A key battle on the MLB odds menu sees visiting Houston duelling St. Louis on Thursday at Busch Stadium.

For the Cardinals, Jamie Garcia gets the ball, charged with keeping the Astros hitters off the base paths. He'll face Wandy Rodriguez, 6-7 on the year.



View Houston vs St Louis Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
On the Sportsbook MLB line for this matchup, St. Louis sat as -205 favorites. The total was set at 7.5.

Power Rankings:
The MLB Power Rankings at Odds Shark show the National League's No. 14-rated Astros taking on the National League's No. 6-rated Cardinals in this contest.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up St. Louis' No. 1 ranked National League offense (4.7 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 Cardinals have been averaging 9.1 hits per game, almost the same as the Astros have managed so far this season (9.1 hits on average).

Comparing defensive stats, Houston owns the National League's No. 15-rated road mark, allowing 4.9 runs per game on the highway. St. Louis, on the other hand, rates No. 6 in scoring at home.

Houston won its last outing, a 4-2 result against the Cardinals on July 27. Bettors who backed the Astros at +188 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (6) sent UNDER bettors to the payout window. The Astros enjoyed a 4-2 victory at the expense of the Cardinals on Wednesday, with Bud Norris throwing 6 innings of 4-hit ball at Busch Stadium.




Houston Astros Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 4-6
Before playing Milwaukee are 5-5
After playing St. Louis are 3-7
After a win are 2-8

St. Louis Cardinals Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 7-3
Before playing Chi Cubs are 6-4
After playing Houston are 6-4
After a loss are 5-5

A few Astros at Cardinals trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston's last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston's last 6 games on the road
Houston is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games when playing St. Louis
St. Louis is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Houston
St. Louis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
St. Louis is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis' last 5 games when playing at home against Houston


Next up:
Houston at Milwaukee, Friday, July 29
St. Louis home to Chi Cubs, Friday, July 29