Houston @ Texas Picks & Props

Globe Life Field projects as the #26 stadium in Major League Baseball for left-handed base hits, per the leading projection system (THE BAT). In the majors, Globe Life Field's centerfield fences are the 6th-deepest. The Globe Life Field roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this contest -8° colder than the average outdoor game on the slate today — favorable for pitching. Out of all the teams today, the 5th-strongest infield defense belongs to the Houston Astros. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Corey Seager's true offensive ability to be a .383, implying that he has had some very good luck this year given the .048 gap between that figure and his actual .431 wOBA.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Globe Life Field as the 3rd-worst field in the league for right-handed base hits. The Globe Life Field roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this contest -8° colder than the average outdoor game on the slate today — favorable for pitching. Jose Abreu hits many of his flyballs to center field (40.7% — 100th percentile) and and has the misfortune of hitting them in the direction of the game's 6th-deepest CF fences in today's game. The Texas Rangers outfield defense grades out as the 2nd-strongest among all the teams playing today. Jose Abreu will be at a disadvantage playing on the visting team in today's game.

Globe Life Field projects as the #26 stadium in Major League Baseball for left-handed base hits, per the leading projection system (THE BAT). The Globe Life Field roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this contest -8° colder than the average outdoor game on the slate today — favorable for pitching. Martin Perez will have the handedness advantage over Kyle Tucker today. In today's matchup, Kyle Tucker is at a disadvantage facing the league's 6th-deepest CF center field fences given that he hits his flyballs towards center field at a 38.6% rate (82nd percentile). The Texas Rangers outfield defense grades out as the 2nd-strongest among all the teams playing today.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Globe Life Field as the 3rd-worst field in the league for right-handed base hits. In the majors, Globe Life Field's centerfield fences are the 6th-deepest. The Globe Life Field roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this contest -8° colder than the average outdoor game on the slate today — favorable for pitching. The Texas Rangers outfield defense grades out as the 2nd-strongest among all the teams playing today. Jose Altuve will be at a disadvantage playing as a visiting player today.

Jonah Heim will possess the home field advantage today, which should bolster all of his stats. Jonah Heim has seen a substantial gain in his exit velocity in recent games; just compare his 91.8-mph average in the past week to his seasonal 89.2-mph mark. Jonah Heim's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved from last year to this one, increasing from 13.4% to 21%. Jonah Heim's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better lately, going from 42.5% on the season to 56.3% over the past 7 days. By putting up a .279 batting average this year, Jonah Heim is positioned in the 83rd percentile.

Yainer Diaz's batting average ability is projected to be in the 88th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Yainer Diaz will have the handedness advantage against Martin Perez in today's game. In the last week, Yainer Diaz's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 94.6-mph over the course of the season to 98.2-mph lately. Over the last 7 days, Yainer Diaz's 72.2% rate of hitting balls at a BABIP-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 41.6%. Yainer Diaz has notched a .282 Expected Batting Average this year, grading out in the 86th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Leody Taveras in the 80th percentile when estimating his BABIP talent. Home field advantage typically improves hitter metrics in all categories, and Leody Taveras will hold that advantage in today's game. Leody Taveras's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better from last year to this one, going from 41.4% to 48.7%. Leody Taveras's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased lately, increasing from 48.7% on the season to 56.3% over the last 14 days. Sporting a .312 Expected Batting Average (an advanced metric created by the leading projection system (THE BAT X) using Statcast data) this year , Leody Taveras has performed in the 98th percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Ezequiel Duran in the 86th percentile when assessing his BABIP skill. Home field advantage typically boosts batter metrics in all categories, and Ezequiel Duran will hold that advantage in today's game. Ezequiel Duran has made significant improvements with his Barrel%, upping his 4.6% rate last season to 13% this year. Ezequiel Duran has made substantial gains with his Barrel% in recent games, bettering his 13% seasonal rate to 29.4% in the last week. Ezequiel Duran has seen a big improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs in recent games; just compare his 102-mph average over the last 7 days to his seasonal average of 94.5-mph.

When assessing his overall offensive talent, Alex Bregman ranks in the 93rd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Alex Bregman is projected to hit 4th on the lineup card in this game. Alex Bregman will have the handedness advantage against Martin Perez today. With a 0.99 K/BB rate this year, Alex Bregman has shown impressive plate discipline, placing in the 98th percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Josh Jung in the 94th percentile when it comes to his BABIP talent. Josh Jung is projected to bat 5th on the lineup card in this game. Home field advantage typically boosts batter metrics across the board, and Josh Jung will hold that advantage today. In the past week, Josh Jung's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 12.4% up to 30%. In the last two weeks' worth of games, Josh Jung's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 96-mph over the course of the season to 100.4-mph of late.

When assessing his overall offensive skill, Marcus Semien ranks in the 88th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Marcus Semien is projected to bat 1st in the batting order in today's game. Marcus Semien will benefit from the home field advantage today, which should bolster all of his stats. Marcus Semien's launch angle lately (24.9° in the past week) is quite a bit higher than his 17.9° seasonal angle. Marcus Semien's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased from last season to this one, increasing from 38.2% to 44%.

Travis Jankowski will have the handedness advantage against Cristian Javier today. The Houston Astros don't have any same-handed relievers in their bullpen, so Travis Jankowski is guaranteed to never face a bullpen mismatch the entire game. Extreme flyball batters like Travis Jankowski tend to perform better against extreme groundball pitchers like Cristian Javier. Travis Jankowski will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which ought to bolster all of his stats. Over the past two weeks, Travis Jankowski has significantly improved the launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls: 4.2° compared to his seasonal mark of -2.6°.

Martin Maldonado will hold the platoon advantage over Martin Perez in today's matchup. Martin Maldonado has made notable gains with his Barrel% recently, upping his 6.7% seasonal rate to 20% over the last week. In the past 14 days, Martin Maldonado's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 90-mph over the course of the season to 99-mph in recent games. Over the last week, Martin Maldonado's 30% rate of hitting balls at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 16%. Martin Maldonado has had bad variance on his side thus far when it comes to his batting average this year; his .174 rate is quite a bit lower than his .202 Expected Batting Average, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

Corey Julks will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Martin Perez in today's game. Corey Julks has notched a .336 BABIP this year, ranking in the 81st percentile.

Chas McCormick will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Martin Perez in today's matchup. By putting up a .354 wOBA (a leading indicator of offensive ability) this year, Chas McCormick is ranked in the 81st percentile. Chas McCormick has recorded a .319 BABIP since the start of last season, checking in at the 79th percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Adolis Garcia in the 81st percentile when estimating his overall offensive talent. Adolis Garcia is projected to bat 4th on the lineup card in this matchup. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter stats across the board, and Adolis Garcia will hold that advantage in today's game. Adolis Garcia has made substantial improvements with his Barrel% of late, improving his 16.1% seasonal rate to 24.3% over the last 14 days. Adolis Garcia has seen a substantial improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs recently; just compare his 99.7-mph average in the last two weeks' worth of games to his seasonal figure of 96.4-mph.

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

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

Josh H. Smith has gone over 0.5 in 2 of his last 10 games.