Cincinnati @ Chicago Picks & Props

Luke Weaver will hold the platoon advantage against Nico Hoerner in today's matchup. Nico Hoerner has an 86th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (36%) and will have to hit them out towards MLB's 5th-deepest RF fences in today's matchup. Among all the teams in action today, the 5th-strongest infield defense belongs to the Cincinnati Reds. In the last 14 days, Nico Hoerner's 34.8% rate of hitting balls at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has taken a nosedive compared to his seasonal rate of 41.8%.

Nick Madrigal is projected to hit 9th in the lineup in this matchup. Luke Weaver will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Nick Madrigal in today's matchup. Nick Madrigal has a 95th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (39.2%) and has the misfortune of hitting them towards MLB's 5th-deepest RF fences in today's game. Among all the teams in action today, the 5th-strongest infield defense belongs to the Cincinnati Reds. Nick Madrigal's 1.4% Barrel% (a reliable stat to measure power) grades out in the 2nd percentile this year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Ian Happ in the 83rd percentile as it relates to his overall offensive talent. Ian Happ is projected to hit 3rd in the lineup in this game. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the majors, which tends to lead to higher offensive output. This game is forecasted to have the 11th-most favorable weather for pitching among all the games scheduled today. Ian Happ has an 82nd percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (35.4%) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them in the direction of MLB's 7th-shallowest LF fences today.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand's BABIP talent is projected in the 92nd percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the majors, which tends to lead to higher offensive output. This game is forecasted to have the 11th-most favorable weather for pitching among all the games scheduled today. Christian Encarnacion-Strand has made notable strides with his Barrel% of late, bettering his 6.5% seasonal rate to 12.5% in the past week. Over the past 14 days, Christian Encarnacion-Strand has averaged an impressive 95.2-mph exit velocity on his flyballs, an advanced measure of home run potential.

In Major League Baseball, Wrigley Field's RF fences are the 5th-deepest. The switch-hitting Elly De La Cruz will bat from his weak side (0) today against Jameson Taillon The Chicago Cubs infield defense projects as the 4th-strongest among all the teams today. Elly De La Cruz will be at a disadvantage playing on the road today. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.305) suggests that Elly De La Cruz has experienced some positive variance this year with his .331 actual wOBA.

Luke Weaver will hold the platoon advantage over Dansby Swanson today. Among all the teams in action today, the 5th-strongest infield defense belongs to the Cincinnati Reds. There has been a significant decline in Dansby Swanson's launch angle from last year's 15.4° to 11.9° this year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Matt McLain in the 94th percentile when estimating his BABIP skill. Matt McLain is penciled in 3rd in the batting order today. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the majors, which tends to lead to higher offensive output. This game is forecasted to have the 11th-most favorable weather for pitching among all the games scheduled today. Matt McLain has seen a notable improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs of late; just compare his 97.1-mph average in the past two weeks to his seasonal mark of 93.7-mph.

Spencer Steer is projected to hit 5th in the batting order in this game. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the majors, which tends to lead to higher offensive output. This game is forecasted to have the 11th-most favorable weather for pitching among all the games scheduled today. Spencer Steer pulls a lot of his flyballs (34.4% — 86th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards the league's 7th-shallowest LF fences in today's game.

When it comes to his overall offensive skill, Jake Fraley ranks in the 77th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Jake Fraley is projected to hit 4th on the lineup card in today's game. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the majors, which tends to lead to higher offensive output. This game is forecasted to have the 11th-most favorable weather for pitching among all the games scheduled today. Jake Fraley will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Jameson Taillon in today's game.

Mike Tauchman is penciled in 1st on the lineup card today. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the majors, which tends to lead to higher offensive output. This game is forecasted to have the 11th-most favorable weather for pitching among all the games scheduled today. Mike Tauchman will have the handedness advantage against Luke Weaver today. Mike Tauchman has a 97th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (40.3%) and will have a big advantage hitting them in the direction of baseball's 7th-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup.

The shallowest left field fences in Major League Baseball are found in Wrigley Field. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the majors, which tends to lead to higher offensive output. This game is forecasted to have the 11th-most favorable weather for pitching among all the games scheduled today. Home field advantage generally improves batter metrics across the board, and Yan Gomes will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Yan Gomes has seen a substantial improvement in his exit velocity this year; just compare his 87.2-mph average to last season's 85.1-mph EV.

Cody Bellinger is projected to bat 4th in the batting order in this game. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the majors, which tends to lead to higher offensive output. This game is forecasted to have the 11th-most favorable weather for pitching among all the games scheduled today. Cody Bellinger will hold the platoon advantage over Luke Weaver in today's matchup. Cody Bellinger will benefit from the home field advantage today, which figures to bolster all of his stats.

Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the majors, which tends to lead to higher offensive output. This game is forecasted to have the 11th-most favorable weather for pitching among all the games scheduled today. Joey Votto will have the handedness advantage against Jameson Taillon in today's game. The Chicago Cubs have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Joey Votto can likely count on never losing the platoon advantage against the 'pen all game. Joey Votto has been hot in recent games, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 91.3-mph to 95.8-mph in the last 7 days.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Christopher Morel in the 81st percentile when assessing his BABIP talent. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the majors, which tends to lead to higher offensive output. This game is forecasted to have the 11th-most favorable weather for pitching among all the games scheduled today. Christopher Morel pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (36.2% — 93rd percentile) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards baseball's 7th-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Christopher Morel will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should boost all of his stats.

The shallowest left field fences in Major League Baseball are found in Wrigley Field. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the majors, which tends to lead to higher offensive output. This game is forecasted to have the 11th-most favorable weather for pitching among all the games scheduled today. Luke Maile has made significant improvements with his Barrel%, upping his 5.4% rate last year to 12.3% this year. Luke Maile has seen a notable increase in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 86.6-mph average to last year's 84.5-mph figure.

Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the majors, which tends to lead to higher offensive output. This game is forecasted to have the 11th-most favorable weather for pitching among all the games scheduled today. Will Benson will have the handedness advantage against Jameson Taillon in today's matchup. The Chicago Cubs have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Will Benson stands a good chance of never facing a bullpen mismatch all game. Will Benson has seen a significant gain in his exit velocity of late; just compare his 96.3-mph average over the last 7 days to his seasonal 90.5-mph mark.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Seiya Suzuki in the 93rd percentile when it comes to his overall offensive skill. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the majors, which tends to lead to higher offensive output. Home runs are generally more common at stadiums with shallow fences, and Wrigley Field has the 5th-shallowest among all parks. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is projected to have the 4th-hottest weather on the slate at 81°. Home field advantage typically boosts batter stats across the board, and Seiya Suzuki will hold that advantage today.

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

Tyler Stephenson has gone over 0.5 in 4 of his last 10 games.