Las Vegas at Kansas City

The Athletics have lost eight of their last ten on the road, and tonight in Kansas City they're turning to a converted reliever making just his first real look in a big-league rotation. Mason Barnett has spent the season working out of the bullpen, and his early try as a starter has produced an ERA pushing nine — a pitcher who hasn't been stretched past a couple of innings now needs length against a lineup that's shown some life. Michael Wacha, meanwhile, has been the one stabilizing force in an otherwise lost Royals season, sitting at 3.46 with a track record of piling up quality starts even when the wins haven't followed. The A's offense ranks near the bottom of the league in scoring, and the pitching staff owns one of the worst ERAs in baseball, a combination that's produced a run differential deep in the red. My numbers like Kansas City comfortably here: against a shaky spot starter and a gassed bullpen, the Royals don't need much offense to win. We're on Kansas City tonight, and Wacha gives us length while the other dugout is patching together innings on short notice. Take the Royals on the moneyline.