Oakland @ Texas Picks & Props

The #4 stadium in the league for suppressing BABIP to lefties, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Globe Life Field. The Globe Life Field roof is expected to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up -5° colder than the average outdoor game of all games today — favorable for pitching. Corey Seager hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (39.1% — 91st percentile) and will be challenged by baseball's 6th-deepest CF fences in today's game. Among all the teams playing today, the 3rd-best infield defense is that of the the Oakland Athletics. Corey Seager has been lucky this year, notching a .436 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .407 — a .029 deviation.

Ezequiel Duran's BABIP ability is projected in the 87th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Home field advantage typically bolsters batter stats across the board, and Ezequiel Duran will hold that advantage in today's game. Ezequiel Duran has seen a notable improvement in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 90.2-mph average to last season's 85.4-mph mark. Ezequiel Duran's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved from last season to this one, increasing from 9.1% to 14%. Utilizing Statcast metrics, Ezequiel Duran ranks in the 83rd percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average this year at .280.

The #4 venue in the game for suppressing base hits to righties, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Globe Life Field. In the league, Globe Life Field's CF fences are the 6th-deepest. The Globe Life Field roof is expected to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up -5° colder than the average outdoor game of all games today — favorable for pitching. Paul Blackburn will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Marcus Semien in today's matchup. Among all the teams playing today, the 3rd-best infield defense is that of the the Oakland Athletics.

Zack Gelof's BABIP talent is projected in the 93rd percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Zack Gelof is penciled in 1st on the lineup card in today's game. Zack Gelof will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Jordan Montgomery in today's game. Zack Gelof has posted a .355 Expected wOBA (xwOBA) this year, grading out in the 87th percentile for hitting ability according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data. Zack Gelof and his 20.1° launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls rank in 90th percentile, among the highest in MLB this year.

When estimating his overall offensive skill, Ryan Noda ranks in the 80th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Ryan Noda is projected to bat 3rd in the lineup in this game. Ryan Noda has made sizeable strides with his Barrel% recently, upping his 13.2% seasonal rate to 20% in the last week. In the last week, Ryan Noda's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 94.6-mph over the course of the season to 96.9-mph recently. Ryan Noda has put up a .374 Expected wOBA (xwOBA) this year, placing in the 93rd percentile for offensive ability 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 82nd percentile when estimating his BABIP ability. Home field advantage typically improves hitter stats in all categories, and Leody Taveras will hold that advantage today. Leody Taveras has seen a significant improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs in recent games; just compare his 93.7-mph average in the past week's worth of games to his seasonal figure of 89.7-mph. Leody Taveras's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased of late, going from 45.2% on the season to 52.8% in the past two weeks' worth of games. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.297) may lead us to conclude that Leody Taveras has had bad variance on his side this year with his .263 actual batting average.

Josh Smith will have the handedness advantage over Paul Blackburn in today's matchup. Josh Smith will hold the home field advantage today, which figures to improve all of his stats. Josh Smith has made significant improvements with his Barrel% in recent games, bettering his 10.8% seasonal rate to 25% in the past 7 days. Josh Smith has seen a significant increase in his exit velocity recently; just compare his 94.6-mph average over the last week to his seasonal 89-mph mark. Compared to his seasonal average of 12.3°, Josh Smith has significantly improved his launch angle lately, posting a 33° mark over the last week.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Esteury Ruiz in the 83rd percentile as it relates to his BABIP ability. Esteury Ruiz will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Jordan Montgomery in today's game. Esteury Ruiz has made sizeable improvements with his Barrel% of late, bettering his 2% seasonal rate to 10% in the past 7 days. Esteury Ruiz has seen a significant gain in his exit velocity on flyballs recently; just compare his 94.7-mph average over the last 7 days to his seasonal average of 86.4-mph. Esteury Ruiz's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has improved of late, rising from 41.5% on the season to 58.8% over the past two weeks.

Aledmys Diaz is projected to bat 4th in the batting order today, which would be an upgrade from his 52% rate of hitting in the top-half of the lineup this season. Aledmys Diaz will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Jordan Montgomery in today's matchup. Aledmys Diaz has been unlucky this year, compiling a .271 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .313 — a .042 discrepancy.

When it comes to his overall offensive ability, Mitch Garver ranks in the 92nd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Mitch Garver is projected to bat 4th in the lineup today, which would be an upgrade from his 61% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the batting order this season. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter metrics in all categories, and Mitch Garver will hold that advantage today. Mitch Garver has made substantial strides with his Barrel%, bettering his 8.8% rate last season to 15.8% this year. Mitch Garver has made significant improvements with his Barrel% recently, improving his 15.8% seasonal rate to 22.2% in the last two weeks' worth of games.

Kevin Smith will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Jordan Montgomery today. Kevin Smith has seen a notable increase in his exit velocity on flyballs this year; just compare his 94.5-mph average to last year's 91.5-mph figure.

Seth Brown has gone over 0.5 in 5 of his last 10 games.

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