Houston @ Los Angeles Picks & Props

High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer strikeouts), and the weather report the 5th-hottest temperature of all games today at 83°. Home field advantage generally bolsters hitter metrics in all categories, and Andrew Velazquez will hold that advantage in today's game. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.220) implies that Andrew Velazquez has had some very poor luck since the start of last season with his .197 actual batting average.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Angel Stadium as the 9th-worst venue in Major League Baseball for RHB batting average. Among all parks, Angel Stadium's LF fences are the 10th-deepest. Shohei Ohtani will have the handedness advantage over Mauricio Dubon in today's matchup. Playing on the road generally reduces hitter stats in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which ought to be the case for Mauricio Dubon in today's matchup. Mauricio Dubon's average launch angle on his hardest-hit balls this season (6.2°) is considerably worse than his 10.6° figure last year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Angel Stadium as the 9th-worst venue in Major League Baseball for RHB batting average. Among all parks, Angel Stadium's LF fences are the 10th-deepest. J.P. France will hold the platoon advantage against Zach Neto in today's game.

High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer strikeouts), and the weather report the 5th-hottest temperature of all games today at 83°. Mike Moustakas will have the handedness advantage against J.P. France in today's game. The Houston Astros don't have any same-handed RPs in their bullpen, so Mike Moustakas is guaranteed to hold the platoon advantage against every reliever all game. Mike Moustakas will possess the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to boost all of his stats.

Luis Rengifo is projected to bat 5th in the lineup in today's game, which would be an upgrade from his 93% rate of hitting in the top-half of the batting order this season. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer strikeouts), and the weather report the 5th-hottest temperature of all games today at 83°. Home field advantage generally bolsters hitter metrics in all categories, and Luis Rengifo will hold that advantage in today's game. In terms of his batting average, Luis Rengifo has experienced some negative variance this year. His .219 figure falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .235.

Kyle Tucker projects as the 16th-best hitter in the game, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Kyle Tucker is projected to hit 3rd in the lineup in this matchup. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer strikeouts), and the weather report the 5th-hottest temperature of all games today at 83°. Kyle Tucker will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Shohei Ohtani in today's matchup. Over the last two weeks, Kyle Tucker's 54.8% rate of hitting balls at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 46%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Alex Bregman in the 94th percentile when assessing his overall offensive skill. Alex Bregman is projected to hit 2nd in the lineup in this game. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer strikeouts), and the weather report the 5th-hottest temperature of all games today at 83°. Alex Bregman has made significant gains with his Barrel% in recent games, bettering his 5.1% seasonal rate to 10.3% in the last two weeks. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Alex Bregman's true offensive skill to be a .357, suggesting that he has experienced some negative variance this year given the .034 discrepancy between that mark and his actual .323 wOBA.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jeremy Pena in the 93rd percentile as it relates to his BABIP skill. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer strikeouts), and the weather report the 5th-hottest temperature of all games today at 83°. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.272) may lead us to conclude that Jeremy Pena has had some very poor luck this year with his .252 actual batting average. Ranking in the 96th percentile for Sprint Speed at 29.52 ft/sec this year, Jeremy Pena is notably toolsy.

Jose Abreu's batting average ability is projected to be in the 88th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Jose Abreu is projected to hit 4th on the lineup card in this matchup. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer strikeouts), and the weather report the 5th-hottest temperature of all games today at 83°. Jose Abreu's average launch angle on his hardest-hit balls of late (33.5° in the past two weeks' worth of games) is considerably higher than his 8.1° seasonal figure. Jose Abreu has been unlucky this year, posting a .277 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .339 — a .062 disparity.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Anthony Rendon in the 90th percentile when estimating his overall offensive talent. Anthony Rendon is penciled in 4th in the lineup in this matchup. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer strikeouts), and the weather report the 5th-hottest temperature of all games today at 83°. Home field advantage typically boosts batter stats in all categories, and Anthony Rendon will hold that advantage today. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.350) provides evidence that Anthony Rendon has experienced some negative variance this year with his .314 actual wOBA.

High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer strikeouts), and the weather report the 5th-hottest temperature of all games today at 83°. Martin Maldonado has made big gains with his Barrel% of late, bettering his 8.5% seasonal rate to 18.8% over the past 14 days. Over the past 14 days, Martin Maldonado's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 91.7-mph over the course of the season to 98.3-mph lately. Over the last two weeks, Martin Maldonado has significantly improved the launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls: 34.2° compared to his seasonal mark of 17.9°. Martin Maldonado has had some very poor luck with his batting average this year; his .172 rate is significantly deflated relative to his .196 Expected Batting Average, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Yainer Diaz in the 89th percentile as it relates to his batting average skill. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer strikeouts), and the weather report the 5th-hottest temperature of all games today at 83°. Yainer Diaz's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved in recent games, going from 23.6% on the season to 27.6% in the past 14 days. Yainer Diaz has been unlucky in regards to his wOBA this year; his .325 figure is a good deal lower than his .348 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data. Yainer Diaz's 13.5% Barrel% (an advanced standard to measure power) is in the 87th percentile this year.

Chas McCormick has primarily hit in the back-half of the batting order this season (83% of the time), but he is penciled in 5th in the batting order today. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer strikeouts), and the weather report the 5th-hottest temperature of all games today at 83°. Chas McCormick has made notable improvements with his Barrel% lately, upping his 9.9% seasonal rate to 15.8% in the past two weeks. Chas McCormick's launch angle this year (16.8°) is considerably better than his 12.6° mark last season. Over the past 14 days, Chas McCormick's 31.6% rate of hitting balls at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 19.8%.

High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer strikeouts), and the weather report the 5th-hottest temperature of all games today at 83°. Hunter Renfroe will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to improve all of his stats. Hunter Renfroe's launch angle of late (22.8° over the past 14 days) is significantly better than his 16.5° seasonal angle.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Taylor Ward in the 95th percentile when assessing his overall offensive talent. Taylor Ward is penciled in 3rd in the batting order in this matchup. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer strikeouts), and the weather report the 5th-hottest temperature of all games today at 83°. Taylor Ward will benefit from the home field advantage today, which ought to improve all of his stats. Taylor Ward's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased recently, increasing from 39.8% on the season to 60% over the last 14 days.

High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer strikeouts), and the weather report the 4th-hottest temperature of all games today at 84°. Eduardo Escobar will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to boost all of his stats. Eduardo Escobar's average launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls lately (24.7° in the last two weeks) is a considerable increase over his 13.6° seasonal angle.

High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer strikeouts), and the weather report the 5th-hottest temperature of all games today at 83°. Matt Thaiss will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against J.P. France in today's matchup. The Houston Astros don't have any same-handed RPs in their bullpen, so Matt Thaiss is guaranteed to never lose the platoon advantage against the bullpen all game. Home field advantage generally bolsters batter stats in all categories, and Matt Thaiss will hold that advantage in today's matchup. In terms of plate discipline, Matt Thaiss's ability is quite impressive, putting up a 1.8 K/BB rate this year while ranking in in the 79th percentile.

High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer strikeouts), and the weather report the 5th-hottest temperature of all games today at 83°. Bligh Madris will have the handedness advantage over Shohei Ohtani in today's matchup. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.270) suggests that Bligh Madris has been unlucky since the start of last season with his .223 actual wOBA.

High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer strikeouts), and the weather report the 5th-hottest temperature of all games today at 83°. Home field advantage generally boosts batter stats in all categories, and Chad Wallach will hold that advantage in today's game. When it comes to his batting average, Chad Wallach has suffered from bad luck since the start of last season. His .191 mark falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .233. Chad Wallach's 95.2-mph exit velocity on flyballs (a reliable standard to measure power) grades out in the 88th percentile since the start of last season.

High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer strikeouts), and the weather report the 5th-hottest temperature of all games today at 83°. Corey Julks has seen a big gain in his exit velocity on flyballs in recent games; just compare his 95.9-mph average in the past two weeks to his seasonal mark of 89.7-mph. Corey Julks's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better of late, rising from 50.6% on the season to 60.9% in the past 14 days. Corey Julks grades out in the 95th percentile when it comes to hitting balls between -4° and 26°, the launch angle range that tends to best-produce base hits (50.6% rate this year). By putting up a .361 BABIP this year, Corey Julks has performed in the 94th percentile.

Jo Adell has gone over 0.5 in 6 of his last 10 games.

Shohei Ohtani has gone over 0.5 in 7 of his last 10 games.