Kenny G urged bettors to back Houston at –155 with Framber Valdez on the hill. Valdez has delivered five straight quality starts, allowing two or fewer earned each time, and the Astros are 5-0 in that stretch. Chicago’s Jameson Taillon, meanwhile, has been blasted for 13 earned runs across his last two outings (vs MIL, STL) pushing his season ERA to 4.47 and hinting at possible injury concerns. Houston’s pen (3.34 ERA) ranks top-five, nearly matching the Cubs’ strong 3.31 mark, but Kenny prefers the Astros’ consistency at Minute Maid where they are 30-13. Offensively, the Cubs are elite—2nd in runs and 4th in slugging—yet Houston’s .256 team average (5th in MLB) and recent 5-game win streak before Saturday’s loss show enough pop to support Valdez. Given the dominant SP form and home/road splits (Astros 26-16-1 to home unders, Cubs 21-16-4 to road overs), Kenny locked in Houston moneyline rather than the lean-friendly 7.5 total.

Cash Out Sports Picks laid the price with Houston, trusting their hot lineup against Colin Rea, who has allowed 27 hits and 13 earned over his last 21 innings and a .291 opponent average in 27.2 road frames. While Lance McCullers Jr. is coming off a brief foot-related layoff and sports uneven season results, the tout argues Rea’s recent struggles plus the Astros’ .272 average/.751 OPS at home give Houston enough edge to win outright and keep its surge alive.

Kenny G said he expects to be on the Astros once lines drop for Saturday’s Cubs–Astros matchup. He flagged three edges Houston should own. First, Colin Rea’s 4.42 ERA hides how volatile he has been—Seattle just tattooed him for seven runs, and he has allowed a 46% hard-hit rate over his past five outings. Second, while Chicago’s 3.37 bullpen ERA looks shiny, Kenny does not trust the unit’s recent form after three blown leads in the last eight days. Houston’s pen, by contrast, sits top-five in ERA and WHIP and has coughed up only one run across its current five-game win streak. Finally, the Astros’ offense is heating up, ranking fifth in MLB batting average and coming off a 7-4 series-opening win. With Houston riding five straight victories, Rea in poor form, and no confirmed Astros starter but a rested bullpen ready to cover innings, Kenny anticipates a money-line price he is willing to lay and urged listeners to wait for numbers but plan on backing Houston.

It's The Final Round noted Ian Happ’s 2-for-2 career line (1.000) against Walter and his eight-hits-in-10-game recent stretch, recommending a small-sample but high-confidence hit prop for Friday’s slate.

It's The Final Round pointed to Cody Bellinger’s 3-for-4 (.750) track record against Mitch Spence—good for a .375 average including all outcomes—and his seven hits in the last nine games as reasons to back the former MVP in Friday betting markets.