The Pittsburgh Pirates host Houston on Saturday, looking to build on their 14-18 mark against the 15-17 Astros in MLB betting action at PNC Park.

Charlie Morton will take the mound for Pittsburgh, and he'll carry a 1-3 record into the contest. JA Happ gets the ball for Houston; he's 2-2 so far this season.



View Houston vs Pittsburgh Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Bettors looking to back visiting Houston before the first pitch in this match will find them as +-130-moneyline underdogs. They will see an Sportsbook total of 8.

Power Rankings:
The Pirates - Astros odds would favor the Astros if the lines were set according to our power ranks. Pittsburgh is rated No. 14 in the current National League Odds Shark poll, while Houston is at No. 3 in the National League.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Pittsburgh's No. 16 ranked National League offense (2.8 runs per game) against a Astros defense and pitching staff that sits at No. 8 in the National League at 4 runs allowed per game. The Pirates have been averaging 7.2 hits per game, less than the Astros have managed so far this season (8.6 hits on average).

Pittsburgh owns the National League's No. 4 defense, allowing 3.6 men per game to cross the plate. That contrasts with Houston's National League No. 8-rated defense.

Houston won its last outing, a 1-0 result against the Pirates on May 11. Bettors who backed the Astros at +136 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (1) sent UNDER bettors to the payout window. Bud Norris chucked 6 shutout innings at the Pirates in their last game, striking out 8 in a 1-0 win against Pittsburgh in baseball action at PNC Park.




Houston Astros Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 6-4
Before playing Pittsburgh are 5-5
After playing Pittsburgh are 4-6
After a win are 5-5

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

A few Astros at Pirates trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Houston's last 8 games on the road
Houston is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 16 of Pittsburgh's last 20 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games
Pittsburgh is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Houston


Next up:
Houston at Pittsburgh, Sunday, May 13