, while the 5 combined runs moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. The Astros were shut out in their last start, struggling to get much going against the Florida staff and losing 5-0 to the Marlins on Thursday at Sun Life Stadium.




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

Florida Marlins Trends:
When playing on Friday are 5-5
Before playing Houston are 7-3
After playing Houston are 5-5
After a win are 3-7

A few Astros at Marlins trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Houston's last 10 games when playing on the road against Florida
Houston is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Houston is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing Florida
Houston is 2-11 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Florida
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Florida's last 10 games when playing at home against Houston
Florida is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Houston
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Florida's last 8 games
Florida is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Houston


Next up:
Houston at Florida, Saturday, July 9