Oakland @ St. Louis Picks & Props

This year, Alec Burleson has been pinch hit for in 17% of his appearances when starting against righty on the mound. Busch Stadium has the 2nd-deepest RF dimensions in Major League Baseball. Among every team in action today, the 2nd-strongest infield defense is that of the Oakland Athletics. Alec Burleson has taken a step back with his Barrel% lately; his 6.2% seasonal rate has lowered to 0% over the last 7 days. Alec Burleson has been cold in recent games, with his seasonal exit velocity of 90.4-mph dropping to 83.5-mph in the past week.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Nolan Arenado in the 7th percentile when it comes to his BABIP skill. Paul Blackburn will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Nolan Arenado in today's game. Nolan Arenado pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (42.4% — 100th percentile) and and will be challenged by the game's 6th-deepest LF fences in today's matchup. Among every team in action today, the 2nd-strongest infield defense is that of the Oakland Athletics. In the past 7 days, Nolan Arenado's Barrel% has experienced a negative regression, plummeting from his seasonal rate of 8.5% down to 0%.

Paul Goldschmidt projects as the 16th-best batter in the game, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Paul Goldschmidt is projected to hit 2nd in the batting order in this game. The weather report forecasts temperatures in this matchup to reach the 3rd-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Home field advantage generally improves hitter metrics in all categories, and Paul Goldschmidt will hold that advantage in today's game. Paul Goldschmidt has made significant gains with his Barrel% lately, improving his 12% seasonal rate to 18.8% in the past week's worth of games.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Tommy Edman in the 89th percentile when assessing his batting average skill. The weather report forecasts temperatures in this matchup to reach the 3rd-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Tommy Edman will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to improve all of his stats. Tommy Edman has made notable improvements with his Barrel% recently, bettering his 4.9% seasonal rate to 15.8% over the last week. In the last week's worth of games, Tommy Edman's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 91-mph over the course of the season to 97.4-mph in recent games.

The weather report forecasts temperatures in this matchup to reach the 3rd-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Home field advantage typically bolsters hitter metrics in all categories, and Taylor Motter will hold that advantage in today's game.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Zack Gelof in the 92nd percentile as it relates to his BABIP skill. Zack Gelof is projected to hit 2nd on the lineup card in this matchup. The weather report forecasts temperatures in this matchup to reach the 3rd-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Zack Gelof will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Matthew Liberatore today. The St. Louis Cardinals outfield defense profiles as the 2nd-weakest out of all the teams playing today.

Esteury Ruiz will be at a disadvantage playing as a visiting player in today's matchup. Posting a .295 Expected wOBA (or xwOBA, an advanced metric created by the leading projection system (THE BAT X) utilizing Statcast data) this year, Esteury Ruiz has performed in the 14th percentile for offensive ability. Esteury Ruiz's 82.8-mph average exit velocity ranks among the worst in the game this year: 0th percentile. Sporting a .290 wOBA (a leading indicator of offensive ability) this year, Esteury Ruiz is ranked in the 16th percentile. Esteury Ruiz has displayed poor plate discipline this year, grading out in the 4th percentile with a 5.65 K/BB rate.

When it comes to his overall offensive skill, Lars Nootbaar ranks in the 90th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Lars Nootbaar is projected to hit 1st on the lineup card in this matchup. The weather report forecasts temperatures in this matchup to reach the 3rd-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Lars Nootbaar will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Paul Blackburn in today's game. Lars Nootbaar hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (38.9% — 88th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting out towards the league's 7th-shallowest CF fences today.

The weather report forecasts temperatures in this matchup to reach the 3rd-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Shea Langeliers will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Matthew Liberatore in today's matchup. The St. Louis Cardinals outfield defense profiles as the 2nd-weakest out of all the teams playing today. Shea Langeliers has been hot in recent games, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 89.9-mph to 94-mph over the last two weeks. Shea Langeliers has been unlucky this year, compiling a .275 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .314 — a .039 difference.

When it comes to his overall offensive ability, Tyler O'Neill ranks in the 91st percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Tyler O'Neill is penciled in 5th in the lineup today. Tyler O'Neill hits many of his flyballs to center field (38.4% — 78th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting out towards the game's 7th-shallowest CF fences today. Home field advantage typically improves hitter stats across the board, and Tyler O'Neill will hold that advantage today. Tyler O'Neill'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, going from 14.7% to 19.4%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Brent Rooker in the 76th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive talent. Brent Rooker is penciled in 4th in the lineup in this game. The weather report forecasts temperatures in this matchup to reach the 3rd-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Brent Rooker will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Matthew Liberatore in today's game. Brent Rooker hits many of his flyballs to center field (39.1% — 91st percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting towards MLB's 7th-shallowest CF fences in today's matchup.

Aledmys Diaz is projected to bat 5th on the lineup card today. The weather report forecasts temperatures in this matchup to reach the 3rd-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Aledmys Diaz will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Matthew Liberatore in today's matchup. The St. Louis Cardinals outfield defense profiles as the 2nd-weakest out of all the teams playing today. Aledmys Diaz has been unlucky this year, posting a .254 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .304 — a .050 difference.

The weather report forecasts temperatures in this matchup to reach the 3rd-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Nick Allen will have the handedness advantage over Matthew Liberatore in today's game. The St. Louis Cardinals outfield defense profiles as the 2nd-weakest out of all the teams playing today. Nick Allen has seen a big increase in his exit velocity on flyballs this year; just compare his 89.2-mph average to last season's 85.9-mph EV. Nick Allen's average launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls this year (8.1°) is quite a bit better than his 4.8° mark last year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jordan Walker in the 90th percentile when assessing his BABIP talent. Jordan Walker has primarily hit in the back-half of the batting order this year (80% of the time), but he is projected to bat 5th in the lineup in this game. The weather report forecasts temperatures in this matchup to reach the 3rd-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Home field advantage generally boosts hitter stats across the board, and Jordan Walker will hold that advantage in today's game.

The weather report forecasts temperatures in this matchup to reach the 3rd-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Andrew Knizner will hold the home field advantage today, which figures to improve all of his stats.

The weather report forecasts temperatures in this matchup to reach the 3rd-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Jonah Bride will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Matthew Liberatore in today's matchup. The St. Louis Cardinals outfield defense profiles as the 2nd-weakest out of all the teams playing today. Jonah Bride has seen a significant improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs this year; just compare his 96-mph average to last year's 90.5-mph average. Jonah Bride has had bad variance on his side thus far when it comes to his wOBA this year; his .230 rate is significantly deflated relative to his .304 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

Jordan Diaz's batting average talent is projected to be in the 81st percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). The weather report forecasts temperatures in this matchup to reach the 3rd-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Jordan Diaz will hold the platoon advantage against Matthew Liberatore today. The St. Louis Cardinals outfield defense profiles as the 2nd-weakest out of all the teams playing today. This year, Jordan Diaz has an average exit velocity of 91 mph, which is one of the best in MLB at the 83rd percentile.

Tyler Soderstrom has gone over 0.5 in 3 of his last 10 games.