The division rival Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals are set to renew hostilities on Friday when they meet at Busch Stadium.
Mike Hampton will be the starting pitcher for the Astros on this day. Lefthander Hampton is 0-0 this season with a 0.00 ERA.
Starting this game for the Cardinals will be Joel Pineiro. The righthander has a 0.00 ERA to go along with a 0-0 record this season.
Oddsmakers currently have the Cardinals listed as 145-moneyline favorites versus the Astros, while the game's total has not yet been posted.
The Astros lost 11-6 to the Cubs in the rubber match of a three-game series last time out, as +110 underdogs. That game's 17 runs sailed OVER the night's posted over/under (9).
Ivan Rodriguez went deep for a two-run shot for the Astros, while Brian Moehler was tagged for seven runs in just under two innings of work.
Chris Carpenter allowed just one hit over seven innings to lead the Cardinals to a 2-1 victory over the Pirates and earn a split of the four-game series on Thursday. The Cardinals won the game as -210 favorites, while the team's played UNDER the posted over/under (8.5).
Yadier Molina and Brian Barden singled in the runs. Dennys Reyes threw a perfect ninth to pick up his first save.
Team records:
Houston: 1-2 SU
St. Louis: 2-2 SU
Houston most recently:
When playing on Friday are 6-4
Before playing St. Louis are 5-5
After playing Chi Cubs are 4-6
After a loss are 6-4
St. Louis most recently:
When playing on Friday are 4-6
Before playing Houston are 4-6
After playing Pittsburgh are 6-4
After a win are 7-3
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Houston's last 7 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Houston's last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Houston's last 16 games when playing St. Louis
Houston is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of St. Louis's last 7 games when playing at home against Houston
St. Louis is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games at home
St. Louis is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games
St. Louis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Houston
Next up:
St. Louis home to Houston, Saturday, April 11