I favored a wager on Houston to cover at plus odds last night, and while they nearly pulled it off, I came away less impressed with the Astros' performance. The home team was locked in on the mound but the offense didn't produce like I believed it should. That blown lead should affect today's game, giving the Royals some confidence.

I prefer Ragans over Kikuchi in Saturday's pitching matchup and believe KC's bats will outshine Houston's.