Cleveland @ Houston props

David Fry is penciled in 5th on the lineup card in this game. David Fry pulls many of his flyballs (34.7% — 87th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards the league's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Among every team in action today, the 3rd-worst outfield defense is that of the Houston Astros.

Gabriel Arias's BABIP talent is projected in the 91st percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Myles Straw in the 88th percentile when assessing his BABIP ability. Among every team in action today, the worst outfield defense is that of the Houston Astros. Over the past two weeks, Myles Straw's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 85-mph over the course of the season to 87.8-mph of late. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Myles Straw's true offensive talent to be a .297, indicating that he has been unlucky this year given the .027 gap between that mark and his actual .270 wOBA.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Chas McCormick in the 82nd percentile when assessing his overall offensive skill. Chas McCormick will benefit from the home field advantage today, which should boost all of his stats.

Martin Maldonado pulls a lot of his flyballs (34.6% — 87th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards the game's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today. Martin Maldonado will possess the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to improve all of his stats. Martin Maldonado has made significant improvements with his Barrel% in recent games, improving his 9.2% seasonal rate to 20% in the past 14 days. Martin Maldonado has seen a substantial gain in his exit velocity lately; just compare his 91.5-mph average over the past 14 days to his seasonal 88.1-mph mark. Martin Maldonado's launch angle this season (17.3°) is considerably better than his 14.1° figure last season.

Yainer Diaz's batting average ability is projected to be in the 95th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Yainer Diaz will benefit from the home field advantage today, which should boost all of his stats.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Andres Gimenez in the 82nd percentile when assessing his batting average ability. Andres Gimenez is penciled in 2nd in the batting order in this game, which would be an upgrade from his 60% rate of hitting in the top-half of the lineup this year. Andres Gimenez will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Ronel Blanco today. The Houston Astros have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Andres Gimenez has a strong chance of never facing a bullpen mismatch all game.

Kyle Tucker projects as the 15th-best hitter in the majors, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Kyle Tucker is projected to bat 3rd in the lineup today. Kyle Tucker will hold the platoon advantage against Tanner Bibee in today's matchup. Kyle Tucker will possess the home field advantage today, which should improve all of his stats.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jeremy Pena in the 92nd percentile when it comes to his BABIP skill. Jeremy Pena is penciled in 2nd in the lineup in today's game, which would be an upgrade from his 56% rate of hitting in the top-half of the lineup this season. The shallowest left field fences in Major League Baseball are found in Minute Maid Park. Home field advantage generally improves hitter metrics in all categories, and Jeremy Pena will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Jeremy Pena has been hot in recent games, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 88.2-mph to 92.5-mph over the last two weeks.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jose Abreu in the 88th percentile when assessing his batting average talent. Home field advantage generally improves batter stats in all categories, and Jose Abreu will hold that advantage in today's game.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Alex Bregman in the 95th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive talent. Alex Bregman is projected to hit 4th in the lineup in today's game. Alex Bregman pulls a lot of his flyballs (37.6% — 96th percentile) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards the game's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Alex Bregman will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to bolster all of his stats.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Oscar Gonzalez in the 86th percentile when it comes to his batting average ability.

When estimating his overall offensive ability, Jose Ramirez ranks in the 97th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Jose Ramirez is penciled in 3rd in the lineup in this game. Among every team in action today, the 3rd-worst outfield defense is that of the Houston Astros. Jose Ramirez is an extreme flyball hitter and squares off against the weak outfield defense of Houston (#3-worst on the slate today). Over the past 7 days, Jose Ramirez's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 7.7% up to 18.2%.

Yordan Alvarez projects as the 2nd-best hitter in MLB, per the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Yordan Alvarez is penciled in 5th in the batting order in today's game. Yordan Alvarez will have the handedness advantage against Tanner Bibee in today's game. Home field advantage typically improves hitter stats across the board, and Yordan Alvarez will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up -7° colder than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for pitching. Playing on the road generally diminishes batter stats in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which should be the case for Steven Kwan in today's game.

Mauricio Dubon's batting average ability is projected to be in the 78th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Mauricio Dubon is projected to bat 1st on the lineup card in today's game, which would be an upgrade from his 85% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the lineup this year. Mauricio Dubon will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to bolster all of his stats. Mauricio Dubon has seen a substantial gain in his exit velocity this year; just compare his 87.1-mph average to last year's 84.6-mph average. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.286) implies that Mauricio Dubon has had some very poor luck this year with his .263 actual batting average.

Corey Julks pulls a lot of his flyballs (33.3% — 79th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards the league's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter stats across the board, and Corey Julks will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Compared to his seasonal average of 17.3°, Corey Julks has significantly improved his launch angle recently, posting a 31° angle in the last week. Corey Julks has had some very poor luck with his wOBA this year; his .290 mark is a fair amount lower than his .313 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data. Corey Julks ranks 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 (51.2% rate this year).

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Will Brennan in the 90th percentile when estimating his batting average skill. Will Brennan is penciled in 4th in the lineup today, which would be an upgrade from his 93% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the lineup this year. Will Brennan will hold the platoon advantage over Ronel Blanco in today's matchup. The Houston Astros have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Will Brennan can likely count on holding the advantage against every reliever all game.

Bo Naylor has gone over 0.5 in 7 of his last 10 games.