San Diego @ Houston props

The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Minute Maid Park as the 9th-worst field in Major League Baseball for RHB batting average. Minute Maid Park's elevation is near sea-level, one of the lowest among all stadiums, which often leads to less offense. Jose Altuve's average exit velocity has dropped off this year; his 86.5-mph average last season has fallen off to 84.2-mph. Jose Altuve's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has fallen off from last season to this one, decreasing from 15.7% to 8.3%. In terms of his wOBA and overall offense, Jose Altuve has been lucky this year. His .336 figure has been a good deal higher than the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected wOBA (xwOBA) at .255.

Minute Maid Park grades out as the #21 stadium in the game for left-handed batting average, per the leading projection system (THE BAT). Minute Maid Park's elevation is near sea-level, one of the lowest among all stadiums, which often leads to less offense. Luis Arraez will be at a disadvantage playing on the visting team in today's matchup. Luis Arraez has been cold in recent games, notching a 0% Barrel% (a reliable metric to assess power) in the last two weeks' worth of games.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Minute Maid Park as the 9th-worst field in Major League Baseball for RHB batting average. Minute Maid Park's elevation is near sea-level, one of the lowest among all stadiums, which often leads to less offense. Ryan Gusto will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Fernando Tatis Jr. in today's game. Fernando Tatis Jr. hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (38.8% — 86th percentile) and has the misfortune of hitting them in the direction of the league's 9th-deepest CF fences today. Playing on the road generally lowers batter stats across the board due to the lack of home field advantage, which should be the case for Fernando Tatis Jr. in today's matchup.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Xander Bogaerts in the 95th percentile when assessing his batting average talent. Xander Bogaerts is penciled in 4th in the lineup in today's game. Xander Bogaerts has seen a notable improvement in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 91.3-mph average to last season's 88.1-mph figure. Xander Bogaerts's launch angle recently (32° over the last week) is a considerable increase over his 12.7° seasonal angle. Xander Bogaerts has recorded a .266 batting average since the start of last season, placing in the 79th percentile.

Because of Kyle Hart's large platoon split, Jake Meyers will have a colossal advantage hitting from the opposite side of the plate in today's game. The San Diego Padres infield defense projects as the 6th-worst out of all the teams today. Jake Meyers will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's game, which should boost all of his stats. Jake Meyers has had bad variance on his side thus far when it comes to his wOBA since the start of last season; his .285 figure is quite a bit lower than his .323 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Yainer Diaz in the 97th percentile when it comes to his batting average talent. Yainer Diaz will have the handedness advantage against Kyle Hart in today's game... and the cherry on top, Hart has a large platoon split. Batters such as Yainer Diaz with extreme groundball tendencies are usually more effective when facing pitchers like Kyle Hart who skew towards the flyball end of the spectrum. The San Diego Padres infield defense projects as the 6th-worst out of all the teams today. Yainer Diaz will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which figures to improve all of his stats.

Brendan Rodgers's BABIP skill is projected in the 79th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Given Kyle Hart's large platoon split, Brendan Rodgers will have a tremendous advantage hitting from the opposite side of the dish in today's game. Extreme groundball batters like Brendan Rodgers tend to be more successful against extreme flyball pitchers like Kyle Hart. The San Diego Padres infield defense projects as the 6th-worst out of all the teams today. Home field advantage typically improves hitter stats in all categories, and Brendan Rodgers will hold that advantage in today's game.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jeremy Pena in the 93rd percentile as it relates to his batting average ability. Jeremy Pena is projected to bat 5th on the lineup card in this game. Minute Maid Park has the 2nd-shallowest left field fences among all major league stadiums. Given Kyle Hart's large platoon split, Jeremy Pena will have a tremendous advantage batting from the opposite side of the plate today. Extreme groundball bats like Jeremy Pena usually hit better against extreme flyball pitchers like Kyle Hart.

Martin Maldonado pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (35.3% — 89th percentile) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards the game's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Martin Maldonado's 17.9° launch angle (a reliable metric to study a batter's ability to lift the ball for power) is one of the most flyball-inducing in the game: 84th percentile.

Jason Heyward will have the handedness advantage over Ryan Gusto in today's game. Jason Heyward's launch angle this season (22.5°) is considerably higher than his 10.2° angle last year. Jason Heyward's launch angle in recent games (36° over the last 7 days) is significantly higher than his 22.5° seasonal angle. In terms of his batting average, Jason Heyward has experienced some negative variance since the start of last season. His .207 BA falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .230.

Isaac Paredes is projected to hit 2nd in the batting order in this matchup. Isaac Paredes will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Kyle Hart today... and even better, Hart has a large platoon split. Isaac Paredes pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (46.6% — 100th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards MLB's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. The San Diego Padres infield defense projects as the 6th-worst out of all the teams today. Home field advantage generally improves batter metrics across the board, and Isaac Paredes will hold that advantage in today's game.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jose Iglesias in the 93rd percentile when estimating his batting average ability. Extreme groundball bats like Jose Iglesias usually hit better against extreme flyball pitchers like Ryan Gusto. Posting a .359 wOBA (a leading indicator of offensive ability) since the start of last season, Jose Iglesias grades out in the 91st percentile. By putting up a .334 batting average since the start of last season, Jose Iglesias is ranked in the 100th percentile.

Christian Walker is projected to hit 4th in the batting order in this game. Minute Maid Park has the 2nd-shallowest left field fences among all major league stadiums. Considering Kyle Hart's large platoon split, Christian Walker will have a gigantic advantage batting from the opposite side of the plate in this game. The San Diego Padres infield defense projects as the 6th-worst out of all the teams today. Christian Walker will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which should improve all of his stats.

Tyler Wade will hold the platoon advantage against Ryan Gusto today. Tyler Wade has an 80th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (34.1%) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them out towards the game's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Extreme groundball bats like Tyler Wade tend to perform better against extreme flyball pitchers like Ryan Gusto. As it relates to his wOBA and overall offense, Tyler Wade has had bad variance on his side since the start of last season. His .255 rate falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected wOBA (xwOBA) at .287. Tyler Wade is in the 78th percentile when it comes to hitting balls between 23° and 34°, the launch angle range that tends to best-produce home runs (18.1% rate since the start of last season).

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Yordan Alvarez ranks as the 2nd-best batter in the majors. Yordan Alvarez is projected to bat 3rd on the lineup card in today's game. The San Diego Padres infield defense projects as the 6th-worst out of all the teams today. Home field advantage generally bolsters hitter metrics across the board, and Yordan Alvarez will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Yordan Alvarez has seen a sizeable gain in his exit velocity on flyballs this year; just compare his 96.1-mph average to last season's 93.9-mph average.

Gavin Sheets is penciled in 5th in the lineup in this matchup. Gavin Sheets will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Ryan Gusto in today's game. Gavin Sheets has been hot recently, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 89.9-mph to 93.1-mph in the last week's worth of games. Compared to his seasonal average of 18.5°, Gavin Sheets has significantly improved his launch angle lately, posting a 33.3° figure in the last week's worth of games.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Oscar Gonzalez in the 82nd percentile when it comes to his batting average talent.

As it relates to his overall offensive ability, Manny Machado ranks in the 93rd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Manny Machado is penciled in 3rd on the lineup card today. Manny Machado has been hot lately, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 91.8-mph to 95.7-mph in the past week. Manny Machado has compiled a .278 Expected Batting Average since the start of last season, checking in at the 88th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data. Manny Machado has compiled a .348 wOBA (the best measure of overall offense) since the start of last season, grading out in the 87th percentile.

Zach Dezenzo has gone over 0.5 in 6 of his last 10 games.