Chicago @ Washington Picks & Props

Per THE BAT projection system, field ranks as the 28nd field in Major League Baseball for RHB BABIP. Less offense (and more strikeouts) are strongly correlated with cold weather, and this game is projected to have the 2nd-coldest weather among all games with a temperature of 58°. The switch-hitting Ian Happ will lose the platoon advantage while batting from his worse side (0) today against Patrick Corbin... and it's an over-sized mismatch considering Corbin's large platoon split. Ian Happ will be at a disadvantage playing away from home in today's game. In terms of his batting average since the start of last season, Ian Happ's .276 figure has been significantly higher than his .244 Expected Batting Average (which is based on THE BAT X's interpretation of Statcast data), indicating that he has been fortunate.

Alex Call is projected to hit 1st in the lineup in this matchup. Alex Call will possess the home field advantage today, which figures to bolster all of his stats. Within the past two weeks of games, Alex Call has raised his percentage of hitting the ball at a launch angle that optimizes for BABIPs, from 38% on the season to 51.7%. Alex Call has displayed strong plate discipline since the start of last season, ranking in the 89th percentile with a 1.73 K/BB rate.

Riley Adams will benefit from the home field advantage today, which should improve all of his stats. Riley Adams has had some very poor luck with his wOBA since the start of last season; his .251 figure is a fair amount lower than his .293 Expected wOBA (based on THE BAT X's interpretation of Statcast data). Since the start of last season, Riley Adams's maximum exit velocity has been 115 mph, which rates in the 96th percentile and serves as an advanced measure for assessing power.

Cody Bellinger is projected to hit 5th on the lineup card in this game. The Washington Nationals don't have any same-handed RPs in their bullpen, so Cody Bellinger is guaranteed to never face a bullpen mismatch the whole game. Cody Bellinger pulls a lot of his flyballs (36.6% — 95th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards the league's 10th-shallowest RF fences in today's game. The Washington Nationals outfield defense profiles as the 5th-worst of all teams on the slate today. Lately, Cody Bellinger' exit velocity on flyballs has notably improvementd, as figureidenced by his average of 101.5-mph in the last 7 days, compared to his seasonal average of 92.7-mph.

Lane Thomas will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which should improve all of his stats.

Dominic Smith is penciled in 5th in the batting order in this matchup. Nationals Park has the 8th-shallowest right field dimensions in MLB. Dominic Smith will have the handedness advantage over Jameson Taillon in today's game. The Chicago Cubs don't have any same-handed relief pitchers in their bullpen, so Dominic Smith is guaranteed to never lose the platoon advantage against the bullpen all game. Dominic Smith will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should improve all of his stats.

Jeimer Candelario is penciled in 3rd on the lineup card today. Jeimer Candelario pulls many of his flyballs (34.8% — 87th percentile) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards the game's 10th-shallowest RF fences in today's matchup. Jeimer Candelario will hold the home field advantage today, which ought to improve all of his stats. Jeimer Candelario's launch angle of late (19.6° in the past two weeks) is significantly better than his 15.2° seasonal angle. Ranked in the 89th percentile, Jeimer Candelario's hitting performance falls within the launch angle range of 23° to 34°, which is known to optimize home runs with a rate of 18.2% since the start of last season.

THE BAT X projects Trey Mancini in the 75th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive skill. Trey Mancini will have the handedness advantage against Patrick Corbin in today's matchup... and moreover, Corbin has a large platoon split. Trey Mancini has an 80th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (34.8%) and will have a big advantage hitting them in the direction of the league's 10th-shallowest RF fences in today's matchup. The Washington Nationals outfield defense profiles as the 5th-worst of all teams on the slate today. Comparing his seasonal EV exit velocity of 89.3 mph to a recent 14-day EV of 93.2 mph, Trey Mancini has shown a notable increase.

Miguel Amaya will have the handedness advantage against Patrick Corbin in today's matchup... and the cherry on top, Corbin has a large platoon split. The Washington Nationals outfield defense profiles as the 5th-worst of all teams on the slate today.

In the league, Nationals Park ranks as having the 8th-shallowest RF fences. The Washington Nationals don't have any same-handed relievers in their bullpen, so Tucker Barnhart is guaranteed to hold the advantage against every reliever all game. Lately, Tucker Barnhart' exit velocity on flyballs has notably improvementd, as EVidenced by his average of 93.8-mph in the last 7 days, compared to his seasonal average of 88.1-mph. Of late, Tucker Barnhart has been achieving a significantly higher average launch angle of 23° on his balls with the hardest-hit, in contrast to his seasonal angle of 1.9°.

Victor Robles will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to improve all of his stats.

Stone Garrett will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to improve all of his stats. Stone Garrett has made sizeable gains with his Barrel% lately, improving his 11.5% seasonal rate to 28.6% in the past week's worth of games. Stone Garrett's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better of late, going from 11.1% on the season to 28.6% over the last week.

Nelson Velazquez's BABIP ability is projected in the 80th percentile by THE BAT X assessment. Nelson Velazquez will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Patrick Corbin in today's game... and even better, Corbin has a large platoon split. The Washington Nationals outfield defense profiles as the 5th-worst of all teams on the slate today. In the past week, Nelson Velazquez's power has been impressive as shown by his reliable statistic of a 22.2% Barrel%. Nelson Velazquez's 14.8% Barrel% (an advanced stat to evaluate power) ranks in the 95th percentile since the start of last season.

Nationals Park has the 8th-shallowest right field dimensions in MLB. CJ Abrams will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Jameson Taillon today. The Chicago Cubs don't have any same-handed RPs in their bullpen, so CJ Abrams is guaranteed to never lose the platoon advantage against the bullpen all game. CJ Abrams will benefit from the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should improve all of his stats. CJ Abrams's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased from last season to this one, going from 14.7% to 19.4%.

As it relates to his batting average talent, Joey Meneses is ranked in the 84th percentile by THE BAT X projects. Joey Meneses is projected to hit 4th in the lineup today. Joey Meneses has a 92nd percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (37.6%) and has the good fortune of hitting them out towards the league's 10th-shallowest RF fences in today's matchup. Joey Meneses will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should bolster all of his stats. With a .363 wOBA, Joey Meneses ranks in the 94th percentile, which is the best measure of overall offense, since the start of last season.

Nico Hoerner has gone over 1.5 in 3 of his last 10 games.

Seiya Suzuki has gone over 1.5 in 4 of his last 10 games.

Dansby Swanson has gone over 1.5 in 1 of his last 10 games.