Chicago @ Miami Picks & Props

Otto Lopez has been lifted for a pinch-hitter 11% of the time when starting against a lefty hurler this year. LoanDepot Park's elevation is near sea-level, one of the lowest among all major league stadiums, which often leads to lower offensive output. The LoanDepot Park roof is expected to be closed today, making the temperature in this game -8° colder than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate — favorable for pitching. Otto Lopez's 4.8° launch angle (a reliable stat to measure a hitter's ability to lift the ball for power) is one of the lowest in the game: 4th percentile. By putting up a .262 wOBA (a leading indicator of offensive ability) this year, Otto Lopez finds himself in the 7th percentile.

LoanDepot Park projects as the #3 venue in baseball for righty BABIP, per the leading projection system (THE BAT). David Hensley will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Shota Imanaga in today's matchup. Extreme groundball bats like David Hensley are generally more successful against extreme flyball pitchers like Shota Imanaga. Home field advantage generally boosts hitter metrics across the board, and David Hensley will hold that advantage today. David Hensley has been unlucky in regards to his wOBA since the start of last season; his .208 figure is a fair amount lower than his .245 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

When assessing his overall offensive talent, Ian Happ ranks in the 92nd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Ian Happ is projected to bat 1st on the lineup card in today's game. LoanDepot Park grades out as the #3 park in Major League Baseball for lefty BABIP, per the leading projection system (THE BAT). As a switch-hitter who is best from the 0 side of the dish, Ian Happ will get to bat from his strong side against Valente Bellozo in today's game. Ian Happ has made big gains with his Barrel% in recent games, improving his 13% seasonal rate to 20% over the past two weeks.

LoanDepot Park projects as the #3 venue in baseball for righty BABIP, per the leading projection system (THE BAT). Ali Sanchez will have the handedness advantage over Shota Imanaga in today's matchup. Ali Sanchez hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (38.4% — 85th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting out towards MLB's 6th-shallowest CF fences today. Extreme flyball hitters like Ali Sanchez generally hit better against extreme groundball pitchers like Shota Imanaga. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter stats in all categories, and Ali Sanchez will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

LoanDepot Park projects as the #3 venue in baseball for righty BABIP, per the leading projection system (THE BAT). LoanDepot Park has the 5th-shallowest centerfield fences in Major League Baseball. In the past week, Miguel Amaya's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 4.6% up to 18.2%. Miguel Amaya has been hot in recent games, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 88.1-mph to 91.5-mph in the last week. Miguel Amaya's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved of late, increasing from 14.3% on the season to 27.3% over the last 7 days.

Isaac Paredes is projected to bat 5th in the lineup in this game. LoanDepot Park projects as the #3 venue in baseball for righty BABIP, per the leading projection system (THE BAT). Compared to his seasonal average of 23°, Isaac Paredes has significantly improved his launch angle recently, posting a 47° angle in the past 7 days. Last year, Isaac Paredes had an average launch angle of 18° on his highest exit velocity balls, while this season it has significantly increased to 21.9°. Sporting a 1.41 K/BB rate this year, Isaac Paredes has demonstrated good plate discipline, checking in at the 94th percentile.

When assessing his overall offensive skill, Dansby Swanson ranks in the 85th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). LoanDepot Park projects as the #3 venue in baseball for righty BABIP, per the leading projection system (THE BAT). Dansby Swanson hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (39.3% — 94th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting out towards baseball's 6th-shallowest CF fences today. Dansby Swanson has made substantial strides with his Barrel% lately, bettering his 8.8% seasonal rate to 16.7% in the last 7 days. Dansby Swanson's average launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls recently (23.7° in the last two weeks) is considerably better than his 14.5° seasonal angle.

Michael Busch is penciled in 2nd in the batting order in this matchup. LoanDepot Park grades out as the #3 park in Major League Baseball for lefty BABIP, per the leading projection system (THE BAT). Batting from the opposite that Valente Bellozo throws from, Michael Busch will have an advantage today. The Miami Marlins have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Michael Busch stands a good chance of holding the platoon advantage against every reliever all game. Michael Busch has made big improvements with his Barrel% recently, upping his 12.6% seasonal rate to 18.2% in the past week.

Nico Hoerner's batting average ability is projected to be in the 96th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). LoanDepot Park projects as the #3 venue in baseball for righty BABIP, per the leading projection system (THE BAT). In terms of his batting average, Nico Hoerner has had bad variance on his side this year. His .252 mark falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .283. In terms of plate discipline, Nico Hoerner's talent is quite strong, sporting a 1.58 K/BB rate this year while placing in in the 92nd percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Seiya Suzuki in the 96th percentile when assessing his overall offensive ability. Seiya Suzuki is projected to bat 3rd in the lineup in today's game. LoanDepot Park projects as the #3 venue in baseball for righty BABIP, per the leading projection system (THE BAT). Seiya Suzuki hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (42.4% — 100th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting towards the league's 6th-shallowest CF fences today. Seiya Suzuki's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has gotten better from last year to this one, rising from 16.3% to 20.1%.

LoanDepot Park projects as the #3 venue in baseball for righty BABIP, per the leading projection system (THE BAT). Cristian Pache will have the handedness advantage over Shota Imanaga today. Batters such as Cristian Pache with extreme flyball tendencies are usually more effective when facing pitchers like Shota Imanaga who skew towards the groundball end of the spectrum. Home field advantage typically bolsters hitter metrics across the board, and Cristian Pache will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Cristian Pache has gotten much quicker this year, improving from last season's 27.84 ft/sec to 28.38 ft/sec now (according to Statcast's Sprint Speed metric).

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Derek Hill in the 93rd percentile when estimating his BABIP ability. Derek Hill is projected to hit 5th in the lineup today, which would be an upgrade from his 76% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the lineup this year. LoanDepot Park projects as the #3 venue in baseball for righty BABIP, per the leading projection system (THE BAT). Derek Hill will hold the platoon advantage against Shota Imanaga in today's game. Extreme flyball hitters like Derek Hill usually hit better against extreme groundball pitchers like Shota Imanaga.

Jonah Bride is projected to bat 3rd in the lineup in today's game. LoanDepot Park projects as the #3 venue in baseball for righty BABIP, per the leading projection system (THE BAT). Jonah Bride will hold the platoon advantage against Shota Imanaga in today's game. Home field advantage generally bolsters batter metrics across the board, and Jonah Bride will hold that advantage in today's matchup. As it relates to plate discipline, Jonah Bride's ability is quite good, posting a 1.88 K/BB rate since the start of last season while checking in at in the 85th percentile.

When it comes to his overall offensive ability, Jake Burger ranks in the 91st percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Jake Burger is projected to bat 2nd on the lineup card today. LoanDepot Park projects as the #3 venue in baseball for righty BABIP, per the leading projection system (THE BAT). Jake Burger will have the handedness advantage against Shota Imanaga today. Home field advantage generally bolsters batter metrics in all categories, and Jake Burger will hold that advantage in today's game.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Pete Crow-Armstrong in the 81st percentile as it relates to his BABIP skill. LoanDepot Park grades out as the #3 park in Major League Baseball for lefty BABIP, per the leading projection system (THE BAT). Pete Crow-Armstrong will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Valente Bellozo in today's game. Pete Crow-Armstrong is likely to have an advantage against every reliever for the whole game, since the bullpen of the Miami Marlins has just 1 same-handed RP. In terms of his batting average, Pete Crow-Armstrong has been unlucky this year. His .216 BA falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .261.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Connor Norby in the 89th percentile when estimating his BABIP ability. Connor Norby is projected to bat 1st in the lineup today, which would be an upgrade from his 77% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the lineup this year. LoanDepot Park projects as the #3 venue in baseball for righty BABIP, per the leading projection system (THE BAT). Connor Norby will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Shota Imanaga today. Connor Norby will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to bolster all of his stats.

LoanDepot Park projects as the #3 venue in baseball for righty BABIP, per the leading projection system (THE BAT). LoanDepot Park has the 5th-shallowest centerfield fences in Major League Baseball. Nick Fortes will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Shota Imanaga in today's game. Home field advantage generally improves batter metrics in all categories, and Nick Fortes will hold that advantage in today's matchup. In the past week, Nick Fortes's 36.4% rate of hitting balls at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 10.8%.

LoanDepot Park projects as the #3 venue in baseball for righty BABIP, per the leading projection system (THE BAT). Vidal Brujan will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's game, which should boost all of his stats.

When it comes to his overall offensive skill, Cody Bellinger ranks in the 82nd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Cody Bellinger is projected to hit 4th on the lineup card in this game. LoanDepot Park grades out as the #3 park in Major League Baseball for lefty BABIP, per the leading projection system (THE BAT). Cody Bellinger will have the handedness advantage over Valente Bellozo in today's matchup. Cody Bellinger is apt to have an advantage against every reliever from start to finish, since the bullpen of the Miami Marlins has just 1 same-handed RP.

Jesús Sánchez has gone over 0.5 in 7 of his last 10 games.

Kyle Stowers has gone over 0.5 in 5 of his last 10 games.