Houston @ Texas Picks & Props

The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Globe Life Field as the 5th-worst stadium in the majors for righty BABIP. The 6th-deepest CF fences among all parks are found in Globe Life Field. The Globe Life Field roof is expected to be closed today, making the temperature in this game -11° colder than the average outdoor game of all games today — favorable for pitching. Hunter Brown will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Marcus Semien today. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.255) provides evidence that Marcus Semien has experienced some positive variance this year with his .282 actual batting average.

Globe Life Field ranks as the #26 field in Major League Baseball for left-handed BABIP, via the leading projection system (THE BAT). The 6th-deepest CF fences among all parks are found in Globe Life Field. The Globe Life Field roof is expected to be closed today, making the temperature in this game -11° colder than the average outdoor game of all games today — favorable for pitching. Corey Seager has been lucky this year, compiling a .429 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .384 — a .045 discrepancy.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jose Altuve in the 94th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive ability. Jose Altuve is projected to bat 1st in the lineup in today's game. Compared to his seasonal average of 11.7°, Jose Altuve has significantly improved his launch angle lately, posting a 20.6° mark in the past two weeks. Sporting a 1.46 K/BB rate since the start of last season, Jose Altuve has shown favorable plate discipline, placing in the 94th percentile. Jose Altuve has put up a .295 batting average since the start of last season, placing in the 97th percentile.

Kyle Tucker projects as the 17th-best hitter in the game, per the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Kyle Tucker is penciled in 3rd in the lineup in today's game. Kyle Tucker will have the handedness advantage against Nathan Eovaldi today. Kyle Tucker has been hot lately, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 91.3-mph to 95.1-mph in the past week. Compared to his seasonal average of 14.1°, Kyle Tucker has significantly improved his launch angle of late, posting a 22.6° mark over the past two weeks.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Yainer Diaz in the 90th percentile as it relates to his batting average ability. Yainer Diaz is penciled in 5th on the lineup card in today's game. Yainer Diaz's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has improved recently, going from 40.3% on the season to 75% in the last week's worth of games. Posting a .274 batting average this year, Yainer Diaz grades out in the 79th percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Leody Taveras in the 80th percentile as it relates to his BABIP talent. Leody Taveras will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to boost all of his stats. Compared to last year, Leody Taveras has improved his ability to hit the ball at a launch angle ideal for base hits, increasing his percentage of balls hit between -4° and 26° from 41.4% to 49.5% this season. Over the last two weeks, Leody Taveras's 60% rate of hitting balls at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 49.5%. Based on Statcast metrics, Leody Taveras is in the 90th percentile for hitting ability via the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (xwOBA) this year at .364.

Jonah Heim will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which ought to improve all of his stats. Jonah Heim has been hot lately, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 89.1-mph to 93.2-mph in the last week's worth of games. Jonah Heim's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has gotten better from last year to this one, rising from 13.4% to 21.2%. Jonah Heim's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has increased lately, increasing from 21.2% on the season to 25% in the last 14 days. Jonah Heim has put up a .275 batting average this year, grading out in the 81st percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jose Abreu in the 88th percentile when assessing his batting average talent. Jose Abreu is penciled in 4th in the batting order today. Jose Abreu has been hot lately, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 89.6-mph to 98-mph in the past two weeks. Over the past week, Jose Abreu's 75% rate of hitting balls at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 44.9%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Alex Bregman in the 95th percentile when estimating his overall offensive talent. Alex Bregman is projected to bat 2nd on the lineup card today. In the last week, Alex Bregman's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 4.5% up to 9.5%. Alex Bregman's launch angle recently (22° over the last 7 days) is significantly better than his 18.6° seasonal angle. Sporting a 0.97 K/BB rate this year, Alex Bregman has shown impressive plate discipline, placing in the 98th percentile.

As it relates to his overall offensive ability, Adolis Garcia ranks in the 80th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Adolis Garcia is projected to bat 4th in the batting order in this matchup. Home field advantage typically boosts batter stats in all categories, and Adolis Garcia will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Over the past 14 days, Adolis Garcia's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 96.3-mph over the course of the season to 100-mph in recent games. Adolis Garcia's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better of late, rising from 41.1% on the season to 57.1% in the past two weeks.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Josh Jung in the 94th percentile when it comes to his BABIP talent. Josh Jung is penciled in 5th on the lineup card in this matchup. Josh Jung will benefit from the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to improve all of his stats. Over the last week, Josh Jung's Barrel% has experienced a negative regression, plummeting from his seasonal rate of 11.5% down to 0%. Josh Jung has seen a substantial improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs in recent games; just compare his 102.7-mph average over the past week to his seasonal figure of 95.8-mph.

Corey Julks's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased recently, going from 49% on the season to 71.4% in the last 7 days. Placing in the 83rd percentile, Corey Julks sits with a .340 BABIP this year.

Ezequiel Duran's BABIP skill is projected in the 86th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Ezequiel Duran will hold the home field advantage today, which should bolster all of his stats. Ezequiel Duran has made notable gains with his Barrel%, upping his 4.6% rate last season to 13.2% this season. In the last week, Ezequiel Duran's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 13.2% up to 27.8%. Over the last week, Ezequiel Duran's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 94.4-mph over the course of the season to 104.8-mph in recent games.

Travis Jankowski will hold the platoon advantage over Hunter Brown in today's matchup. The Houston Astros don't have any same-handed relief pitchers in their bullpen, so Travis Jankowski is guaranteed to hold the advantage against every reliever the whole game. Travis Jankowski will possess the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to bolster all of his stats. When it comes to plate discipline, Travis Jankowski's skill is quite impressive, sporting a 1.13 K/BB rate since the start of last season while placing in in the 97th percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Mauricio Dubon in the 83rd percentile as it relates to his batting average ability. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.305) may lead us to conclude that Mauricio Dubon this year with his .286 actual batting average. With a .289 batting average this year, Mauricio Dubon is positioned in the 90th percentile.

Brad Miller has gone over 0.5 in 3 of his last 10 games.

Chas McCormick has gone over 0.5 in 7 of his last 10 games.

Nathaniel Lowe has gone over 0.5 in 8 of his last 10 games.

Martin Maldonado has gone over 0.5 in 2 of his last 10 games.