Los Angeles @ Houston Picks & Props

Minute Maid Park's altitude is near sea-level, one of the lowest among all parks, which often leads to lower offensive output. Yordan Alvarez hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (38.5% — 79th percentile) and will have to hit them out towards the league's 9th-deepest CF fences in today's game. Yordan Alvarez has experienced some positive variance in regards to his batting average since the start of last season; his .302 mark is a good deal higher than his .288 Expected Batting Average, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

Minute Maid Park's altitude is near sea-level, one of the lowest among all parks, which often leads to lower offensive output. Kyle Hendricks will hold the platoon advantage against Jose Altuve in today's game. There has been a decrease in Jose Altuve's average exit velocity this season, from 86.5 mph last year to 82 mph now 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, falling from 15.7% to 9.1%. Jose Altuve has been cold in recent games, notching a 80-mph average exit velocity in the last 14 days.

Mike Trout projects as the 7th-best hitter in the game, via the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Mike Trout is penciled in 3rd on the lineup card in today's game. The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making weather conditions in this contest 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate — favorable for offense. Mike Trout has been lifting the ball well lately, posting a 26.2° launch angle in the last 14 days. When it comes to his batting average, Mike Trout has been unlucky since the start of last season. His .217 mark falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .277.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Taylor Ward in the 93rd percentile when it comes to his overall offensive talent. Taylor Ward is projected to bat 1st on the lineup card in this game. The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making weather conditions in this contest 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate — favorable for offense. Taylor Ward has hit one of the hardest balls in MLB over the last week — 110.3-mph — which is a strong proxy for recent form and raw power. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.339) suggests that Taylor Ward has had bad variance on his side since the start of last season with his .324 actual wOBA.

Nolan Schanuel's batting average skill is projected to be in the 87th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making weather conditions in this contest 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate — favorable for offense. Nolan Schanuel will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Hayden Wesneski in today's game. Nolan Schanuel has a 75th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (33.2%) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards the game's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Extreme flyball hitters like Nolan Schanuel usually hit better against extreme groundball pitchers like Hayden Wesneski.

Isaac Paredes is penciled in 2nd in the lineup in this game. The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making weather conditions in this contest 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate — favorable for offense. Isaac Paredes pulls many of his flyballs (46.6% — 100th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Extreme flyball batters like Isaac Paredes tend to perform better against extreme groundball pitchers like Kyle Hendricks. Among all the teams today, the 3rd-worst outfield defense belongs to the Los Angeles Angels.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jorge Soler in the 94th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive talent. Jorge Soler is projected to hit 4th in the lineup in this game. The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making weather conditions in this contest 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate — favorable for offense. Jorge Soler has made notable improvements with his Barrel%, upping his 12.6% rate last season to 19.4% this season. In comparison to his 90.5-mph average last year, Jorge Soler's exit velocity has noticeably risen this season, now sitting at 92.5 mph.

Travis d'Arnaud is projected to hit 5th in the batting order in this matchup. The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making weather conditions in this contest 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate — favorable for offense. Travis d'Arnaud's 10.7% Barrel% (a reliable standard to measure power) is in the 76th percentile since the start of last season. Travis d'Arnaud's 95-mph exit velocity on flyballs (a reliable stat to study power) is in the 88th percentile since the start of last season.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Kyren Paris in the 83rd percentile when estimating his BABIP talent. The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making weather conditions in this contest 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate — favorable for offense. Kyren Paris has been hot in recent games, compiling a a 28.6% Barrel% (an advanced stat to measure power) over the last 7 days. Kyren Paris has shown some good exit velocity metrics lately, averaging 103.8-mph on his flyballs over the last week. Kyren Paris has been optimizing his launch angle on his hardest hit balls quite well in recent games, compiling a 23.6° angle on such balls in the last two weeks.

The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making weather conditions in this contest 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate — favorable for offense. Among all the teams today, the 3rd-worst outfield defense belongs to the Los Angeles Angels. Jake Meyers will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to improve all of his stats. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.323) implies that Jake Meyers has had some very poor luck since the start of last season with his .287 actual wOBA.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jeremy Pena in the 93rd percentile as it relates to his batting average skill. Minute Maid Park has the shallowest fences among all major league stadiums — generally good for dingers. The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making weather conditions in this contest 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate — favorable for offense. Among all the teams today, the 3rd-worst outfield defense belongs to the Los Angeles Angels. Home field advantage generally improves batter stats across the board, and Jeremy Pena will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

Minute Maid Park has the shallowest fences among all major league stadiums — generally good for dingers. The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making weather conditions in this contest 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate — favorable for offense. Jo Adell has seen a substantial improvement in his exit velocity this year; just compare his 92.8-mph average to last year's 89.6-mph figure. Compared to last season, Jo Adell has improved his ability to hit the ball at a launch angle ideal for base hits, increasing his percentage of balls hit between -4° and 26° from 38.3% to 46.2% this season. In the last week, Jo Adell has posted a 35.8° launch angle, lifting the ball well and indicating strong home run potential.

The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making weather conditions in this contest 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate — favorable for offense.

The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making weather conditions in this contest 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate — favorable for offense. Among all the teams today, the 3rd-worst outfield defense belongs to the Los Angeles Angels. Mauricio Dubon will possess the home field advantage in today's game, which should bolster all of his stats.

Christian Walker is penciled in 4th in the batting order in this game. Minute Maid Park has the shallowest fences among all major league stadiums — generally good for dingers. The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making weather conditions in this contest 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate — favorable for offense. Among all the teams today, the 3rd-worst outfield defense belongs to the Los Angeles Angels. Christian Walker will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to improve all of his stats.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Luis Rengifo in the 82nd percentile when it comes to his batting average skill. Luis Rengifo is projected to hit 2nd in the lineup in this game. The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making weather conditions in this contest 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate — favorable for offense. Extreme flyball hitters like Luis Rengifo tend to perform better against extreme groundball pitchers like Hayden Wesneski. Ranking in the 79th percentile, Luis Rengifo sits with a .336 wOBA (widely regarded as the top measure of overall offense) since the start of last season.

Victor Caratini is projected to bat 5th on the lineup card today, which would be an upgrade from his 100% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the lineup this season. The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making weather conditions in this contest 8° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate — favorable for offense. Among all the teams today, the 3rd-worst outfield defense belongs to the Los Angeles Angels. Home field advantage generally bolsters hitter metrics in all categories, and Victor Caratini will hold that advantage in today's game. Over the last 7 days, Victor Caratini's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 87-mph over the course of the season to 102.9-mph in recent games.