Wednesday's interleague matchup between the Pirates and Astros is set for 8:10 PM ET from Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX. The Astros are the heavy favorite on the money line, with their odds sitting at -216 compared to the Pirates at +181. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs.
Pittsburgh will be looking to extend their three-game winning streak, as they are 55-52 and 3rd in the NL Central. As for the Astros, they are 55-52 and 2nd in the AL West. MLBN will be televising this one.
Pittsburgh vs. Houston Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Pirates at Astros
- Where: Minute Maid Park Houston
- Date: Wednesday, July 31st
- Betting Odds HOU -216 | PIT +181 O/U 8
Pirates vs Astros Last Game Recap
Pittsburgh cruised to a 6-2 win over the Astros in the most recent game of this series. The Pirates had a huge 4th inning, scoring two of their six runs and picking up three of their four hits. As for the Astros, they scored their only two runs in the 5th and finished the game with 10 hits.
Bailey Falter only went 5 1/3 innings for the Pirates but gave up just one hit and one earned run. He finished the game with three strikeouts but didn't issue a walk. Hunter Brown struggled on the mound for the Astros, giving up four runs in 5 2/3 innings of work.
At the plate, Michael A. Taylor and Connor Joe each had two RBIs for the Pirates. Joey Bart also had a two-hit game and scored twice. Yainer Diaz had a four-hit performance for the Astros.
Pirates Preview
As underdogs, the Pirates have a 44-20 run line record this season, and they have won two straight games as underdogs. Overall, they are 32-32 straight up when getting points. Pittsburgh is 55-52 for the season and has won three consecutive games, including the first two of this series vs. the Astros.
On the road, the Pirates have been a profitable run line bet, going 34-21, but they are only .500 vs. the run line at home. The over/under record for Pirates games this season is 49-57, and their games have averaged 8.4 runs. In games with an over/under line of 8 runs, the Pirates are 11-13 O/U.
Jake Woodford will be making his 3rd start of the season, and it will be his 2nd on the road. He has taken the loss in each of his first two starts, with his most recent outing coming at home against the Red Sox. In that game, he gave up 7 runs on 10 hits over 4 innings.
So far this season, the Pirates have been a below-average offensive team, averaging 4.2 runs per game (21st in the league). They have been a little better on the road, averaging 4.4 runs per game. Overall, they are 20th in home runs and have a team batting average of just .232. Pittsburgh's team on-base percentage of .301 is also among the league's worst.
Bryan Reynolds is not only the Pirates' top hitter in terms of batting average (.287) and home runs (18), but his 61 RBIs is also the best mark on the team. Reynolds is currently on a four-game hitting streak. Oneil Cruz has also been a solid power threat this season, with 17 homers, but he is batting just .249. Cruz has three homers in his last 10 games, but that stretch has seen him hit just .231.
Astros Preview
Today, the Astros are looking to avoid a sweep by the Pirates after dropping the first two games of the series. Houston's overall record is 55-52, just one game behind the Mariners in the AL West. Their series record this season is 19-14-1.
This season, the over/under record in Astros games with lines of 8 runs is 7-10-2. The average total runs in their games is 8.9, and 62.6% of their games have had over/under lines higher than 8 runs. The Astros' run line record at home is 27-27, and their overall run line record is 54-53.
Framber Valdez gets the start for the Astros today and will be looking to build off his last outing, where he didn't give up an earned run. In that start vs. the Dodgers, he went 6 1/3 innings, picking up the win in the outing. Looking back over his last four starts, Valdez has given up two earned runs or fewer in three of them. For the season, he is 9-5 with a 3.43 ERA and 1.26 WHIP. Valdez has made 18 starts, and opponents are batting .248 off the left-hander this year.
Yordan Alvarez has been a huge power threat for the Astros this season, as his 20 homers are the most on the team and 11th in the league. He is also 2nd on the team in RBIs, with 55. Alvarez comes into the game with a batting average of .299. Catcher Yainer Diaz has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 13/32 in his last eight games, with two homers and six RBIs.
Jose Altuve has been on a tear of late, as he is currently on a six-game hitting streak and has gone 7/33 in his last eight games. For the season, he is batting .309 with 14 homers. Kyle Tucker is also near the top of the Astros home run leaderboard, with 19 homers, and he is batting .266 for the season.
Pirates vs. Astros Prediction: Over 8 Runs -118
Our prediction for the Astros vs. Pirates game is to take the over, as we see the Astros coming out on top by a final score of 6-5. However, with the Astros at -216 on the money line, we see the better value being to take the over at 8 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Jake Woodford finishing with six strikeouts, which is higher than Framber Valdez. Valdez is projected to finish with six K's, and we have him ending the season with a better ERA than Woodford.
