San Diego @ Texas Picks & Props

Globe Life Field projects as the #29 venue in MLB for lefty BABIP, per the leading projection system (THE BAT). Among all stadiums, Globe Life Field's CF fences are the 6th-deepest. The Globe Life Field roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this contest -12° colder than the average outdoor game on the slate today — favorable for pitching. Playing on the road typically lowers hitter stats in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which figures to be the case for Luis Arraez in today's matchup. Luis Arraez's exit velocity on flyballs has dropped off this season; his 89.6-mph mark last year has lowered to 87.3-mph.

Jonathan Ornelas will possess the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to boost all of his stats.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jackson Merrill in the 96th percentile when assessing his batting average skill. Jackson Merrill has primarily hit in the back-half of the lineup this year (96% of the time), but he is projected to bat 3rd in the lineup in this game. Jackson Merrill will hold the platoon advantage against Max Scherzer in today's game. The Texas Rangers have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Jackson Merrill has a strong chance of holding the advantage against every reliever all game. Jackson Merrill has made notable gains with his Barrel% of late, improving his 8.7% seasonal rate to 14.3% in the last week's worth of games.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Donovan Solano in the 92nd percentile when assessing his BABIP ability. Donovan Solano is projected to bat 5th in the batting order in this game. Donovan Solano's launch angle this year (17.6°) is significantly better than his 12.9° figure last year. In the past 7 days, Donovan Solano's 69.2% rate of hitting balls at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 51.9%. With a .328 wOBA (a leading indicator of offensive ability) this year, Donovan Solano has performed in the 76th percentile.

As it relates to his overall offensive talent, Ha-seong Kim ranks in the 77th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Ha-seong Kim's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has declined lately, going from 40.1% on the season to 33.3% in the past week. In terms of his batting average, Ha-seong Kim has suffered from bad luck this year. His .227 figure falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .253. By putting up a 1.18 K/BB rate this year, Ha-seong Kim has demonstrated strong plate discipline, placing in the 98th percentile.

As it relates to his overall offensive ability, Manny Machado ranks in the 89th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Manny Machado is projected to hit 4th on the lineup card today. Manny Machado has made notable gains with his Barrel% recently, bettering his 8.1% seasonal rate to 16.7% over the last 7 days. With a .269 batting average this year, Manny Machado is ranked in the 75th percentile.

Josh Smith is projected to hit 1st on the lineup card in this game. Hitting from the opposite that Michael King throws from, Josh Smith will have an advantage in today's game. Home field advantage generally improves batter metrics in all categories, and Josh Smith will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Compared to his seasonal average of 16.5°, Josh Smith has significantly improved his launch angle of late, posting a 29.8° mark in the last 14 days. Posting a .361 wOBA (a leading indicator of offensive ability) this year, Josh Smith has performed in the 88th percentile.

Corey Seager projects as the 11th-best batter in MLB, via the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Corey Seager is projected to bat 2nd in the lineup today. Corey Seager will have the handedness advantage over Michael King in today's matchup. Home field advantage generally boosts batter metrics in all categories, and Corey Seager will hold that advantage today. Corey Seager has seen a significant improvement in his exit velocity recently; just compare his 94.8-mph average over the past 14 days to his seasonal 91.4-mph figure.

Jurickson Profar is penciled in 2nd on the lineup card today. Jurickson Profar has been hot of late, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 90.4-mph to 93.4-mph in the past two weeks' worth of games. Jurickson Profar's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has improved from last year to this one, increasing from 42% to 50%. Jurickson Profar has put up a .368 Expected wOBA (xwOBA) this year, checking in at the 94th percentile for offensive skills according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data. As it relates to plate discipline, Jurickson Profar's ability is quite strong, sporting a 1.2 K/BB rate this year while checking in at in the 97th percentile.

Nathaniel Lowe's BABIP ability is projected in the 90th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Nathaniel Lowe is projected to bat 3rd in the lineup in this game. Nathaniel Lowe will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Michael King in today's game. Nathaniel Lowe will possess the home field advantage today, which should boost all of his stats. By putting up a 1.9 K/BB rate this year, Nathaniel Lowe has displayed favorable plate discipline, grading out in the 80th percentile.

When estimating his overall offensive ability, Jake Cronenworth ranks in the 84th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Jake Cronenworth is penciled in 3rd in the lineup in this matchup. Jake Cronenworth will hold the platoon advantage over Max Scherzer in today's game. Jake Cronenworth is likely to have an advantage against every reliever throughout the game, since the bullpen of the Texas Rangers has just 1 same-handed RP. Jake Cronenworth's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has improved from last year to this one, rising from 40% to 48.1%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Adolis Garcia in the 84th percentile when assessing his overall offensive ability. Adolis Garcia is projected to hit 4th in the batting order in today's game. Adolis Garcia will possess the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to improve all of his stats. Adolis Garcia has made sizeable gains with his Barrel% recently, upping his 14.2% seasonal rate to 28.6% in the last week's worth of games. Adolis Garcia has been hot recently, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 91-mph to 96.4-mph in the past week's worth of games.

Hitting from the opposite that Michael King throws from, Travis Jankowski will have the upper hand today. Travis Jankowski will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to boost all of his stats. Travis Jankowski's average launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls this season (5.5°) is quite a bit higher than his 1.1° angle last season. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.266) suggests that Travis Jankowski has had bad variance on his side this year with his .237 actual wOBA. With a 1.67 K/BB rate since the start of last season, Travis Jankowski has demonstrated good plate discipline, placing in the 89th percentile.

Batting from the opposite that Max Scherzer throws from, Brett Sullivan will have the upper hand today. Brett Sullivan may have the upper hand against every reliever for the game's entirety, since the bullpen of the Texas Rangers only has 1 same-handed RP.

When it comes to his overall offensive skill, Marcus Semien ranks in the 90th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Marcus Semien is projected to bat 1st on the lineup card in today's game. Home field advantage generally bolsters batter metrics in all categories, and Marcus Semien will hold that advantage today. Marcus Semien's launch angle of late (21.7° over the last week) is considerably better than his 16.5° seasonal figure. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.344) provides evidence that Marcus Semien has suffered from bad luck this year with his .292 actual wOBA.

Hitting from the opposite that Max Scherzer throws from, Tyler Wade will have an advantage in today's matchup. The Texas Rangers have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Tyler Wade stands a good chance of holding the advantage against every reliever all game. Bats such as Tyler Wade with extreme flyball tendencies are usually more effective when facing pitchers like Max Scherzer who skew towards the groundball end of the spectrum. Tyler Wade has been unlucky in regards to his batting average since the start of last season; his .240 BA is a fair amount lower than his .267 Expected Batting Average, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data. Ranking in the 84th percentile for Sprint Speed at 28.57 ft/sec this year, Tyler Wade is notably fast.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Leody Taveras in the 76th percentile when it comes to his batting average talent. Home field advantage typically bolsters batter stats across the board, and Leody Taveras will hold that advantage today. In the past week, Leody Taveras's exit velocity on flyballs has decreased from his seasonal EV of 89.2 mph to 79.8 mph. There has been a significant improvement in Leody Taveras's launch angle from last season's 9.9° to 13.4° this year. In the past week, Leody Taveras's 70% rate of hitting balls at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 44.2%.

Home field advantage typically boosts hitter metrics across the board, and Andrew Knizner will hold that advantage today.

Derek Hill has not yet played a game this season.