The Houston Astros (55-50) will host the Pittsburgh Pirates (53-52), Monday at 8:10 PM ET, in the first Game of a three-Game series.
The Pirates are favored away from home (-130) versus the Astros (+110). The Pittsburgh Pirates will give the start to Paul Skenes (6-1, 1.93 ERA), who is looking for win No. 7 on the season, and the Astros will turn to Jake Bloss (0-1, 6.94 ERA).
The Pirates knocked off the Diamondbacks by a 6-5 score in their last game yesterday. Oneil Cruz went 1-for-3 with a home run and an RBI to lead them offensively while Aroldis Chapman earned the win after throwing one inning without giving up a hit or an earned run.
Yesterday, the Astros fell to the Dodgers 6-2. Spencer Arrighetti was the losing pitcher after he went six innings, giving up three earned runs on four hits while striking out eight. Yainer Diaz led the Astros’ offense, going 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI.
Here’s what you need to prepare for Monday’s Pirates vs. Astros matchup, including viewing options.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Houston Astros odds and betting lines
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Monday at 3:16 PM ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.
- Favorite: Pirates (-130, bet $130 to win $100)
- Underdog: Astros (+110, bet $100 to win $110)
- Over/under: 7.5
Pirates vs. Astros: Live streaming info & game time
- Game Day: Monday, July 29, 2024
- Game Time: 8:10 PM ET
- Stadium: Minute Maid Park
- TV Channel: SportsNet Pittsburgh
- Live Stream: Fubo (Watch for free)
Pirates stats and trends
Pirates betting records
- This season, the Pirates have won 22 out of the 41 games, or 53.7%, in which they’ve been favored.
- Pittsburgh has a record of 12-11 in games when sportsbooks favor them by at least -130 on the moneyline.
- The bookmakers’ moneyline implies a 56.5% chance of a victory for the Pirates.
- Pittsburgh and its opponents have hit the over in 47 of its 105 games with a total this season.
- The Pirates are 56-48-0 ATS in their 104 games with a spread this season.
Paul Skenes (Pirates probable starter)
- Skenes gets the start for the Pirates, his 13th of the season. He is 6-1 with a 1.93 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 74 2/3 innings pitched.
- His last appearance was on Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals, when the righty went 8 1/3 innings, surrendering two earned runs while allowing four hits.
- In 12 games this season, the 22-year-old has an ERA of 1.93, with 11.7 strikeouts per nine innings. Opponents are hitting .195 against him.
- Skenes is aiming to secure his eighth quality start in a row in this outing.
- Skenes will aim to go five or more innings for his 12th straight appearance. He’s averaging 6.2 innings per outing.
- In three of his 12 total appearances this season he has not surrendered an earned run.
- He will face an Astros team that is hitting .262 as a unit (second in MLB). It is also slugging a collective .420 (seventh in MLB) with 121 total home runs (10th in MLB).
Pirates batting stats
- The Pirates rank 25th in Major League Baseball with 104 home runs.
- Hitters for Pittsburgh have combined to rank 27th in the majors with a .369 team slugging percentage.
- The Pirates have a team batting average of .232 this season, which ranks 25th among MLB teams.
- Pittsburgh ranks 23rd in the majors with 436 total runs scored this season.
- The Pirates are among the worst in the league at getting on base, ranking 26th with an OBP of .300.
- Pittsburgh ranks just 26th in MLB in strikeouts per game with an average of 9.1 whiffs per contest.
Astros stats and trends
Astros betting records
- The Astros have been chosen as underdogs in 29 games this year and have walked away with the win 14 times (48.3%) in those games.
- Houston has a mark of 5-5 in contests where bookmakers favor it by +110 or worse on the moneyline.
- The Astros have an implied victory probability of 47.6% according to the moneyline set by sportsbooks for this matchup.
- Houston and its opponents have gone over in 42 of its 105 games with a total set by sportsbooks this season.
- The Astros are 52-52-0 against the spread in their 104 games with a line set by sportsbooks this season.
Jake Bloss (Astros probable starter)
- Bloss (0-1) takes the mound first for the Astros in his fourth start of the season. He’s put together a 6.94 ERA in 11 2/3 innings pitched, with 11 strikeouts.
- In his most recent appearance on Wednesday, the righty went four innings against the Oakland Athletics, allowing five earned runs while surrendering six hits.
- Over three games this season, the 23-year-old has amassed a 6.94 ERA and 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings, while allowing a batting average of .314 to opposing hitters.
- He meets a Pirates offense that ranks 23rd in the league with 436 total runs scored while batting .232 as a unit. His opponent has a collective .369 slugging percentage (27th in MLB play) and has hit a total of 104 home runs (25th in the league).
Astros batting stats
- The Astros are 10th in MLB action with 121 home runs. They average 1.2 per game.
- So far this season, Houston’s .420 slugging percentage is seventh-best in the majors.
- The Astros are second in MLB with a .262 batting average.
- Houston scores the 11th-most runs in baseball (492 total, 4.7 per game).
- The Astros are 10th in baseball with an on-base percentage of .320.