Kansas City @ Houston Picks & Props

Edward Olivares's batting average skill is projected to be in the 82nd percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Edward Olivares is projected to bat 1st in the batting order in today's game. As far as temperature and humidity go, the 4th-most favorable hitting weather on the schedule is expected for this matchup. Edward Olivares pulls many of his flyballs (34.7% — 88th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards MLB's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup.

Minute Maid Park has the 2nd-least fair ground in Major League Baseball — generally good for HRs. As far as temperature and humidity go, the 5th-most favorable hitting weather on the schedule is expected for this matchup. Nick Pratto will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Hunter Brown in today's matchup. The Houston Astros have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Nick Pratto has a strong chance of holding the advantage against every reliever all game. Extreme flyball hitters like Nick Pratto tend to perform better against extreme groundball pitchers like Hunter Brown.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Drew Waters as the 13th-best batter in the league when estimating his BABIP ability. Minute Maid Park has the 2nd-least fair ground in Major League Baseball — generally good for HRs. As far as temperature and humidity go, the 4th-most favorable hitting weather on the schedule is expected for this matchup. Drew Waters has been hot of late, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 87.7-mph to 92.1-mph over the last week. Compared to his seasonal average of 17.8°, Drew Waters has significantly improved his launch angle recently, posting a 27.7° angle in the last week's worth of games.

Nelson Velazquez is penciled in 4th on the lineup card in this game, which would be an upgrade from his 58% rate of hitting in the top-half of the lineup this year. Among all stadiums, Minute Maid Park's LF dimensions are the 2nd-shallowest. As far as temperature and humidity go, the 4th-most favorable hitting weather on the schedule is expected for this matchup. Nelson Velazquez has made significant gains with his Barrel%, bettering his 13.7% rate last season to 21.4% this year. Nelson Velazquez has been hot of late, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 91.1-mph to 97.7-mph over the last 7 days.

As far as temperature and humidity go, the 5th-most favorable hitting weather on the schedule is expected for this matchup. Martin Maldonado pulls a lot of his flyballs (35% — 90th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards MLB's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Martin Maldonado will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to boost all of his stats. Martin Maldonado has seen a big gain in his exit velocity on flyballs in recent games; just compare his 99.8-mph average in the past 14 days to his seasonal mark of 93.7-mph. Martin Maldonado's launch angle this year (17.7°) is quite a bit better than his 14.1° angle last year.

The #8 park in MLB for suppressing batting average to right-handed hitters, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Minute Maid Park. Built just 20 feet above sea level, Minute Maid Park has one of the lowest elevations among all parks, which generally leads to lower offensive output. Hunter Brown will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Bobby Witt Jr. in today's game. In today's matchup, Bobby Witt Jr. is at a disadvantage facing the league's 9th-deepest RF fences given that he hits his flyballs to the opposite field at a 36.3% rate (88th percentile). Bobby Witt Jr. will be at a disadvantage playing on the road in today's matchup.

As far as temperature and humidity go, the 4th-most favorable hitting weather on the schedule is expected for this matchup. Michael Massey will have the handedness advantage against Hunter Brown today. The Houston Astros have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Michael Massey stands a good chance of holding the advantage against every reliever all game. Extreme groundball batters like Michael Massey tend to be more successful against extreme flyball pitchers like Hunter Brown. Michael Massey's launch angle this season (19.4°) is significantly better than his 15.8° mark last season.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jeremy Pena in the 95th percentile when estimating his BABIP skill. Among all stadiums, Minute Maid Park's LF dimensions are the 2nd-shallowest. As far as temperature and humidity go, the 4th-most favorable hitting weather on the schedule is expected for this matchup. Out of every team today, the 4th-weakest infield defense belongs to the Kansas City Royals. Jeremy Pena will hold the home field advantage today, which ought to boost all of his stats.