Chicago @ Los Angeles Picks & Props

Yan Gomes has primarily hit in the back-half of the lineup this season (94% of the time), but he is penciled in 5th in the lineup in this matchup. The Los Angeles Angels outfield defense projects as the 4th-worst of all teams today. Yan Gomes has made sizeable gains with his Barrel%, improving his 3.5% rate last year to 11.1% this year. Yan Gomes's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved from last season to this one, increasing from 15.4% to 22.2%. Yan Gomes's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased of late, rising from 22.2% on the season to 44.4% in the past 14 days.

Matt Mervis will have the handedness advantage over Jaime Barria today. The Los Angeles Angels outfield defense projects as the 4th-worst of all teams today. Matt Mervis has experienced some negative variance in regards to his wOBA this year; his .249 figure is significantly deflated relative to his .283 Expected wOBA (based on THE BAT X's interpretation of Statcast data).

THE BAT X projects Ian Happ in the 82nd percentile as it relates to his overall offensive talent. Ian Happ is projected to hit 3rd on the lineup card in this matchup. The Los Angeles Angels outfield defense projects as the 4th-worst of all teams today. 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 48.3%. Ian Happ has put up a .347 Expected wOBA (xwOBA) this year, checking in at the 77th percentile for offensive ability (according to THE BAT X's interpretation of Statcast data).

Jared Walsh will hold the platoon advantage against Jameson Taillon today. The Chicago Cubs have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Jared Walsh can likely count on never losing the platoon advantage against the 'pen all game. The Chicago Cubs outfield defense grades out as the 2nd-worst of all teams today. Jared Walsh will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which ought to bolster all of his stats.

THE BAT X projects Seiya Suzuki in the 95th percentile when assessing his overall offensive ability. Seiya Suzuki is projected to hit 4th in the batting order today. The Los Angeles Angels outfield defense projects as the 4th-worst of all teams today. Seiya Suzuki has notched a .360 wOBA (the best measure of overall offense) this year, checking in at the 83rd percentile. Seiya Suzuki has compiled a .333 BABIP since the start of last season, grading out in the 88th percentile.

THE BAT X projects Zach Neto in the 80th percentile when assessing his BABIP talent. The Chicago Cubs outfield defense grades out as the 2nd-worst of all teams today. Zach Neto will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to boost all of his stats. Zach Neto has had some very poor luck with his wOBA this year; his .302 rate is deflated compared to his .343 Expected wOBA (based on THE BAT X's interpretation of Statcast data).

Shohei Ohtani projects as the 8th-best batter in the league, per THE BAT X. Shohei Ohtani is projected to bat 2nd on the lineup card in this game. Angel Stadium grades out as the #21 ballpark in the game for BABIP, per THE BAT projection system. Shohei Ohtani 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 Shohei Ohtani has a strong chance of holding the platoon advantage against every reliever all game.

THE BAT X projects Brandon Drury in the 76th percentile when assessing his overall offensive skill. The Chicago Cubs outfield defense grades out as the 2nd-worst of all teams today. Brandon Drury will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to bolster all of his stats. Brandon Drury has seen a notable increase in his exit velocity recently; just compare his 95.2-mph average over the last 7 days to his seasonal 90.1-mph figure. Brandon Drury's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better in recent games, increasing from 17.2% on the season to 23.1% over the last week.

THE BAT X projects Gio Urshela in the 94th percentile when it comes to his batting average ability. The Chicago Cubs outfield defense grades out as the 2nd-worst of all teams today. Gio Urshela will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should bolster all of his stats. Gio Urshela's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased of late, going from 49.7% on the season to 56.7% in the past 14 days. Gio Urshela has put up a .309 batting average this year, ranking in the 96th percentile.

Matt Thaiss has primarily hit in the back-half of the lineup this season (76% of the time), but he is projected to hit 5th in the lineup in this game. Matt Thaiss will have the handedness advantage over Jameson Taillon today. The Chicago Cubs have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Matt Thaiss can likely count on never losing the platoon advantage against the 'pen all game. The Chicago Cubs outfield defense grades out as the 2nd-worst of all teams today. Matt Thaiss will possess the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to bolster all of his stats.

Mike Trout projects as the 7th-best hitter in the league, per THE BAT X. Mike Trout is penciled in 3rd on the lineup card in this matchup. The Chicago Cubs outfield defense grades out as the 2nd-worst of all teams today. Mike Trout will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which should boost all of his stats. Mike Trout has seen a sizeable gain in his exit velocity lately; just compare his 94.1-mph average over the past week to his seasonal 92.1-mph mark.

THE BAT X projects Christopher Morel in the 76th percentile when estimating his BABIP talent. The Los Angeles Angels outfield defense projects as the 4th-worst of all teams today. Christopher Morel has made big strides with his Barrel%, improving his 14% rate last season to 21.3% this season. Christopher Morel has seen a significant gain in his exit velocity on flyballs this year; just compare his 97.4-mph average to last season's 95.4-mph figure. Christopher Morel has compiled a .335 wOBA (the best measure of overall offense) since the start of last season, checking in at the 77th percentile.

The Chicago Cubs outfield defense grades out as the 2nd-worst of all teams today. Hunter Renfroe will benefit from the home field advantage in today's game, which should boost all of his stats. Hunter Renfroe has seen a sizeable improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs lately; just compare his 97.5-mph average in the past week's worth of games to his seasonal mark of 93.4-mph. Hunter Renfroe's launch angle recently (24.6° in the last two weeks) is a significant increase over his 15.1° seasonal angle. Hunter Renfroe's maximum exit velocity (an advanced metric to study power) has been 113.2 mph this year, grading out in the 84th percentile.

THE BAT X projects Taylor Ward in the 93rd percentile when estimating his overall offensive skill. Taylor Ward is projected to bat 1st on the lineup card in this game. The Chicago Cubs outfield defense grades out as the 2nd-worst of all teams today. Taylor Ward will hold the home field advantage today, which should bolster all of his stats. Taylor Ward has made significant improvements with his Barrel% of late, upping his 7.4% seasonal rate to 13.8% in the last two weeks.

THE BAT X projects Dansby Swanson in the 91st percentile when it comes to his BABIP skill. Dansby Swanson is penciled in 5th in the lineup in this game. The Los Angeles Angels outfield defense projects as the 4th-worst of all teams today. Dansby Swanson has seen a significant increase in his exit velocity on flyballs this season; just compare his 96.5-mph average to last season's 94.2-mph average. Dansby Swanson has seen a significant increase in his exit velocity on flyballs in recent games; just compare his 99.2-mph average in the last two weeks' worth of games to his seasonal figure of 96.5-mph.

Edwin Rios will hold the platoon advantage against Jaime Barria today. The Los Angeles Angels outfield defense projects as the 4th-worst of all teams today.

Miguel Amaya has gone over 0.5 in 3 of his last 10 games.

Luis Rengifo has gone over 0.5 in 9 of his last 10 games.

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

Trey Mancini has gone over 0.5 in 5 of his last 10 games.

Mike Tauchman has gone over 0.5 in 7 of his last 10 games.

Miles Mastrobuoni has gone over 0.5 in 5 of his last 10 games.