Los Angeles @ Houston Picks & Props

Minute Maid Park ranks as the #22 park in baseball for RHB BABIP, via the leading projection system (THE BAT). Minute Maid Park's elevation is near sea-level, one of the lowest among all parks, which generally leads to less offense. Hitting from the same side that Jack Kochanowicz throws from, Jose Altuve will have a disadvantage in today's matchup. Jose Altuve's average exit velocity has fallen off this year; his 86.5-mph average last season has dropped off to 83.2-mph. Jose Altuve's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has dropped off from last year to this one, going from 15.7% to 5.7%.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Mike Trout ranks as the 8th-best hitter in the game. Mike Trout is projected to hit 3rd on the lineup card in this matchup. The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this game 13° hotter than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for offense. In terms of his batting average, Mike Trout has been unlucky since the start of last season. His .209 figure falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .281. Since the start of last season, Mike Trout's 16.2% Barrel%, a reliable standard for measuring power, places him in the 96th percentile among his peers.

When assessing his overall offensive talent, Taylor Ward ranks in the 93rd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Taylor Ward is projected to hit 1st on the lineup card in today's game. The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this game 13° hotter than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for offense. When it comes to his wOBA and overall offense, Taylor Ward has had bad variance on his side since the start of last season. His .318 rate falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected wOBA (xwOBA) at .340. Ranked in the 79th percentile, Taylor Ward has one of the highest average exit velocities in the league since the start of last season (90.8-mph).

When estimating his overall offensive talent, Logan O'Hoppe ranks in the 89th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Logan O'Hoppe is projected to hit 5th in the lineup in this matchup. The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this game 13° hotter than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for offense. Logan O'Hoppe has seen a notable increase in his exit velocity on flyballs this season; just compare his 99.8-mph average to last season's 94.6-mph EV. Logan O'Hoppe's 13.4% Barrel% (an advanced metric to measure power) grades out in the 90th percentile since the start of last season.

Isaac Paredes is projected to bat 2nd on the lineup card in today's game. The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this game 13° hotter than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for offense. Isaac Paredes pulls many of his flyballs (46.5% — 100th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards MLB's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Bats such as Isaac Paredes with extreme groundball tendencies are usually more effective when facing pitchers like Jack Kochanowicz who skew towards the flyball end of the spectrum. Isaac Paredes will benefit from the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to bolster all of his stats.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Nolan Schanuel in the 87th percentile as it relates to his batting average skill. Minute Maid Park has the shallowest fences among all parks — generally good for HRs. The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this game 13° hotter than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for offense. Nolan Schanuel will have the handedness advantage against Ronel Blanco in today's matchup. Extreme flyball hitters like Nolan Schanuel tend to perform better against extreme groundball pitchers like Ronel Blanco.

Minute Maid Park grades out as the #22 venue in the league for lefty base hits, via the leading projection system (THE BAT). Minute Maid Park's elevation is near sea-level, one of the lowest among all parks, which generally leads to less offense. In today's game, Yordan Alvarez is at a disadvantage facing the league's 9th-deepest CF center field fences given that he hits his flyballs towards center field at a 38.5% rate (79th percentile).

Brendan Rodgers's BABIP skill is projected in the 79th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this game 13° hotter than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for offense. Home field advantage generally improves batter stats in all categories, and Brendan Rodgers will hold that advantage today. The standard deviation of Brendan Rodgers's launch angle since the start of last season (25.4°) is in the 93rd percentile. A low figure like this tends to lead to a higher rate of base hits. Checking in at the 85th percentile, Brendan Rodgers sits with a .321 BABIP since the start of last season.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jorge Soler in the 95th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive ability. Jorge Soler is penciled in 4th in the batting order today. The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this game 13° hotter than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for offense. Jorge Soler's 13.2% Barrel% (a reliable standard to evaluate power) ranks in the 89th percentile since the start of last season. Checking in at the 92nd percentile, the hardest ball Jorge Soler has hit since the start of last season reached a maximum exit velocity of 115.4 mph -- an advanced indication of underlying power ability.

The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this game 13° hotter than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for offense. In the past two weeks, Kyren Paris has been performing exceptionally well at the plate with a wOBA of .658. Kyren Paris is notably fast, grading out in the 92nd percentile in Sprint Speed at 28.7 ft/sec this year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jeremy Pena in the 93rd percentile when it comes to his batting average ability. Jeremy Pena is projected to hit 5th in the lineup in today's game. In MLB, Minute Maid Park's left field dimensions are the shallowest. The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this game 13° hotter than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for offense. Home field advantage typically improves hitter metrics across the board, and Jeremy Pena will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this game 13° hotter than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for offense. Home field advantage generally improves hitter stats in all categories, and Jake Meyers will hold that advantage in today's game. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.323) may lead us to conclude that Jake Meyers has suffered from bad luck since the start of last season with his .287 actual wOBA. When it comes to hitting balls between 23° and 34° (the launch angle range that tends to best-produce home runs), Jake Meyers and his 18.9% rank in the 90th percentile since the start of last season. The standard deviation of Jake Meyers's launch angle since the start of last season (26.1°) is in the 88th percentile. A low mark like this tends to lead to a higher batting average on balls in play.

In MLB, Minute Maid Park's left field dimensions are the shallowest. The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this game 13° hotter than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for offense. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.322) implies that Jo Adell has experienced some negative variance since the start of last season with his .292 actual wOBA. Grading out in the 93rd percentile, the hardest ball Jo Adell has made contact with since the start of last season reached a maximum exit velocity of 115.6 mph -- an advanced indication of underlying power skill.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Yainer Diaz in the 96th percentile when assessing his batting average talent. The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this game 13° hotter than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for offense. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter metrics in all categories, and Yainer Diaz will hold that advantage in today's game. Yainer Diaz has suffered from bad luck when it comes to his wOBA since the start of last season; his .317 figure is a fair amount lower than his .336 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data. Yainer Diaz is in the 96th percentile when it comes to hitting balls between -4° and 26°, the launch angle range that tends to best-produce base hits (48.3% rate since the start of last season).

Christian Walker is penciled in 4th in the batting order today. In MLB, Minute Maid Park's left field dimensions are the shallowest. The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this game 13° hotter than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for offense. Home field advantage generally improves hitter metrics in all categories, and Christian Walker will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Using Statcast metrics, Christian Walker grades out in the 81st percentile for offensive skills according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (xwOBA) since the start of last season at .341.

Luis Rengifo's batting average talent is projected to be in the 80th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Luis Rengifo has primarily hit in the back-half of the lineup this year (50% of the time), but he is projected to bat 2nd in the batting order in today's game. The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making conditions in this game 13° hotter than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for offense. Hitters such as Luis Rengifo with extreme flyball tendencies are usually more effective when facing pitchers like Ronel Blanco who skew towards the groundball end of the spectrum. Placing in the 77th percentile, Luis Rengifo has put up a .336 wOBA (widely regarded as the top measure of overall offense) since the start of last season.

Kevin Newman has gone over 0.5 in 4 of his last 10 games.

Mauricio Dubon has gone over 0.5 in 3 of his last 10 games.

Tim Anderson has gone over 0.5 in 5 of his last 10 games.