Chicago @ San Diego Picks & Props

Juan Soto projects as the 3rd-best hitter in the majors, via THE BAT X. Juan Soto is projected to bat 3rd in the lineup in this game. Juan Soto will have the handedness advantage over Jameson Taillon in today's game. The Chicago Cubs have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Juan Soto stands a good chance of holding the platoon advantage against every reliever all game. Juan Soto hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (39% — 88th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest CF fences in today's game.

THE BAT X projects Jake Cronenworth in the 84th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive ability. Jake Cronenworth is projected to hit 5th in the batting order in this game. Jake Cronenworth will have the handedness advantage over Jameson Taillon in today's game. The Chicago Cubs have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Jake Cronenworth has a strong chance of holding the advantage against every reliever all game. Jake Cronenworth hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (38.2% — 75th percentile) and will have a big advantage facing the game's 2nd-shallowest CF fences in today's game.

Petco Park has the 2nd-shallowest CF fences in the majors. Trent Grisham will have the handedness advantage against Jameson Taillon today. The Chicago Cubs have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Trent Grisham can likely count on never losing the platoon advantage against the 'pen all game. The Chicago Cubs outfield defense profiles as the 4th-worst of all teams today. Trent Grisham will benefit from the home field advantage today, which figures to bolster all of his stats.

Petco Park ranks as the #27 venue in Major League Baseball for righty batting average, according to THE BAT projection system. Petco Park's altitude is near sea-level, one of the lowest in the majors, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to worse offense. The weather forecast forecasts the 2nd-most favorable pitching weather of all games on the slate today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Michael Wacha will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Dansby Swanson in today's matchup. Dansby Swanson will be at a disadvantage playing away from home in today's game.

Trey Mancini has seen a big increase in his exit velocity of late; just compare his 100.4-mph average over the past week to his seasonal 89.9-mph figure.

Petco Park has the 2nd-shallowest CF fences in the majors. Yan Gomes's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better lately, increasing from 18.7% on the season to 28.6% in the past 7 days.

THE BAT X projects Seiya Suzuki in the 95th percentile when assessing his overall offensive talent. Seiya Suzuki is penciled in 4th in the batting order today. Seiya Suzuki hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (39% — 88th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting out towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest CF fences in today's matchup. Seiya Suzuki has made significant improvements with his Barrel% lately, bettering his 10.1% seasonal rate to 25% in the past week's worth of games. Seiya Suzuki has seen a big improvement in his exit velocity this year; just compare his 92.2-mph average to last season's 89.5-mph average.

THE BAT X projects Ian Happ in the 79th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive talent. Ian Happ is projected to hit 3rd in the batting order today. Petco Park has the 2nd-shallowest CF fences in the majors. The switch-hitting Ian Happ will have the advantage of batting from from his better side (0) today against Michael Wacha. Ian Happ's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better from last year to this one, going from 41.7% to 50%.

Matt Mervis will have the handedness advantage over Michael Wacha in today's game. Matt Mervis hits many of his flyballs to center field (39% — 88th percentile) and is fortunate to face the league's 2nd-shallowest CF fences today. Matt Mervis has seen a significant gain in his exit velocity on flyballs lately; just compare his 98.7-mph average over the past 14 days to his seasonal average of 95.5-mph. Matt Mervis has been hot lately, putting up a a 13.3% Barrel% (an advanced metric to evaluate power) in the last 14 days.

THE BAT X projects Xander Bogaerts in the 95th percentile when estimating his batting average ability. Xander Bogaerts is projected to hit 1st in the batting order today. The Chicago Cubs outfield defense profiles as the 4th-worst of all teams today. Xander Bogaerts will benefit from the home field advantage today, which figures to bolster all of his stats. Xander Bogaerts's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better recently, going from 15% on the season to 28.6% over the last 7 days.

THE BAT X projects Christopher Morel in the 77th percentile as it relates to his BABIP talent. Petco Park has the 2nd-shallowest CF fences in the majors. Christopher Morel has made sizeable strides with his Barrel%, improving his 14% rate last year to 23.8% this year. Christopher Morel has seen a notable increase in his exit velocity on flyballs this year; just compare his 97.4-mph average to last season's 95.4-mph mark. Christopher Morel's launch angle lately (25° over the last 14 days) is significantly higher than his 16.9° seasonal mark.

Mike Tauchman is penciled in 5th on the lineup card in this game. Petco Park has the 2nd-shallowest CF fences in the majors. Mike Tauchman will hold the platoon advantage against Michael Wacha today. Mike Tauchman has been hot lately, tallying a .391 wOBA over the past two weeks. Mike Tauchman has been zeroed in on the ideal launch angle for home runs in recent games, lifting balls between 23° and 34° 33.3% of the time in the past week's worth of games.

Matt Carpenter will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Jameson Taillon in today's matchup. The Chicago Cubs have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Matt Carpenter stands a good chance of never losing the platoon advantage against the 'pen all game. The Chicago Cubs outfield defense profiles as the 4th-worst of all teams today. Matt Carpenter will hold the home field advantage today, which should bolster all of his stats. Matt Carpenter's average launch angle on his hardest-hit balls of late (35.3° over the past two weeks) is significantly higher than his 25.4° seasonal figure.

THE BAT X projects Manny Machado in the 94th percentile when assessing his overall offensive ability. Manny Machado is projected to bat 4th in the lineup in this game. Petco Park has the 2nd-shallowest CF fences in the majors. The Chicago Cubs outfield defense profiles as the 4th-worst of all teams today. Manny Machado will benefit from the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to boost all of his stats.

Rougned Odor will have the handedness advantage over Jameson Taillon in today's game. The Chicago Cubs have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Rougned Odor stands a good chance of never losing the platoon advantage against the 'pen all game. The Chicago Cubs outfield defense profiles as the 4th-worst of all teams today. Rougned Odor will benefit from the home field advantage today, which figures to bolster all of his stats. Rougned Odor's launch angle of late (25.4° in the past 14 days) is considerably higher than his 20° seasonal mark.

Fernando Tatis Jr. has gone over 1.5 in 2 of his last 10 games.

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