Pittsburgh @ St. Louis Picks & Props

The weather forecast calls for temperatures in this game to reach the 2nd-highest level on the schedule today at 81°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Out of every team playing today, the 2nd-worst infield defense is that of the the Pittsburgh Pirates. Home field advantage typically improves batter stats across the board, and Dylan Carlson will hold that advantage in today's matchup. When it comes to his wOBA and overall offense, Dylan Carlson has been unlucky since the start of last season. His .278 mark falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected wOBA (xwOBA) at .340. When it comes to hitting balls between 23° and 34° (the launch angle range that tends to optimize home runs), Dylan Carlson and his 18.6% rank in the 82nd percentile since the start of last season.

When assessing his overall offensive skill, Nolan Gorman ranks in the 83rd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Nolan Gorman is penciled in 4th in the batting order in this game. According to the weather report, the temperature and humidity for this matchup will be the 4th-best for hitting on the schedule today. Batting from the opposite that Paul Skenes throws from, Nolan Gorman will have the upper hand in today's matchup. Out of every team playing today, the 2nd-worst infield defense is that of the the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Brendan Donovan in the 92nd percentile when estimating his batting average talent. According to the weather report, the temperature and humidity for this matchup will be the 4th-best for hitting on the schedule today. Hitting from the opposite that Paul Skenes throws from, Brendan Donovan will have the upper hand in today's matchup. Out of every team playing today, the 2nd-worst infield defense is that of the the Pittsburgh Pirates. Brendan Donovan will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to improve all of his stats.

Among all major league parks, Busch Stadium's right field dimensions are the 2nd-deepest. Among all the teams playing today, the 4th-best infield defense belongs to the St. Louis Cardinals. Bryan Reynolds will be at a disadvantage playing as a visiting player in today's matchup.

According to the weather report, the temperature and humidity for this matchup will be the 4th-best for hitting on the schedule today. Pedro Pages hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (38.1% — 78th percentile) and is fortunate to face baseball's 7th-shallowest CF fences in today's game. Out of every team playing today, the 2nd-worst infield defense is that of the the Pittsburgh Pirates. Home field advantage generally improves batter stats in all categories, and Pedro Pages will hold that advantage in today's game.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Ivan Herrera in the 78th percentile when it comes to his BABIP skill. The weather forecast calls for temperatures in this game to reach the 2nd-highest level on the schedule today at 81°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Ivan Herrera hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (38.1% — 78th percentile) and is fortunate to face MLB's 7th-shallowest CF fences in today's game. Out of every team playing today, the 2nd-worst infield defense is that of the the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ivan Herrera will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to boost all of his stats.

As it relates to his overall offensive talent, Connor Joe ranks in the 77th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Connor Joe is penciled in 3rd in the lineup in this game. According to the weather report, the temperature and humidity for this matchup will be the 4th-best for hitting on the schedule today. Connor Joe has been hot of late, cruising to a .336 wOBA in the last two weeks' worth of games. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.305) provides evidence that Connor Joe has been very fortunate this year with his .336 actual wOBA.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Oneil Cruz in the 85th percentile when assessing his BABIP talent. Oneil Cruz is projected to hit 4th in the lineup in this matchup. According to the weather report, the temperature and humidity for this matchup will be the 4th-best for hitting on the schedule today. Batting from the opposite that Miles Mikolas throws from, Oneil Cruz will have an advantage today. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.236) may lead us to conclude that Oneil Cruz has been very fortunate this year with his .243 actual batting average.

Nolan Arenado is projected to hit 5th on the lineup card in today's game. According to the weather report, the temperature and humidity for this matchup will be the 4th-best for hitting on the schedule today. Out of every team playing today, the 2nd-worst infield defense is that of the the Pittsburgh Pirates. Nolan Arenado will possess the home field advantage today, which figures to boost all of his stats. In terms of his batting average, Nolan Arenado has been lucky this year. His .248 rate has been a good deal higher than the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .232.

According to the weather report, the temperature and humidity for this matchup will be the 4th-best for hitting on the schedule today. Jack Suwinski will hold the platoon advantage over Miles Mikolas in today's game. Jack Suwinski has been unlucky this year, compiling a .252 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .317 — a .065 disparity. Since the start of last season, Jack Suwinski's 15.7% Barrel%, an advanced metric for measuring power, places him in the 94th percentile among his peers. Grading out in the 90th percentile, the hardest ball Jack Suwinski has connected with since the start of last season reached a maximum exit velocity of 114.7 mph -- an advanced indication of underlying power skill.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Andrew McCutchen in the 81st percentile when it comes to his overall offensive talent. Andrew McCutchen is penciled in 1st in the lineup today. According to the weather report, the temperature and humidity for this matchup will be the 4th-best for hitting on the schedule today. Andrew McCutchen has posted a .352 Expected wOBA (xwOBA) since the start of last season, ranking in the 82nd percentile for hitting ability according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Ke'Bryan Hayes in the 85th percentile when estimating his batting average ability. Ke'Bryan Hayes is projected to hit 5th in the lineup in this game. According to the weather report, the temperature and humidity for this matchup will be the 4th-best for hitting on the schedule today. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.273) may lead us to conclude that Ke'Bryan Hayes has been unlucky this year with his .253 actual batting average. Since the start of last season, Ke'Bryan Hayes has an average exit velocity of 92.1 mph, which ranks among the best in the majors at the 93rd percentile.

According to the weather report, the temperature and humidity for this matchup will be the 4th-best for hitting on the schedule today. Rowdy Tellez will hold the platoon advantage against Miles Mikolas today. Rowdy Tellez hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (40.6% — 99th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting towards MLB's 7th-shallowest CF fences in today's matchup. Rowdy Tellez's quickness has increased this year. His 23.36 ft/sec Statcast Sprint Speed last year sits at 24.27 ft/sec now. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Rowdy Tellez's true offensive skill to be a .316, providing some evidence that he has had some very poor luck this year given the .068 gap between that figure and his actual .248 wOBA.

When it comes to his overall offensive skill, Paul Goldschmidt ranks in the 91st percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Paul Goldschmidt is projected to bat 3rd on the lineup card today. According to the weather report, the temperature and humidity for this matchup will be the 4th-best for hitting on the schedule today. Out of every team playing today, the 2nd-worst infield defense is that of the the Pittsburgh Pirates. Home field advantage typically bolsters batter metrics in all categories, and Paul Goldschmidt will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Alec Burleson in the 84th percentile when assessing his batting average ability. Alec Burleson is penciled in 2nd in the lineup in this matchup. According to the weather report, the temperature and humidity for this matchup will be the 4th-best for hitting on the schedule today. Batting from the opposite that Paul Skenes throws from, Alec Burleson will have an advantage in today's matchup. Out of every team playing today, the 2nd-worst infield defense is that of the the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Masyn Winn is penciled in 1st in the batting order today, which would be an upgrade from his 81% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the lineup this season. According to the weather report, the temperature and humidity for this matchup will be the 4th-best for hitting on the schedule today. Out of every team playing today, the 2nd-worst infield defense is that of the the Pittsburgh Pirates. Masyn Winn will benefit from the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to bolster all of his stats. Checking in at the 78th percentile, Masyn Winn sports a .337 wOBA (widely regarded as the top indicator of overall offense) this year.

According to the weather report, the temperature and humidity for this matchup will be the 4th-best for hitting on the schedule today. Matt Carpenter will hold the platoon advantage against Paul Skenes in today's matchup. Out of every team playing today, the 2nd-worst infield defense is that of the the Pittsburgh Pirates. Home field advantage typically improves hitter stats in all categories, and Matt Carpenter will hold that advantage today. Matt Carpenter's 11.2% Barrel% (an advanced metric to evaluate power) is in the 80th percentile since the start of last season.

According to the weather report, the temperature and humidity for this matchup will be the 4th-best for hitting on the schedule today.