Washington @ St. Louis Picks & Props

Batting from the same side that Jake Irvin throws from, Masyn Winn meets a tough challenge in today's game. In today's game, Masyn Winn is at a disadvantage facing the league's 2nd-deepest RF fences given that he hits his flyballs to the opposite field at a 34.9% rate (83rd percentile). Masyn Winn's average exit velocity has declined in recent games; his 85.7-mph seasonal average has lowered to 83-mph over the last two weeks. Masyn Winn's exit velocity on flyballs has declined this year; his 89.7-mph figure last year has fallen off to 86.4-mph. Compared to his seasonal angle of 14.5°, Masyn Winn has produced a noticeably lower launch angle (3.9°) in the past two weeks' worth of games.

Alec Burleson has been lucky this year, notching a .343 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .317 — a .026 deviation.

Brendan Donovan has an 87th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (35.8%) and has the misfortune of hitting them in the direction of baseball's 6th-deepest LF fences today. Compared to his seasonal angle of 11.6°, Brendan Donovan has produced a noticeably lower launch angle (7°) in the last 14 days. Brendan Donovan's average launch angle on his hardest-hit balls this year (8.4°) is significantly worse than his 12.3° angle last season.

Batting from the opposite that Jake Irvin throws from, Nolan Gorman will have an edge in today's matchup. Home field advantage generally improves batter stats across the board, and Nolan Gorman will hold that advantage today. Nolan Gorman has made notable improvements with his Barrel% of late, improving his 17.5% seasonal rate to 42.9% over the last 7 days. Nolan Gorman's average launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls this year (25.8°) is considerably higher than his 21.5° figure last season. Over the past two weeks, Nolan Gorman's 38.5% rate of hitting balls at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 25.3%.

When assessing his overall offensive skill, Jesse Winker ranks in the 86th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Jesse Winker is projected to bat 3rd on the lineup card in this game. Jesse Winker will have the handedness advantage over Kyle Gibson in today's game. Jesse Winker has seen a significant improvement in his exit velocity recently; just compare his 93-mph average over the last two weeks to his seasonal 89.2-mph mark. Checking in at the 82nd percentile, Jesse Winker sports a .347 wOBA (widely regarded as the top measure of overall offense) this year.

Jacob Young's BABIP skill is projected in the 89th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). As it relates to his batting average, Jacob Young has had some very poor luck this year. His .248 mark falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .269.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects James Wood as the 19th-best hitter in baseball when assessing his BABIP ability. James Wood is penciled in 5th on the lineup card in this game. Hitting from the opposite that Kyle Gibson throws from, James Wood will have an advantage today. James Wood hits many of his flyballs to center field (38.7% — 88th 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. James Wood has made significant improvements with his Barrel% lately, improving his 14.9% seasonal rate to 31.6% over the last 14 days.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Luis Garcia in the 95th percentile as it relates to his batting average talent. Luis Garcia will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Kyle Gibson today. Luis Garcia has been hot in recent games, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 89-mph to 93.5-mph over the past week. Luis Garcia's launch angle this year (8.4°) is significantly better than his 4.5° figure last year. Luis Garcia has posted a .289 Expected Batting Average this year, checking in at the 93rd percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

LaVictor Lipscomb has been hot of late, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 86.4-mph to 93.4-mph over the past 7 days. Over the last 7 days, LaVictor Lipscomb's 16.7% rate of hitting balls at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 8.5%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects CJ Abrams in the 77th percentile as it relates to his batting average skill. CJ Abrams is projected to bat 1st on the lineup card in today's game. CJ Abrams will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Kyle Gibson today. Posting a .337 Expected wOBA (or xwOBA, an advanced metric created by the leading projection system (THE BAT X) utilizing Statcast data) this year, CJ Abrams grades out in the 79th percentile for offensive ability. CJ Abrams has notched a .340 wOBA (the best measure of overall offense) this year, placing in the 78th percentile.

As it relates to his overall offensive talent, Lars Nootbaar ranks in the 92nd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Lars Nootbaar will have the handedness advantage against Jake Irvin today. Lars Nootbaar hits many of his flyballs to center field (40.2% — 99th percentile) and is fortunate to face the game's 7th-shallowest CF fences in today's matchup. Lars Nootbaar will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should bolster all of his stats. Lars Nootbaar has seen a notable gain in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 91.5-mph average to last season's 89.1-mph figure.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Lane Thomas in the 81st percentile when it comes to his overall offensive ability. Lane Thomas is penciled in 2nd in the batting order in this game. In the past week's worth of games, Lane Thomas's 28.6% rate of hitting balls at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 14.9%.

Juan Yepez is projected to hit 4th on the lineup card in this matchup. Juan Yepez has made big gains with his Barrel% in recent games, upping his 11.1% seasonal rate to 20% over the last week. Over the past 7 days, Juan Yepez's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 86.1-mph over the course of the season to 88.7-mph in recent games.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Paul Goldschmidt in the 89th percentile when estimating his overall offensive ability. Paul Goldschmidt will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to boost all of his stats. Over the last week, Paul Goldschmidt's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 10.2% up to 25%. This season, Paul Goldschmidt has experienced a significant gain in his exit velocity on flyballs, now sitting at an average of 96.6 mph compared to last year's 93.9 mph mark. Paul Goldschmidt's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has increased recently, increasing from 13.1% on the season to 28.6% in the last 14 days.

The switch-hitting Keibert Ruiz will hold the platoon advantage while batting from from his better side (0) today against Kyle Gibson. Keibert Ruiz's launch angle this year (19.8°) is considerably higher than his 15.1° mark last year. Compared to his seasonal average of 19.8°, Keibert Ruiz has significantly improved his launch angle lately, posting a 23.1° mark in the past 14 days. Keibert Ruiz has been unlucky this year, putting up a .254 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .294 — a .040 disparity.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Willson Contreras in the 96th percentile when estimating his overall offensive talent. Willson Contreras is projected to bat 3rd on the lineup card in this game. Willson Contreras hits many of his flyballs to center field (38.7% — 88th percentile) and will have a big advantage facing the game's 7th-shallowest CF fences in today's matchup. Home field advantage typically boosts batter stats across the board, and Willson Contreras will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Willson Contreras has seen a substantial increase in his exit velocity lately; just compare his 94.4-mph average over the last week to his seasonal 91.4-mph EV.

Nolan Arenado is projected to bat 5th in the batting order in this matchup. Nolan Arenado will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to boost all of his stats. Nolan Arenado's average launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls this season (15.4°) is considerably better than his 12.2° mark last year.