New York @ Pittsburgh Picks & Props

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Oneil Cruz in the 93rd percentile as it relates to his BABIP talent. PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude among all major league stadiums. High elevation tends to lead to higher offensive output. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is projected to have the 3rd-hottest temperature on the slate today at 88°. Oneil Cruz is likely to have an edge against every reliever throughout the game, since the bullpen of the New York Mets has just 1 same-handed RP. Out of all the teams on the slate today, the 3rd-worst infield defense is that of the New York Mets.

PNC Park has the 8th-largest outfield in the league — generally bad for home runs. The Pittsburgh Pirates outfield defense grades out as the 5th-best among all the teams in action today. J.D. Martinez will be at a disadvantage playing on the road in today's matchup. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates J.D. Martinez's true offensive talent to be a .333, suggesting that he has been lucky this year given the .024 gap between that figure and his actual .357 wOBA.

Francisco Lindor pulls a lot of his flyballs (37.4% — 95th percentile) and will have to hit them out towards MLB's 9th-deepest LF fences in today's game. The Pittsburgh Pirates outfield defense grades out as the 5th-best among all the teams in action today. Playing on the road typically weakens batter metrics across the board due to the lack of home field advantage, which ought to be the case for Francisco Lindor in today's matchup.

PNC Park has the 8th-largest outfield in the league — generally bad for home runs. As a switch-hitter who is weaker from the 0 side of the dish, Bryan Reynolds will be less advantaged while batting from his bad side against David Peterson in today's matchup. Bryan Reynolds's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has decreased of late, falling from 40.6% on the season to 17.6% over the past week. In terms of his batting average, Bryan Reynolds has experienced some positive variance this year. His .280 mark has been inflated compared to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .261.

PNC Park has the 8th-largest outfield in the league — generally bad for home runs. Ke'Bryan Hayes's exit velocity on flyballs has declined this season; his 92.6-mph mark last season has lowered to 88.4-mph. Compared to his seasonal figure of 4.3°, Ke'Bryan Hayes has produced a noticeably lower launch angle (-13.3°) over the past two weeks. Ke'Bryan Hayes's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has decreased from last season to this one, decreasing from 15.6% to 6%. In notching a .276 Expected wOBA (or xwOBA, an advanced metric created by the leading projection system (THE BAT X) using Statcast data) this year, Ke'Bryan Hayes grades out in the 15th percentile for offensive skills.

Hitting from the same side that Bailey Falter throws from, Brandon Nimmo will have a disadvantage today. Brandon Nimmo has a 94th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (38.1%) and has the misfortune of hitting them in the direction of the game's 9th-deepest LF fences in today's matchup. The Pittsburgh Pirates outfield defense grades out as the 5th-best among all the teams in action today. Playing on the road generally lowers batter metrics across the board due to the lack of home field advantage, which ought to be the case for Brandon Nimmo today.

PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude among all major league stadiums. High elevation tends to lead to higher offensive output. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is projected to have the 3rd-hottest temperature on the slate today at 88°. Michael A. Taylor will hold the platoon advantage against David Peterson today. Out of all the teams on the slate today, the 3rd-worst infield defense is that of the New York Mets. Home field advantage generally improves batter stats across the board, and Michael A. Taylor will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jared Triolo in the 94th percentile when estimating his BABIP talent. PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude among all major league stadiums. High elevation tends to lead to higher offensive output. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is projected to have the 4th-hottest temperature on the slate today at 88°. Jared Triolo will hold the platoon advantage against David Peterson in today's matchup. Out of all the teams on the slate today, the 4th-worst infield defense is that of the New York Mets.

When it comes to his overall offensive talent, Andrew McCutchen ranks in the 85th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Andrew McCutchen is penciled in 1st on the lineup card in this game. PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude among all major league stadiums. High elevation tends to lead to higher offensive output. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is projected to have the 3rd-hottest temperature on the slate today at 88°. Batting from the opposite that David Peterson throws from, Andrew McCutchen will have an edge in today's matchup.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Pete Alonso ranks as the 19th-best batter in the league. Pete Alonso is projected to hit 4th in the lineup in this matchup. PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude among all major league stadiums. High elevation tends to lead to higher offensive output. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is projected to have the 3rd-hottest temperature on the slate today at 88°. Pete Alonso will have the handedness advantage against Bailey Falter in today's matchup.

PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude among all major league stadiums. High elevation tends to lead to higher offensive output. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is projected to have the 3rd-hottest temperature on the slate today at 88°. Batting from the opposite that David Peterson throws from, Joey Bart will have an advantage today. Out of all the teams on the slate today, the 3rd-worst infield defense is that of the New York Mets. Home field advantage generally bolsters hitter stats in all categories, and Joey Bart will hold that advantage today.

Mark Vientos is projected to bat 5th in the batting order today, which would be an upgrade from his 76% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the lineup this season. PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude among all major league stadiums. High elevation tends to lead to higher offensive output. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is projected to have the 3rd-hottest temperature on the slate today at 88°. Mark Vientos will have the handedness advantage over Bailey Falter in today's matchup. Mark Vientos has made substantial strides with his Barrel% recently, improving his 15.5% seasonal rate to 23.1% over the past 14 days.

PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude among all major league stadiums. High elevation tends to lead to higher offensive output. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is projected to have the 3rd-hottest temperature on the slate today at 88°. Luis Torrens will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Bailey Falter in today's matchup. Luis Torrens has displayed some good exit velocity benchmarks lately, averaging 97.6-mph on his flyballs in the past week.

Connor Joe is projected to bat 4th in the lineup in this matchup. PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude among all major league stadiums. High elevation tends to lead to higher offensive output. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is projected to have the 3rd-hottest temperature on the slate today at 88°. Hitting from the opposite that David Peterson throws from, Connor Joe will have an advantage in today's matchup. Out of all the teams on the slate today, the 3rd-worst infield defense is that of the New York Mets.

PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude among all major league stadiums. High elevation tends to lead to higher offensive output. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is projected to have the 3rd-hottest temperature on the slate today at 88°. Harrison Bader will hold the platoon advantage against Bailey Falter in today's game. Harrison Bader has made big gains with his Barrel% of late, bettering his 7.6% seasonal rate to 13.6% in the past 14 days. In the past two weeks' worth of games, Harrison Bader's 22.7% rate of hitting balls at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 17.4%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Edward Olivares in the 76th percentile when estimating his batting average talent. Edward Olivares is projected to bat 4th in the lineup today. PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude among all major league stadiums. High elevation tends to lead to higher offensive output. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is projected to have the 4th-hottest temperature on the slate today at 88°. Edward Olivares will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against David Peterson in today's matchup.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jose Iglesias in the 85th percentile as it relates to his batting average talent. PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude among all major league stadiums. High elevation tends to lead to higher offensive output. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is projected to have the 3rd-hottest temperature on the slate today at 88°. Jose Iglesias will have the handedness advantage over Bailey Falter in today's matchup. Jose Iglesias's launch angle recently (22.2° over the past week) is considerably better than his 11.1° seasonal figure.

PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude among all major league stadiums. High elevation tends to lead to higher offensive output. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is projected to have the 3rd-hottest temperature on the slate today at 88°. Tyrone Taylor will have the handedness advantage over Bailey Falter today. Tyrone Taylor has made substantial improvements with his Barrel% lately, improving his 9.1% seasonal rate to 20.7% in the past 14 days. Tyrone Taylor has seen a notable gain in his exit velocity on flyballs in recent games; just compare his 98-mph average in the past two weeks to his seasonal mark of 93-mph.