Pittsburgh @ Colorado Picks & Props

Bryan Reynolds will be at a disadvantage playing on the visting team in today's game.

Dakota Hudson will have the handedness advantage against Andrew McCutchen today. Playing on the road generally diminishes batter stats in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which should be the case for Andrew McCutchen today. Andrew McCutchen's speed has fallen off this season. His 28.41 ft/sec Statcast Sprint Speed last year sits at 26.85 ft/sec now. Andrew McCutchen is in the 15th percentile when it comes to hitting balls between 23° and 34°, the launch angle range that tends to best-produce home runs (12.8% rate since the start of last season). Hitting the ball to all fields is a key ability for batting average that Andrew McCutchen has struggled with since the start of last season, as evidenced by his grading out in the 12th percentile on THE BAT X's Spray Score.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Yasmani Grandal in the 2nd percentile when it comes to his BABIP ability. Yasmani Grandal is penciled in 8th in the batting order in this game. As a switch-hitter who bats worse from the 0 side of the dish, Yasmani Grandal will be at a disadvantage batting from his worse side against Dakota Hudson in today's matchup. Playing on the road typically weakens hitter metrics in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which should be the case for Yasmani Grandal in today's matchup. Using Statcast metrics, Yasmani Grandal grades out in the 2nd percentile for offensive ability per the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (xwOBA) since the start of last season at .257.

Rowdy Tellez's BABIP talent is projected in the 2nd percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Rowdy Tellez will be at a disadvantage playing as a visiting player in today's matchup. Based on Statcast data, Rowdy Tellez is in the 7th percentile per the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average since the start of last season at .208. Rowdy Tellez ranks in the 24th percentile when it comes to hitting balls between -4° and 26°, the launch angle range that tends to optimize base hits (40% rate since the start of last season). Placing in the 8th percentile, Rowdy Tellez has put up a .254 wOBA (widely regarded as the top indicator of overall offense) this year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jacob Stallings in the 8th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive talent. Jacob Stallings has been lucky this year, notching a .358 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .269 — a .089 discrepancy. Sporting a .259 Expected wOBA (or xwOBA, an advanced metric created by the leading projection system (THE BAT X) using Statcast data) since the start of last season, Jacob Stallings is ranked in the 19th percentile for offensive ability. Jacob Stallings ranks in the 20th percentile when it comes to hitting balls between -4° and 26°, the launch angle range that tends to optimize base hits (37.7% rate since the start of last season). Jacob Stallings is not very fast, placing in the 1st percentile in Sprint Speed at 23.54 ft/sec this year.

Typically, batters like Oneil Cruz who hit a lot of flyballs generally hit worse when facing pitchers who also induce a lot of flyballs such as Dakota Hudson. Playing on the road typically lowers batter metrics in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which should be the case for Oneil Cruz in today's matchup. As it relates to plate discipline, Oneil Cruz's ability is quite poor, posting a 4.51 K/BB rate this year while placing in in the 12th percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects Coors Field as the best venue in the majors for RHB batting average. Built 5197 feet above sea level, Coors Field has the highest elevation in MLB, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. As far as temperature and humidity are concerned, the most favorable hitting weather on the schedule is expected for this contest. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.268) provides evidence that Michael A. Taylor has experienced some negative variance this year with his .228 actual wOBA. Michael A. Taylor's 14.3% Barrel% (an advanced metric to evaluate power) ranks in the 91st percentile since the start of last season.

Connor Joe is projected to bat 7th on the lineup card today, which would be a downgrade from his 93% rate of hitting in the top-half of the lineup this year. Hitting from the same side that Dakota Hudson throws from, Connor Joe will not have the upper hand today. Playing on the road typically weakens batter metrics in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which ought to be the case for Connor Joe in today's game. Ranking in the 24th percentile, Connor Joe has hit 24.6% of his balls in the air since the start of last season with a velocity of 100 mph or greater.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Ezequiel Tovar's true offensive skill to be a .294, providing some evidence that he has experienced some positive variance this year given the .052 disparity between that mark and his actual .346 wOBA. By putting up a .302 Expected wOBA (or xwOBA, an advanced metric created by the leading projection system (THE BAT X) utilizing Statcast data) since the start of last season, Ezequiel Tovar is positioned in the 25th percentile for hitting ability. Ezequiel Tovar's 87.8-mph average exit velocity is among the worst in the majors since the start of last season: 23rd percentile. In terms of plate discipline, Ezequiel Tovar's ability is quite weak, posting a 7.63 K/BB rate this year while checking in at in the 2nd percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects Coors Field as the best venue in the majors for RHB batting average. Built 5197 feet above sea level, Coors Field has the highest elevation in MLB, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. As far as temperature and humidity are concerned, the most favorable hitting weather on the schedule is expected for this contest. As a switch-hitter who performs worse from the 0 side of the dish, Adael Amador will be at a disadvantage batting from his worse side against Daulton Jefferies in today's game. The Pittsburgh Pirates infield defense grades out as the worst out of every team on the slate today.

Charlie Blackmon will hold the platoon advantage over Daulton Jefferies in today's matchup. Charlie Blackmon's 5.1% Barrel% (a reliable standard to assess power) is in the 21st percentile since the start of last season. Charlie Blackmon's 86.4-mph average exit velocity ranks among the worst in the game since the start of last season: 11th percentile.

Hitting from the same side that Dakota Hudson throws from, Ke'Bryan Hayes will be in a tough position today. Playing on the road typically diminishes batter metrics in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which ought to be the case for Ke'Bryan Hayes in today's matchup. Ke'Bryan Hayes's footspeed has dropped off this year. His 27.11 ft/sec Statcast Sprint Speed last year sits at 26.41 ft/sec now. Ke'Bryan Hayes and his 7.9° launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls rank in 20th percentile, among the lowest in the league since the start of last season. Placing in the 24th percentile, Ke'Bryan Hayes has put up a .280 wOBA (widely regarded as the top indicator of overall offense) this year.

With a .249 wOBA in the last two weeks' worth of games, Elehuris Montero has been struggling at the plate. Elehuris Montero has compiled a .252 Expected wOBA (xwOBA) since the start of last season, placing in the 1st percentile for offensive skills according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data. Elehuris Montero has done a bad job optimizing his launch angle on his hardest-hit balls. His 6.1° angle is among the lowest in the majors since the start of last season (15th percentile). Elehuris Montero has compiled a .231 wOBA (the best measure of overall offense) this year, grading out in the 3rd percentile. Posting a .185 batting average this year, Elehuris Montero grades out in the 5th percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects Coors Field as the best venue in the majors for RHB batting average. Built 5197 feet above sea level, Coors Field has the highest elevation in MLB, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. As far as temperature and humidity are concerned, the most favorable hitting weather on the schedule is expected for this contest. Daulton Jefferies will have the handedness advantage against Hunter Goodman in today's game. The Pittsburgh Pirates infield defense grades out as the worst out of every team on the slate today.

The #1 stadium in the league for boosting batting average to left-handed hitters, per the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Coors Field. Built 5197 feet above sea level, Coors Field has the highest elevation in MLB, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. As far as temperature and humidity are concerned, the most favorable hitting weather on the schedule is expected for this contest. The Pittsburgh Pirates infield defense grades out as the worst out of every team on the slate today. Home field advantage generally improves hitter metrics across the board, and Jake Cave will hold that advantage today.

Ryan McMahon is projected to bat 3rd in the batting order in this matchup. The #1 stadium in the league for boosting batting average to left-handed hitters, per the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Coors Field. Built 5197 feet above sea level, Coors Field has the highest elevation in MLB, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. As far as temperature and humidity are concerned, the most favorable hitting weather on the schedule is expected for this contest. The Pittsburgh Pirates infield defense grades out as the worst out of every team on the slate today.

Nolan Jones's BABIP talent is projected in the 96th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). The #1 stadium in the league for boosting batting average to left-handed hitters, per the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Coors Field. Built 5197 feet above sea level, Coors Field has the highest elevation in MLB, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. As far as temperature and humidity are concerned, the most favorable hitting weather on the schedule is expected for this contest. The Pittsburgh Pirates infield defense grades out as the worst out of every team on the slate today.

Michael Toglia is projected to hit 5th in the lineup in today's game, which would be an upgrade from his 100% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the batting order this season. The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects Coors Field as the best venue in the majors for RHB batting average. Built 5197 feet above sea level, Coors Field has the highest elevation in MLB, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. As far as temperature and humidity are concerned, the most favorable hitting weather on the schedule is expected for this contest. The Pittsburgh Pirates infield defense grades out as the worst out of every team on the slate today.

Brenton Doyle has gone over 1.5 in 1 of his last 10 games.