Houston @ Los Angeles Picks & Props

Luis Rengifo pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (33.5% — 76th percentile) and will have to hit them out towards MLB's 10th-deepest LF fences in today's matchup. Extreme flyball batters like Luis Rengifo are generally less successful against extreme flyball pitchers like Framber Valdez. Luis Rengifo has been lucky this year, notching a .366 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .311 — a .055 disparity. Luis Rengifo's maximum exit velocity (a reliable stat to assess power) has been 109.1 mph since the start of last season, checking in at the 19th percentile.

The 10th-deepest left field fences in Major League Baseball are found in Angel Stadium. Batting from the same side that Griffin Canning throws from, Yainer Diaz will be at a disadvantage in today's matchup. Yainer Diaz will be at a disadvantage playing as a visiting player in today's game. Yainer Diaz has exhibited bad plate discipline this year, checking in at the 18th percentile with a 3.96 K/BB rate.

Yordan Alvarez projects as the 2nd-best hitter in the majors, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Yordan Alvarez is projected to hit 3rd in the batting order in today's game. Yordan Alvarez will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Griffin Canning in today's matchup. The Los Angeles Angels have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Yordan Alvarez can likely count on holding the platoon advantage against every reliever all game. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Yordan Alvarez's true offensive skill to be a .403, indicating that he has experienced some negative variance this year given the .045 discrepancy between that mark and his actual .358 wOBA.

When assessing his overall offensive skill, Jose Altuve ranks in the 91st percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Jose Altuve is penciled in 1st in the lineup today. Jose Altuve has done a good job optimizing his launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls. His 16.2° angle is among the highest in MLB since the start of last season (87th percentile). Checking in at the 79th percentile, Jose Altuve has notched a .342 wOBA (widely regarded as the top measure of overall offense) this year. Checking in at the 90th percentile, Jose Altuve has posted a .291 batting average this year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Nolan Schanuel in the 82nd percentile when estimating his batting average ability. Nolan Schanuel is penciled in 1st in the lineup in this matchup. Nolan Schanuel is apt to have the upper hand against every reliever throughout the game, since the bullpen of the Houston Astros only has 1 same-handed RP. Nolan Schanuel will hold the home field advantage today, which figures to improve all of his stats. Using Statcast data, Nolan Schanuel is in the 93rd percentile for offensive skills according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (xwOBA) since the start of last season at .361.

The 10th-deepest left field fences in Major League Baseball are found in Angel Stadium. Batting from the same side that Griffin Canning throws from, Jeremy Pena will be at a disadvantage in today's matchup. Playing on the road typically reduces batter stats across the board due to the lack of home field advantage, which figures to be the case for Jeremy Pena in today's matchup. Jeremy Pena's 4% Barrel% (an advanced stat to study power) is in the 14th percentile since the start of last season. Since the start of last season, Jeremy Pena's flyball exit velocity (a reliable metric to evaluate power) ranks in the 24th percentile at 90.5 mph.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Zach Neto in the 77th percentile when assessing his overall offensive talent. Zach Neto will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Framber Valdez in today's matchup. Home field advantage generally bolsters batter metrics in all categories, and Zach Neto will hold that advantage today. Zach Neto and his 18.9° launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls rank in 87th percentile, among the highest in baseball since the start of last season.

As it relates to his batting average, Jose Abreu has experienced some negative variance since the start of last season. His .219 figure falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .262. Jose Abreu's maximum exit velocity (a reliable metric to measure power) has been 113.3 mph since the start of last season, placing in the 76th percentile.

Jo Adell will hold the platoon advantage over Framber Valdez today. Home field advantage generally bolsters hitter stats across the board, and Jo Adell will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Jo Adell's 100.3-mph exit velocity on flyballs (an advanced stat to evaluate power) grades out in the 99th percentile since the start of last season.

When assessing his overall offensive skill, Taylor Ward ranks in the 96th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Taylor Ward is penciled in 3rd in the lineup in today's game. Taylor Ward will hold the platoon advantage over Framber Valdez in today's game. Home field advantage generally bolsters batter stats in all categories, and Taylor Ward will hold that advantage today. Ranked in the 76th percentile, Taylor Ward has one of the highest average exit velocities in the majors since the start of last season (90.6-mph).

Victor Caratini's 91.3-mph average exit velocity is one of the best in the game since the start of last season: 87th percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Alex Bregman in the 94th percentile when assessing his overall offensive ability. Alex Bregman is projected to bat 2nd on the lineup card today. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.253) provides evidence that Alex Bregman has been unlucky this year with his .230 actual batting average. Alex Bregman's 17.6° launch angle (an advanced stat to evaluate a batter's ability to lift the ball for power) is among the most flyball-inducing in the league: 87th percentile. Alex Bregman has exhibited favorable plate discipline this year, grading out in the 79th percentile with a 1.82 K/BB rate.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Logan O'Hoppe in the 88th percentile when assessing his overall offensive ability. Logan O'Hoppe is projected to hit 5th in the batting order today. Hitting from the opposite that Framber Valdez throws from, Logan O'Hoppe will have the upper hand in today's matchup. Logan O'Hoppe will benefit from the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to boost all of his stats. Logan O'Hoppe has notched a .357 Expected wOBA (xwOBA) since the start of last season, ranking in the 91st percentile for offensive skills according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jake Meyers in the 76th percentile when assessing his BABIP skill. Jake Meyers is in the 99th percentile when it comes to hitting balls between 23° and 34°, the launch angle range that tends to best-produce home runs (21.4% rate since the start of last season). Jake Meyers is very fast, checking in at the 90th percentile in Sprint Speed at 28.82 ft/sec this year. Jake Meyers has recorded a .343 wOBA (the best measure of overall offense) this year, ranking in the 80th percentile. Sporting a .273 batting average this year, Jake Meyers finds himself in the 78th percentile.

Kevin Pillar is projected to hit 4th in the batting order today. Kevin Pillar will have the handedness advantage against Framber Valdez today. Home field advantage generally bolsters batter metrics across the board, and Kevin Pillar will hold that advantage today. In the past 14 days, Kevin Pillar has been performing exceptionally well at the plate with a wOBA of .398. Using Statcast data, Kevin Pillar ranks in the 79th percentile via the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average since the start of last season at .266.

Kyren Paris will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Framber Valdez in today's matchup. Home field advantage typically improves hitter metrics in all categories, and Kyren Paris will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.244) suggests that Kyren Paris has had bad variance on his side since the start of last season with his .190 actual wOBA.

The switch-hitting Cole Tucker will get to bat from his good side (0) today against Framber Valdez. Home field advantage typically boosts batter stats in all categories, and Cole Tucker will hold that advantage in today's game. Cole Tucker has notched a .354 Expected wOBA (xwOBA) since the start of last season, checking in at the 89th percentile for offensive ability according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data. Using Statcast metrics, Cole Tucker is in the 91st percentile per the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average since the start of last season at .286.

Batting from the opposite that Griffin Canning throws from, Trey Cabbage will have an advantage in today's matchup. The Los Angeles Angels have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Trey Cabbage stands a good chance of never facing a bullpen mismatch all game. Ranking in the 84th percentile, the hardest ball Trey Cabbage has made contact with since the start of last season reached a maximum exit velocity of 112.8 mph -- a reliable indication of underlying power ability. Trey Cabbage is in the 93rd percentile when it comes to hitting balls between 23° and 34°, the launch angle range that tends to best-produce home runs (21.4% rate since the start of last season). A low launch angle standard deviation tends to lead to a higher batting average on balls in play, and Trey Cabbage's 23.6° mark (92nd percentile) since the start of last season indicates a strong hitting profile.

Chas McCormick has gone over 0.5 in 6 of his last 10 games.