Pittsburgh @ Tampa Bay Picks & Props

According to THE BAT projection system, Tropicana Field ranks as the 29th stadium in the game for left-handed batting average. On the slate, the 3rd-best infield defense belongs to the Tampa Bay Rays. Bryan Reynolds will be at a disadvantage playing on the visting team in today's game. Although THE BAT X predicted Bryan Reynolds's true talent level to be .375, he has been fortunate this year by achieving a .396 wOBA, resulting in a deviation of .021 between the two.

According to THE BAT projection system, Tropicana Field ranks as the 29th stadium in the league for right-handed batting average. Vince Velasquez will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Yandy Diaz today. The Pittsburgh Pirates infield defense profiles as the 4th-best of all teams today. Putting up a .429 wOBA this year, Yandy Diaz's true talent level estimated by THE BAT X is .384, resulting in a discrepancy of .045.

The Tropicana Field roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this match-up 10° hotter than the average outdoor game on the slate today — favorable for offense. Rodolfo Castro pulls a lot of his flyballs (33.1% — 77th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards MLB's 5th-shallowest RF fences in today's game. Rodolfo Castro has seen a sizeable increase in his exit velocity this year; just compare his 87.3-mph average to last season's 91.7-mph average. Rodolfo Castro has seen a notable increase in his exit velocity recently; just compare his 97.5-mph average in the past week's worth of games to his seasonal 91.7-mph figure.

THE BAT X projects Wander Franco as the 5th-best hitter in the game as it relates to his batting average talent. Wander Franco is penciled in 2nd in the lineup in this matchup. In MLB, Tropicana Field ranks as having the 3rd-shallowest RF dimensions. The Tropicana Field roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this match-up 10° hotter than the average outdoor game on the slate today — favorable for offense. Wander Franco will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should boost all of his stats.

When estimating his overall offensive skill, Randy Arozarena ranks in the 95th percentile according to THE BAT X projects. Randy Arozarena is penciled in 3rd on the lineup card in this game. Among all parks, Tropicana Field's LF dimensions are the 6th-shallowest. The Tropicana Field roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this match-up 10° hotter than the average outdoor game on the slate today — favorable for offense. Randy Arozarena, an extreme flyball hitter, is prone to achieving greater success when facing extreme groundball pitchers such as Vince Velasquez.

Assessing his BABIP talent, THE BAT X rates Jose Siri in the 84th percentile. Among all parks, Tropicana Field's LF dimensions are the 6th-shallowest. The Tropicana Field roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this match-up 10° hotter than the average outdoor game on the slate today — favorable for offense. On the slate, the Pittsburgh Pirates' infield defense is expected to be the 3rd-worst. Jose Siri will possess the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should boost all of his stats.

The Tropicana Field roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this match-up 10° hotter than the average outdoor game on the slate today — favorable for offense. By increasing his Barrel% from 1.9% in the previous season to 8.3% this season, Jason Delay has displayed significant improvements. Ranked in the 81st percentile, Jason Delay's .329 BABIP since the start of last season, has been posted.

Jack Suwinski is projected to hit 5th in the batting order today. The Tropicana Field roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this match-up 10° hotter than the average outdoor game on the slate today — favorable for offense. Jack Suwinski will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Zach Eflin in today's matchup. Jack Suwinski pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (37.2% — 96th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards the game's 5th-shallowest RF fences today. With his Barrel% having increased from 12.3% in the previous season to 21.7% this year, Jack Suwinski has shown significant improvements.

Tucupita Marcano has primarily hit in the back-half of the lineup this year (63% of the time), but he is projected to hit 1st in the batting order in this matchup. The Tropicana Field roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this match-up 10° hotter than the average outdoor game on the slate today — favorable for offense. Tucupita Marcano will have the handedness advantage against Zach Eflin in today's game. Tucupita Marcano has a 78th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (34.6%) and has the good fortune of hitting them in the direction of MLB's 6th-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. A significant rise in his exit velocity can be observed in Tucupita Marcano's performance this season, with his current average of 84.7 mph differing from last year's figure of 92.2 mph.

The Tropicana Field roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this match-up 10° hotter than the average outdoor game on the slate today — favorable for offense. Luke Raley will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Vince Velasquez today. The Pittsburgh Pirates have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Luke Raley stands a good chance of holding the advantage against every reliever all game. Luke Raley will benefit from the home field advantage today, which ought to improve all of his stats. Over the past 14 days, Luke Raley has shown considerable progress with his Barrel% by elevating it from his seasonal rate of 26.3% to 45.5%.

According to THE BAT X, Manuel Margot ranks in the 84th percentile for his batting average skill. The Tropicana Field roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this match-up 10° hotter than the average outdoor game on the slate today — favorable for offense. Manuel Margot will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's game, which should improve all of his stats. Manuel Margot has put up a .276 batting average since the start of last season, ranking in the 86th percentile.

The Tropicana Field roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this match-up 10° hotter than the average outdoor game on the slate today — favorable for offense. This season, Connor Joe has elevated his Barrel% significantly, increasing it from 4.6% in the previous season to 13.6%. Connor Joe has seen a sizeable gain in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 85.2-mph average to last year's 90.7-mph mark. Connor Joe has exhibited favorable plate discipline since the start of last season, grading out in the 81st percentile with a 2.02 K/BB rate.

In MLB, Tropicana Field ranks as having the 3rd-shallowest RF dimensions. The Tropicana Field roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this match-up 10° hotter than the average outdoor game on the slate today — favorable for offense. Taylor Walls will benefit from the home field advantage today, which ought to boost all of his stats. Compared to last year's 16.4°, Taylor Walls has shown a notable increase in his average launch mark of 21.5° on his hardest-hit balls this year.

Harold Ramirez is projected as the 18th-best hitter in the game by THE BAT, based on his batting average ability. Harold Ramirez is projected to bat 5th in the batting order today. The Tropicana Field roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this match-up 10° hotter than the average outdoor game on the slate today — favorable for offense. Batters with extreme groundball characteristics, such as Harold Ramirez, generally fare better when facing pitchers with extreme flyball tendencies, such as Vince Velasquez. On the slate, the Pittsburgh Pirates' infield defense is expected to be the 3rd-worst.

THE BAT X projects Andrew McCutchen in the 85th percentile when assessing his overall offensive ability. Andrew McCutchen is penciled in 3rd on the lineup card in this game. The Tropicana Field roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this match-up 10° hotter than the average outdoor game on the slate today — favorable for offense. Andrew McCutchen pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (33.4% — 80th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards the league's 6th-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Andrew McCutchen's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased of late, increasing from 19.7% on the season to 27.3% over the last week.

Isaac Paredes is projected to hit 5th in the lineup in this game. The Tropicana Field roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this match-up 10° hotter than the average outdoor game on the slate today — favorable for offense. Isaac Paredes pulls a lot of his flyballs (39.5% — 98th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards baseball's 6th-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Isaac Paredes will hold the home field advantage today, which figures to boost all of his stats. Isaac Paredes's launch angle this year (20.1°) is considerably higher than his 15.5° mark last season.

THE BAT X projects Brandon Lowe in the 92nd percentile when assessing his overall offensive skill. Brandon Lowe is penciled in 4th in the lineup today. The Tropicana Field roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this match-up 10° hotter than the average outdoor game on the slate today — favorable for offense. Brandon Lowe will have the handedness advantage against Vince Velasquez today. The Pittsburgh Pirates have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Brandon Lowe can likely count on holding the advantage against every reliever all game.

Carlos Santana is projected to hit 4th in the batting order today. The Tropicana Field roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this match-up 10° hotter than the average outdoor game on the slate today — favorable for offense. Carlos Santana pulls many of his flyballs (38.2% — 98th percentile) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards baseball's 5th-shallowest RF fences in today's matchup. Carlos Santana has had bad variance on his side thus far when it comes to his batting average since the start of last season; his .215 figure is quite a bit lower than his .234 Expected Batting Average (based on THE BAT X's interpretation of Statcast data). Carlos Santana has exhibited strong plate discipline since the start of last season, checking in at the 94th percentile with a 1.39 K/BB rate.

The Tropicana Field roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this match-up 10° hotter than the average outdoor game on the slate today — favorable for offense. Austin Hedges pulls many of his flyballs (35.4% — 91st percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards baseball's 6th-shallowest LF fences today. Comparing his seasonal mark exit velocity of 89.3 mph to a recent 14-day mark of 93 mph, Austin Hedges has shown a notable increase. Of late, Austin Hedges's proficiency in hitting the ball at a launch angle that maximizes the Home Run count (ranging from -4° to 26°) has progressed considerably. In the previous week, this ability has been boosted from 9.7% for the season to 33.3%. Austin Hedges has had some very poor luck with his batting average since the start of last season; his .159 rate is significantly deflated relative to his .172 Expected Batting Average (based on THE BAT X's interpretation of Statcast data).

Josh Lowe has gone over 0.5 in 9 of his last 10 games.

Ji-Hwan Bae has gone over 0.5 in 3 of his last 10 games.

Christian Bethancourt has gone over 0.5 in 6 of his last 10 games.

Ke'Bryan Hayes has gone over 0.5 in 7 of his last 10 games.