St. Louis @ Chicago Picks & Props

Jameson Taillon will have the handedness advantage over Masyn Winn in today's game. Masyn Winn has a 79th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (34.2%) but may find it hard to clear MLB's 5th-deepest RF fences today. Masyn Winn will be at a disadvantage playing on the road today. Masyn Winn's exit velocity on flyballs has dropped off this year; his 89.7-mph mark last season has dropped to 87.1-mph. Compared to his seasonal mark of 14.1°, Masyn Winn has produced a noticeably lower launch angle (8.9°) in the past two weeks.

Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation among all major league stadiums, which generally leads to better offense. Nolan Gorman will have the handedness advantage against Jameson Taillon in today's game. Nolan Gorman is likely to have an advantage against every reliever for the whole game, since the bullpen of the Chicago Cubs has just 1 same-handed RP. Nolan Gorman has made sizeable improvements with his Barrel% in recent games, upping his 17.1% seasonal rate to 27.3% over the past two weeks. Last season, Nolan Gorman had an average launch angle of 21.5° on his hardest-hit balls, while this year it has significantly increased to 26.3°.

Among all stadiums, Wrigley Field's right field dimensions are the 5th-deepest. Alec Burleson will be at a disadvantage playing away from home today. Alec Burleson's exit velocity on flyballs has dropped off recently; his 93-mph seasonal average has fallen off to 90-mph in the last two weeks' worth of games.

Michael Busch is projected to hit 2nd in the lineup in this matchup. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation among all major league stadiums, which generally leads to better offense. Hitting from the opposite that Kyle Gibson throws from, Michael Busch will have an advantage today. Michael Busch will benefit from the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to improve all of his stats. Over the last 7 days, Michael Busch's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 11.6% up to 16.7%.

When estimating his overall offensive skill, Ian Happ ranks in the 89th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Ian Happ is projected to bat 1st on the lineup card in this game. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation among all major league stadiums, which generally leads to better offense. As a switch-hitter who bats better from the 0 side of the plate, Ian Happ will have the advantage of batting from from his strong side against Kyle Gibson in today's game. Home field advantage typically improves batter stats across the board, and Ian Happ will hold that advantage today.

Pete Crow-Armstrong's BABIP skill is projected in the 85th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation among all major league stadiums, which generally leads to better offense. Hitting from the opposite that Kyle Gibson throws from, Pete Crow-Armstrong will have an advantage in today's game. Pete Crow-Armstrong will possess the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to improve all of his stats. Pete Crow-Armstrong has been hot recently, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 87.9-mph to 93.1-mph over the last week.

As it relates 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 4th in the lineup in this game. Among all stadiums, Wrigley Field's left field fences are the 6th-shallowest. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation among all major league stadiums, which generally leads to better offense. Paul Goldschmidt has made substantial gains with his Barrel% in recent games, bettering his 10.3% seasonal rate to 16.2% in the last two weeks.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Nico Hoerner in the 96th percentile when assessing his batting average skill. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation among all major league stadiums, which generally leads to better offense. Home field advantage generally boosts batter stats across the board, and Nico Hoerner will hold that advantage today. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.277) may lead us to conclude that Nico Hoerner has been unlucky this year with his .254 actual batting average. As it relates to plate discipline, Nico Hoerner's skill is quite strong, posting a 1.5 K/BB rate this year while placing in in the 92nd percentile.

When assessing his overall offensive talent, Cody Bellinger ranks in the 84th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Cody Bellinger is penciled in 4th on the lineup card in this matchup. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation among all major league stadiums, which generally leads to better offense. Batting from the opposite that Kyle Gibson throws from, Cody Bellinger will have an edge in today's matchup. Home field advantage generally improves batter stats in all categories, and Cody Bellinger will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Seiya Suzuki in the 96th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive ability. Seiya Suzuki is projected to hit 3rd in the batting order in today's game. Among all stadiums, Wrigley Field's left field fences are the 6th-shallowest. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation among all major league stadiums, which generally leads to better offense. Seiya Suzuki will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which should boost all of his stats.

When assessing his overall offensive skill, Lars Nootbaar ranks in the 92nd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation among all major league stadiums, which generally leads to better offense. Lars Nootbaar will hold the platoon advantage over Jameson Taillon today. The Chicago Cubs have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Lars Nootbaar can likely count on holding the advantage against every reliever all game. Lars Nootbaar has seen a big improvement in his exit velocity this year; just compare his 91.7-mph average to last year's 89.1-mph figure.

When it comes to his overall offensive talent, Dansby Swanson ranks in the 86th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Among all stadiums, Wrigley Field's left field fences are the 6th-shallowest. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation among all major league stadiums, which generally leads to better offense. Dansby Swanson will hold the home field advantage today, which figures to bolster all of his stats. Over the past 7 days, Dansby Swanson's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 9.2% up to 17.6%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Tommy Pham in the 83rd percentile when estimating his BABIP skill. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation among all major league stadiums, which generally leads to better offense. In the last week, Tommy Pham's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 7.4% up to 18.8%. Tommy Pham's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased from last season to this one, increasing from 43.3% to 49.3%. By putting up a .272 Expected Batting Average (an advanced metric created by the leading projection system (THE BAT X) using Statcast data) this year , Tommy Pham is positioned in the 85th percentile.

Isaac Paredes is projected to bat 5th in the batting order today. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation among all major league stadiums, which generally leads to better offense. Isaac Paredes pulls many of his flyballs (45.7% — 100th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards the league's 7th-shallowest LF fences today. Home field advantage typically boosts batter metrics in all categories, and Isaac Paredes will hold that advantage in today's game. Isaac Paredes's average launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls this year (22.3°) is considerably higher than his 18° angle last season.

Among all stadiums, Wrigley Field's left field fences are the 6th-shallowest. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation among all major league stadiums, which generally leads to better offense. Home field advantage generally boosts batter stats in all categories, and Miguel Amaya will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Miguel Amaya has experienced some negative variance in regards to his batting average this year; his .213 mark is a good deal lower than his .236 Expected Batting Average, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Brendan Donovan in the 92nd percentile when estimating his batting average skill. Brendan Donovan is projected to hit 5th on the lineup card today. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation among all major league stadiums, which generally leads to better offense. Brendan Donovan will have the handedness advantage over Jameson Taillon in today's matchup. The Chicago Cubs have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Brendan Donovan stands a good chance of holding the platoon advantage against every reliever all game.

Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation among all major league stadiums, which generally leads to better offense. Nolan Arenado pulls many of his flyballs (42% — 99th percentile) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards MLB's 7th-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Nolan Arenado has seen a big improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs recently; just compare his 95.4-mph average over the past 7 days to his seasonal mark of 89.7-mph.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Willson Contreras in the 95th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive skill. Willson Contreras is penciled in 3rd in the lineup in today's game. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation among all major league stadiums, which generally leads to better offense. Willson Contreras has seen a sizeable increase in his exit velocity of late; just compare his 93.6-mph average in the past two weeks to his seasonal 91.6-mph EV. With a .375 wOBA (a leading indicator of offensive ability) this year, Willson Contreras is positioned in the 93rd percentile.