Houston @ Los Angeles Picks & Props

The Los Angeles Angels outfield defense projects as the 2nd-worst of all teams on the slate today. In terms of his wOBA, Martin Maldonado's performance this year has been affected by some undesirable fluctuations, as his current .245 score falls short in comparison to his .274 Expected wOBA (which is based on THE BAT X's evaluation of Statcast data).

The wind projects to be blowing out to CF at 9.2-mph in this game, the 2nd-strongest of the day for batters. The Los Angeles Angels outfield defense projects as the worst of all teams on the slate today.

THE BAT X projections rank Yordan Alvarez as the 4th-best hitter in MLB. Yordan Alvarez is projected to hit 3rd in the lineup today. Yordan Alvarez will have the handedness advantage against Griffin Canning today. The Los Angeles Angels outfield defense projects as the 2nd-worst of all teams on the slate today. Comparing his seasonal 92.1-mph mark to his 97.6-mph average in the past week's games, Yordan Alvarez's exit velocity has significantly improvementd in recent times.

Mike Trout projects as the 6th-best batter in the league, according to THE BAT X. Mike Trout is projected to hit 2nd on the lineup card in this game. Recently, Mike Trout has exhibited a notable rise in his average launch mark for his highest exit velocity balls, standing at 18.6° in the past two weeks compared to his seasonal mark of 15.6°. Statcast data interpreted by THE BAT X shows Mike Trout grading out in the 94th percentile with a .385 Expected wOBA (xwOBA) for this year. Mike Trout has posted a .280 Expected Batting Average this year, grading out in the 83rd percentile (according to THE BAT X's interpretation of Statcast data).

According to THE BAT X, Kyle Tucker is predicted to be the 16th-best batter in the game. Kyle Tucker is penciled in 4th on the lineup card today. Kyle Tucker will have the handedness advantage against Griffin Canning in today's game. The Los Angeles Angels outfield defense projects as the 2nd-worst of all teams on the slate today. Of late, Kyle Tucker's exit velocity has notably gaind, evident in his 94.4-mph average in the past week's games compared to his seasonal 91-mph mark.

THE BAT X projects Zach Neto in the 80th percentile when assessing his BABIP ability. Comparing Zach Neto' 97.3-mph average exit velocity on flyballs in the last 7 days to his seasonal average of 93.4-mph rEVeals a significant gain. Lately, Zach Neto has improved his capability to hit the ball with a launch angle (ranging from -4° to 26°) that is optimized for home runs. His percentage has increased from 16.4% for the season to 23.3% in the last two weeks. Up until now, Zach Neto has been experiencing unfavorable variance towards his wOBA this year, as his current rate of .302 is noticeably lower than his expected wOBA of .337, which has been determined through THE BAT X's analysis of Statcast data.

Assessing his BABIP ability, THE BAT X rates Jeremy Pena in the 93rd percentile. Despite mainly batting in the latter half of the lineup this season (61% of games), Jeremy Pena has been placed in the 1st spot for this game. The Los Angeles Angels outfield defense projects as the 2nd-worst of all teams on the slate today. Recently, Jeremy Pena has exhibited a notable rise in his average launch figure for his highest exit velocity balls, standing at 17.9° in the past two weeks compared to his seasonal figure of 10.1°.

When it comes to his overall offensive skill, Anthony Rendon ranks in the 90th percentile according to THE BAT X projects. Anthony Rendon is penciled in 4th in the batting order in this game. In the last 14 days, Anthony Rendon's launch mark has improved significantly to 22.3° from his seasonal mark of 16.8°. Anthony Rendon has been unlucky in regards to his wOBA this year; his .350 rate is quite a bit lower than his .376 Expected wOBA (based on THE BAT X's interpretation of Statcast data). Anthony Rendon has compiled a .273 Expected Batting Average since the start of last season, grading out in the 82nd percentile (according to THE BAT X's interpretation of Statcast data).

THE BAT X projects Brandon Drury in the 75th percentile when assessing his overall offensive ability. Over the past 14 days, Brandon Drury has shown considerable progress with his Barrel% by elevating it from his seasonal rate of 15% to 28.6%. Brandon Drury's launch angle this season (17.8°) is considerably better than his 13.1° angle last year. In the past 14 days, Brandon Drury has improved his ability to hit the ball at a launch angle that optimizes home runs, which has increased from 18.5% to 24.1% during the current season.

Matt Thaiss will hold the platoon advantage over Cristian Javier in today's matchup. This season, Matt Thaiss's speed has improved from last year's 24.36 ft/sec Statcast Sprint Speed to a current speed of 25.03 ft/sec.

In terms of his overall offensive capskill, Alex Bregman ranks in the 94th percentile according to THE BAT X's projects. Alex Bregman is penciled in 2nd on the lineup card in this game. The Los Angeles Angels outfield defense projects as the 2nd-worst of all teams on the slate today. Compared to his seasonal average of 14.7°, Alex Bregman's recent hardest-contacted balls have shown an improved average launch angle of 21.8°. The percentage of Alex Bregman's ability to hit the ball at an optimal launch angle for home runs (between -4° and 26°) has increased from 17.9% to 21.7% between last season and this season.

Hunter Renfroe is projected to hit 5th on the lineup card today. Over the past two weeks, Hunter Renfroe exhibited tremendous recent form and raw power by hitting a ball that registered at 112-mph, one of the hardest hits in the game.

THE BAT X projections rank Shohei Ohtani as the 7th-best batter in the game. Shohei Ohtani is penciled in 3rd in the batting order in this game. Edwin Jimenez profiles as a Pitchers Umpire and is expected to be calling pitches today. Shohei Ohtani will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Cristian Javier in today's matchup. In the past two weeks, Shohei Ohtani has exhibited a 14% Barrel% (a sophisticated measure to analyze power) and has been on fire during the recent games.

When assessing his overall offensive skill, Taylor Ward ranks in the 94th percentile according to THE BAT X projects. Taylor Ward is projected to hit 1st in the batting order today. Even though THE BAT X estimates Taylor Ward' true talent level to be .361, a .051 discrepancy, he has unfortunately posted a .310 wOBA this year. Taylor Ward has shown favorable plate discipline this year, ranking in the 76th percentile with a 1.89 K/BB rate.

Corey Julks has primarily hit in the back-half of the lineup this season (100% of the time), but he is projected to bat 5th on the lineup card in this game. The Los Angeles Angels outfield defense projects as the 2nd-worst of all teams on the slate today. Corey Julks has had some very poor luck with his wOBA this year; his .274 mark is a good deal lower than his .308 Expected wOBA (based on THE BAT X's interpretation of Statcast data).

Gio Urshela's batting average skill is estimated to be in the 90th percentile by THE BAT X projects. Based on THE BAT X's analysis of Statcast data, Gio Urshela ranks in the 83rd percentile with a .274 Expected Batting Average for since the start of last season.

Jose Abreu has gone over 1.5 in 4 of his last 10 games.

Mauricio Dubon has gone over 1.5 in 3 of his last 10 games.

Yainer Diaz has gone over 0.5 in 2 of his last 10 games.

David Hensley has gone over 0.5 in 2 of his last 10 games.