Cincinnati @ St. Louis Picks & Props

THE BAT X projects Kevin Newman in the 84th percentile as it relates to his batting average ability. Kevin Newman has primarily hit in the back-half of the batting order this year (64% of the time), but he is penciled in 1st in the batting order in this matchup. Hot weather is strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest temperature on the schedule today at 85°. Kevin Newman hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (39.2% — 90th percentile) and will have a big advantage facing the league's 7th-shallowest CF fences in today's matchup. Kevin Newman's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased from last season to this one, increasing from 45.2% to 51.1%.

Busch Stadium has the 5th-most fair ground in the league — generally bad for home runs. Tommy Edman has struggled with his Barrel% in recent games; his 6.2% seasonal rate has decreased to 0% in the last week. Tommy Edman has posted a .262 BABIP this year, grading out in the 19th percentile.

THE BAT X projects Brendan Donovan in the 90th percentile as it relates to his batting average ability. Hot weather is strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest temperature on the schedule today at 85°. The Cincinnati Reds have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Brendan Donovan can likely count on holding the advantage against every reliever all game. Brendan Donovan will benefit from the home field advantage today, which figures to boost all of his stats. Brendan Donovan's launch angle this year (9.1°) is considerably higher than his 5.8° figure last season.

THE BAT X projects Matt McLain in the 92nd percentile as it relates to his BABIP talent. Matt McLain is projected to bat 2nd in the lineup in this matchup. Hot weather is strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest temperature on the schedule today at 85°. Matt McLain's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased of late, rising from 50% on the season to 63.2% over the last 7 days. Matt McLain has been hot lately, hitting his way to a .404 wOBA over the past 14 days.

Jake Fraley is penciled in 1st on the lineup card in this game. Hot weather is strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest temperature on the schedule today at 85°. Jake Fraley will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Miles Mikolas in today's game. Jake Fraley has made big gains with his Barrel% lately, bettering his 7.4% seasonal rate to 16.7% in the last week's worth of games. Jake Fraley'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 15.9% to 20.3%.

THE BAT X projects Jonathan India in the 84th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive ability. Jonathan India is projected to hit 3rd in the lineup in this game. Hot weather is strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest temperature on the schedule today at 85°. Jonathan India has seen a significant increase in his exit velocity on flyballs lately; just compare his 96.9-mph average in the past 14 days to his seasonal average of 92.1-mph. Jonathan India's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased from last year to this one, increasing from 41.2% to 47.4%.

Paul Goldschmidt projects as the 11th-best hitter in the game, per THE BAT X. Paul Goldschmidt is projected to bat 2nd in the batting order in this game. Hot weather is strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest temperature on the schedule today at 85°. Paul Goldschmidt will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Andrew Abbott in today's game. Paul Goldschmidt will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to improve all of his stats.

Luken Baker has primarily hit in the back-half of the batting order this season (50% of the time), but he is projected to hit 4th in the batting order today. Hot weather is strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest temperature on the schedule today at 85°. Luken Baker will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Andrew Abbott in today's game. Luken Baker will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to boost all of his stats.

THE BAT X projects Tyler Stephenson in the 96th percentile as it relates to his BABIP ability. Hot weather is strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest temperature on the schedule today at 85°. Tyler Stephenson's launch angle lately (28.4° over the last week) is significantly higher than his 10.7° seasonal mark. Tyler Stephenson's average launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls this year (18.4°) is considerably higher than his 15.1° mark last year. Tyler Stephenson has put up a .336 BABIP this year, grading out in the 82nd percentile.

Spencer Steer is penciled in 5th in the batting order in this matchup. Hot weather is strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest temperature on the schedule today at 85°. Spencer Steer's launch angle lately (27.8° in the past two weeks) is a significant increase over his 18.5° seasonal angle. Spencer Steer has put up a .358 wOBA (the best measure of overall offense) this year, grading out in the 81st percentile. Spencer Steer has compiled a .280 batting average this year, checking in at the 81st percentile.

THE BAT X projects Jordan Walker in the 95th percentile when estimating his BABIP skill. Hot weather is strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest temperature on the schedule today at 85°. Jordan Walker will hold the platoon advantage over Andrew Abbott in today's matchup. Jordan Walker hits many of his flyballs to center field (38.9% — 86th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting out towards the league's 7th-shallowest CF fences in today's matchup. Jordan Walker will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to bolster all of his stats.

Hot weather is strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest temperature on the schedule today at 85°. Luke Maile has made sizeable improvements with his Barrel%, upping his 5.4% rate last season to 15% this season. Luke Maile's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved from last season to this one, rising from 16.9% to 20%.

THE BAT X projects Elly De La Cruz as the 10th-best hitter in the majors when estimating his BABIP skill. Elly De La Cruz is projected to hit 4th in the batting order in this matchup. Hot weather is strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest temperature on the schedule today at 85°. Elly De La Cruz has been hot of late, compiling a a 40% Barrel% (a reliable standard to measure power) in the last week. Elly De La Cruz has hit one of the hardest balls in MLB over the past week — 114.8-mph — which is a strong proxy for recent form and raw power.

Nolan Arenado is projected to hit 3rd on the lineup card in this matchup. Hot weather is strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest temperature on the schedule today at 85°. Nolan Arenado will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Andrew Abbott today. Nolan Arenado will benefit from the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to bolster all of his stats. Nolan Arenado has seen a big gain in his exit velocity of late; just compare his 91.6-mph average over the past two weeks to his seasonal 88.4-mph EV.

THE BAT X projects Stuart Fairchild in the 76th percentile as it relates to his BABIP talent. Hot weather is strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest temperature on the schedule today at 85°. Stuart Fairchild has made big gains with his Barrel% in recent games, improving his 6% seasonal rate to 14.3% in the past 7 days. Stuart Fairchild's launch angle recently (32.5° in the past 7 days) is quite a bit higher than his 15.3° seasonal mark. Stuart Fairchild has notched a .332 BABIP since the start of last season, grading out in the 82nd percentile.

Hot weather is strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest temperature on the schedule today at 85°. Paul DeJong will have the handedness advantage over Andrew Abbott in today's game. Paul DeJong will benefit from the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to boost all of his stats. Paul DeJong's launch angle of late (30° in the last week) is significantly better than his 18.5° seasonal angle.

Hot weather is strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest temperature on the schedule today at 85°. Andrew Knizner will hold the platoon advantage over Andrew Abbott in today's matchup. Andrew Knizner will possess the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to improve all of his stats. Andrew Knizner has made big strides with his Barrel%, upping his 3.5% rate last year to 14.3% this year. Andrew Knizner has seen a notable improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs this season; just compare his 95.2-mph average to last season's 87.5-mph figure.

THE BAT X projects Willson Contreras in the 94th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive skill. Willson Contreras is projected to hit 4th in the lineup in this game. Hot weather is strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest temperature on the schedule today at 85°. Willson Contreras will hold the platoon advantage over Andrew Abbott in today's game. Willson Contreras will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to boost all of his stats.

THE BAT X projects Dylan Carlson in the 75th percentile when assessing his overall offensive talent. Dylan Carlson is penciled in 5th on the lineup card today. Hot weather is strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest temperature on the schedule today at 85°. The switch-hitting Dylan Carlson will have the advantage of batting from from his strong side (0) today against Andrew Abbott. Dylan Carlson will benefit from the home field advantage in today's game, which should improve all of his stats.

Hot weather is strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest temperature on the schedule today at 85°. Will Benson will hold the platoon advantage over Miles Mikolas in today's matchup. Will Benson has been hot recently, compiling a a 15% Barrel% (a reliable stat to measure power) in the last 14 days. Will Benson has displayed some good exit velocity statistics in recent games, averaging 98.3-mph on his flyballs in the last two weeks.

TJ Friedl has gone over 0.5 in 10 of his last 10 games.