Oakland @ Houston Picks & Props

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Mauricio Dubon in the 84th percentile when it comes to his batting average skill. The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making conditions in this contest 7° hotter than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for offense. The Oakland Athletics outfield defense profiles as the 2nd-weakest out of every team playing today. Mauricio Dubon will possess the home field advantage today, which figures to boost all of his stats. By putting up a .293 Expected Batting Average (an advanced metric created by the leading projection system (THE BAT X) based on Statcast data) since the start of last season , Mauricio Dubon finds himself in the 92nd percentile.

Zack Gelof's BABIP ability is projected in the 96th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Zack Gelof is penciled in 5th on the lineup card in this matchup. The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making conditions in this contest 7° hotter than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for offense. Zack Gelof will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Framber Valdez today. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Zack Gelof's true offensive talent to be a .306, suggesting that he has experienced some negative variance this year given the .053 discrepancy between that mark and his actual .253 wOBA.

When it comes to his overall offensive skill, Brent Rooker ranks in the 91st percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Brent Rooker is projected to bat 2nd in the batting order in this game. The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making conditions in this contest 7° hotter than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for offense. Brent Rooker will have the handedness advantage against Framber Valdez today. Extreme groundball hitters like Brent Rooker generally hit better against extreme flyball pitchers like Framber Valdez.

Yordan Alvarez projects as the 2nd-best batter in baseball, via the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Yordan Alvarez is projected to hit 3rd on the lineup card in this game. The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making conditions in this contest 7° hotter than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for offense. Yordan Alvarez will have the handedness advantage against Aaron Brooks in today's game. The Oakland Athletics outfield defense profiles as the 2nd-weakest out of every team playing today.

Abraham Toro is projected to bat 1st on the lineup card today. The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making conditions in this contest 7° hotter than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for offense. The switch-hitting Abraham Toro will hold the platoon advantage while batting from from his strong side (0) today against Framber Valdez. Abraham Toro pulls a lot of his flyballs (34.8% — 85th percentile) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards the league's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Abraham Toro has gotten much quicker this year, improving from last year's 26.92 ft/sec to 27.81 ft/sec now (according to Statcast's Sprint Speed metric).

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Esteury Ruiz in the 83rd percentile as it relates to his BABIP talent. Among all major league parks, Minute Maid Park's left field fences are the 2nd-shallowest. The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making conditions in this contest 7° hotter than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for offense. Esteury Ruiz will have the handedness advantage against Framber Valdez today. Grading out in the 79th percentile, Esteury Ruiz sports a .319 BABIP since the start of last season.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Alex Bregman in the 94th percentile when assessing his overall offensive skill. Alex Bregman is penciled in 4th on the lineup card in today's game. The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making conditions in this contest 7° hotter than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for offense. The Oakland Athletics outfield defense profiles as the 2nd-weakest out of every team playing today. Home field advantage typically boosts batter metrics in all categories, and Alex Bregman will hold that advantage in today's game.

Among all major league parks, Minute Maid Park's left field fences are the 2nd-shallowest. The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making conditions in this contest 7° hotter than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for offense. Brett Harris will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Framber Valdez in today's matchup.

The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making conditions in this contest 6° hotter than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for offense. J.J. Bleday is apt to have an advantage against every reliever throughout the game, since the bullpen of the Houston Astros has just 1 same-handed RP. Batters such as J.J. Bleday with extreme groundball tendencies are usually more effective when facing pitchers like Framber Valdez who skew towards the flyball end of the spectrum. J.J. Bleday's speed has improved this year. His 27.15 ft/sec Statcast Sprint Speed last year sits at 27.63 ft/sec now. J.J. Bleday has done a strong job optimizing his launch angle on his hardest-hit balls. His 18.7° figure is among the highest in Major League Baseball since the start of last season (86th percentile).

Minute Maid Park's altitude is near sea-level, one of the lowest in Major League Baseball, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to less offense. Aaron Brooks will hold the platoon advantage over Jeremy Pena in today's game. Despite posting a .360 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Jeremy Pena has been very fortunate given the .043 difference between that mark and his estimated true talent wOBA of .317. Jeremy Pena's 4% Barrel% (a reliable stat to evaluate power) grades out in the 14th percentile since the start of last season. Jeremy Pena's 90.5-mph exit velocity on flyballs (an advanced stat to evaluate power) grades out in the 24th percentile since the start of last season.

Kyle Tucker projects as the 12th-best hitter in baseball, via the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Kyle Tucker is penciled in 2nd on the lineup card in this game. Minute Maid Park has the 2nd-shallowest fences among all major league stadiums — generally good for home runs. The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making conditions in this contest 7° hotter than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for offense. Hitting from the opposite that Aaron Brooks throws from, Kyle Tucker will have the upper hand today.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jake Meyers in the 75th percentile when assessing his BABIP ability. The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making conditions in this contest 6° hotter than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for offense. The Oakland Athletics outfield defense profiles as the 3rd-weakest out of every team playing today. Jake Meyers will benefit from the home field advantage in today's game, which should boost all of his stats. Jake Meyers ranks in the 99th percentile when it comes to hitting balls between 23° and 34°, the launch angle range that tends to result the most in home runs (21.4% rate since the start of last season).

Minute Maid Park's altitude is near sea-level, one of the lowest in Major League Baseball, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to less offense. Aaron Brooks will have the handedness advantage over Jose Altuve today. Jose Altuve has been lucky this year, posting a .375 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .341 — a .034 disparity. Jose Altuve's 86-mph average exit velocity is one of the worst in the majors since the start of last season: 7th percentile.

Yainer Diaz is projected to bat 6th on the lineup card in today's game. Minute Maid Park's altitude is near sea-level, one of the lowest in Major League Baseball, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to less offense. Batting from the same side that Aaron Brooks throws from, Yainer Diaz has a tough challenge today. Yainer Diaz has an 87th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (35.7%) and has the misfortune of hitting them in the direction of the league's 9th-deepest RF fences in today's matchup.

Joey Loperfido's BABIP talent is projected in the 90th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making conditions in this contest 7° hotter than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for offense. Batting from the opposite that Aaron Brooks throws from, Joey Loperfido will have an edge today. The Oakland Athletics outfield defense profiles as the 2nd-weakest out of every team playing today. Joey Loperfido will possess the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to improve all of his stats.

Shea Langeliers is projected to hit 4th in the batting order in today's game, which would be an upgrade from his 54% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the batting order this season. The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making conditions in this contest 7° hotter than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for offense. Batting from the opposite that Framber Valdez throws from, Shea Langeliers will have the upper hand today. Shea Langeliers pulls many of his flyballs (36% — 92nd percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards MLB's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today. Extreme groundball batters like Shea Langeliers tend to be more successful against extreme flyball pitchers like Framber Valdez.

Jon Singleton is projected to bat 5th in the lineup today. The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making conditions in this contest 7° hotter than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for offense. Hitting from the opposite that Aaron Brooks throws from, Jon Singleton will have an edge in today's game. The Oakland Athletics outfield defense profiles as the weakest out of every team playing today. Home field advantage generally bolsters hitter stats in all categories, and Jon Singleton will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

Minute Maid Park has the 2nd-shallowest fences among all major league stadiums — generally good for home runs. The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making conditions in this contest 7° hotter than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for offense. Hitting from the opposite that Aaron Brooks throws from, Trey Cabbage will have an advantage today. The Oakland Athletics outfield defense profiles as the 2nd-weakest out of every team playing today. Home field advantage generally boosts batter metrics in all categories, and Trey Cabbage will hold that advantage in today's matchup.