Oakland @ Houston Picks & Props

The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making weather conditions in this game 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Among all the teams on the slate today, the 9th-worst outfield defense belongs to the Oakland Athletics. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter stats in all categories, and Jake Meyers will hold that advantage today. Jake Meyers ranks in the 99th percentile when it comes to hitting balls between 23° and 34°, the launch angle range that tends to optimize home runs (21.4% rate since the start of last season). Jake Meyers is very toolsy, ranking in the 92nd percentile in Sprint Speed at 28.94 ft/sec this year.

Abraham Toro is projected to bat 1st on the lineup card in this game. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making weather conditions in this game 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Out of all the teams in action today, the 9th-worst infield defense is that of the Houston Astros. Abraham Toro has gotten much quicker this year, improving from last season's 26.92 ft/sec to 27.81 ft/sec now (according to Statcast's Sprint Speed metric). Utilizing Statcast data, Abraham Toro ranks in the 100th percentile for hitting ability according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (xwOBA) since the start of last season at .433.

The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making weather conditions in this game 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Among all the teams on the slate today, the 9th-worst outfield defense belongs to the Oakland Athletics. Victor Caratini will benefit from the home field advantage today, which figures to bolster all of his stats. Since the start of last season, Victor Caratini has an average exit velocity of 91.3 mph, which is one of the best in the game at the 87th percentile.

The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making weather conditions in this game 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Lawrence Butler will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Spencer Arrighetti in today's matchup. Lawrence Butler is apt to have an advantage against every reliever for the game's entirety, since the bullpen of the Houston Astros has just 1 same-handed RP. Lawrence Butler has an 85th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (35.2%) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them in the direction of the league's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Out of all the teams in action today, the 9th-worst infield defense is that of the Houston Astros.

Yainer Diaz's batting average talent is projected to be in the 96th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making weather conditions in this game 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Among all the teams on the slate today, the 9th-worst outfield defense belongs to the Oakland Athletics. Yainer Diaz will benefit from the home field advantage in today's game, which should improve all of his stats. In terms of his wOBA and overall offense, Yainer Diaz has been very fortunate this year. His .307 figure has been significantly inflated relative to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected wOBA (xwOBA) at .300.

Minute Maid Park has the 2nd-shallowest left field dimensions in the majors. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making weather conditions in this game 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Out of all the teams in action today, the 9th-worst infield defense is that of the Houston Astros. Brett Harris has been hot in recent games, cruising to a .361 wOBA in the last two weeks' worth of games.

Jon Singleton is projected to hit 5th in the lineup in today's game, which would be an upgrade from his 76% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the batting order this year. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making weather conditions in this game 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Jon Singleton will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Ross Stripling today. Among all the teams on the slate today, the 9th-worst outfield defense belongs to the Oakland Athletics. Home field advantage generally bolsters hitter metrics in all categories, and Jon Singleton will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

Shea Langeliers is penciled in 4th on the lineup card in this game, which would be an upgrade from his 59% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the lineup this season. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making weather conditions in this game 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Shea Langeliers pulls many of his flyballs (36.1% — 92nd percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards the league's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Out of all the teams in action today, the 9th-worst infield defense is that of the Houston Astros. Shea Langeliers's 13.1% Barrel% (a reliable standard to assess power) is in the 88th percentile since the start of last season.

Kyle Tucker projects as the 12th-best hitter in the league, via the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Kyle Tucker is penciled in 2nd in the lineup in this game. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making weather conditions in this game 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Kyle Tucker will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Ross Stripling in today's matchup. Among all the teams on the slate today, the 9th-worst outfield defense belongs to the Oakland Athletics.

Minute Maid Park's altitude is near sea-level, one of the lowest in Major League Baseball, which tends to lead to lower offensive output. Ross Stripling will hold the platoon advantage over Jeremy Pena in today's game. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Jeremy Pena's true offensive talent to be a .318, suggesting that he has had positive variance on his side this year given the .060 difference between that mark and his actual .378 wOBA. Since the start of last season, Jeremy Pena's 4% Barrel%, an advanced standard for measuring power, places him in the 14th percentile among his peers. Since the start of last season, Jeremy Pena's flyball exit velocity (a reliable metric to assess power) grades out in the 24th percentile at 90.5 mph.

Minute Maid Park's altitude is near sea-level, one of the lowest in Major League Baseball, which tends to lead to lower offensive output. Batting from the same side that Ross Stripling throws from, Jose Altuve will have a tough challenge in today's game. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Jose Altuve's true offensive talent to be a .341, implying that he has had positive variance on his side this year given the .037 gap between that figure and his actual .378 wOBA. Jose Altuve's 86-mph average exit velocity ranks among the worst in the majors since the start of last season: 7th percentile.

J.J. Bleday is penciled in 2nd in the lineup in this matchup. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making weather conditions in this game 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. J.J. Bleday will hold the platoon advantage over Spencer Arrighetti in today's matchup. J.J. Bleday is apt to have an advantage against every reliever for the duration of the game, since the bullpen of the Houston Astros only has 1 same-handed RP. Out of all the teams in action today, the 9th-worst infield defense is that of the Houston Astros.

Yordan Alvarez projects as the 2nd-best hitter in the game, per the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Yordan Alvarez is projected to bat 3rd on the lineup card today. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making weather conditions in this game 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Batting from the opposite that Ross Stripling throws from, Yordan Alvarez will have an advantage today. Among all the teams on the slate today, the 9th-worst outfield defense belongs to the Oakland Athletics.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Brent Rooker in the 89th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive talent. Brent Rooker is penciled in 3rd in the lineup in today's game. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making weather conditions in this game 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Out of all the teams in action today, the 9th-worst infield defense is that of the Houston Astros. Brent Rooker's 15.5% Barrel% (a reliable metric to evaluate power) is in the 94th percentile since the start of last season.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Joey Loperfido in the 88th percentile as it relates to his BABIP skill. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making weather conditions in this game 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Hitting from the opposite that Ross Stripling throws from, Joey Loperfido will have the upper hand today. Among all the teams on the slate today, the 3rd-worst outfield defense belongs to the Oakland Athletics. Joey Loperfido will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to bolster all of his stats.

The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making weather conditions in this game 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Seth Brown will have the handedness advantage over Spencer Arrighetti in today's matchup. The Houston Astros have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Seth Brown stands a good chance of never losing the platoon advantage against the 'pen all game. Out of all the teams in action today, the 9th-worst infield defense is that of the Houston Astros. Seth Brown has been unlucky this year, putting up a .238 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .315 — a .077 deviation.

When assessing his overall offensive skill, Alex Bregman ranks in the 94th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making weather conditions in this game 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Among all the teams on the slate today, the 9th-worst outfield defense belongs to the Oakland Athletics. Alex Bregman will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which should improve all of his stats. Despite posting a .245 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Alex Bregman has had bad variance on his side given the .096 discrepancy between that figure and his estimated true talent wOBA of .341.