Detroit @ Houston props

Minute Maid Park's elevation is near sea-level, one of the lowest in MLB, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to lower offensive output. Jackson Jobe will hold the platoon advantage against Jeremy Pena in today's game. Jeremy Pena has been cold of late, with his seasonal exit velocity of 89-mph dropping to 82.6-mph over the last week. Jeremy Pena's exit velocity on flyballs has dropped off this year; his 91.3-mph EV last season has dropped off to 89.2-mph. Jeremy Pena's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has decreased in recent games, decreasing from 35.1% on the season to 26.5% over the past 14 days.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Gleyber Torres in the 88th percentile as it relates to his batting average talent. Gleyber Torres is projected to hit 3rd in the lineup in this matchup. Gleyber Torres has seen a notable gain in his exit velocity on flyballs this year; just compare his 93.3-mph average to last season's 90-mph figure. Last season, Gleyber Torres had an average launch angle of 14° on his highest exit velocity balls, while this season it has significantly increased to 21.5°. Gleyber Torres has been lifting the ball well of late, notching a 24.9° launch angle over the past week.

Javier Baez pulls a lot of his flyballs (33.5% — 76th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards MLB's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Extreme flyball batters like Javier Baez tend to perform better against extreme groundball pitchers like A.J. Blubaugh.

Zach McKinstry has primarily hit in the back-half of the batting order this year (54% of the time), but he is projected to bat 2nd in the batting order in this matchup. Zach McKinstry will hold the platoon advantage against A.J. Blubaugh today. Zach McKinstry has seen a significant increase in his exit velocity on flyballs of late; just compare his 99.9-mph average over the past week to his seasonal average of 91.2-mph. Zach McKinstry's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved from last year to this one, increasing from 15.3% to 21%. Over the last 7 days, Zach McKinstry's 75% rate of hitting balls at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 47.5%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Spencer Torkelson in the 81st percentile when estimating his overall offensive ability. Spencer Torkelson is projected to bat 5th in the batting order in this matchup. Spencer Torkelson pulls a lot of his flyballs (36.5% — 94th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards MLB's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today. Spencer Torkelson has made notable gains with his Barrel% lately, bettering his 18.6% seasonal rate to 26.7% in the past week. Spencer Torkelson's launch angle of late (28.7° in the last 14 days) is a significant increase over his 20.5° seasonal mark.

Extreme groundball hitters like Tomas Nido usually hit better against extreme flyball pitchers like A.J. Blubaugh. When it comes to his wOBA and overall offense, Tomas Nido has suffered from bad luck since the start of last season. His .239 figure falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected wOBA (xwOBA) at .307. Tomas Nido's 11.2% Barrel% (a reliable standard to study power) ranks in the 82nd percentile since the start of last season. Tomas Nido's 94.9-mph exit velocity on flyballs (a reliable stat to assess power) is in the 85th percentile since the start of last season. Launch angles in the range of -4° to 26° tend to become base hits at a high rate; Tomas Nido and his 50.5% since the start of last season rank in the 93rd percentile by this measure.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Brendan Rodgers in the 80th percentile when it comes to his BABIP talent. Extreme groundball bats like Brendan Rodgers tend to perform better against extreme flyball pitchers like Jackson Jobe. Home field advantage typically boosts batter metrics across the board, and Brendan Rodgers will hold that advantage today. Over the past week, Brendan Rodgers's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 14.3% up to 25%. Ranking in the 83rd percentile, Brendan Rodgers has put up a .319 BABIP since the start of last season.

Colt Keith's batting average skill is projected to be in the 80th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Colt Keith is penciled in 5th in the batting order today. Colt Keith will have the handedness advantage over A.J. Blubaugh in today's matchup. Colt Keith has a 95th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (38.3%) and will have a big advantage hitting them out towards the game's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Colt Keith has suffered from bad luck when it comes to his wOBA this year; his .267 mark is a good deal lower than his .324 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

Victor Caratini is penciled in 5th on the lineup card in this matchup, which would be an upgrade from his 88% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the lineup this year. Extreme flyball bats like Victor Caratini are generally more successful against extreme groundball pitchers like Jackson Jobe. Victor Caratini will benefit from the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should boost all of his stats. Victor Caratini's launch angle this season (12.1°) is considerably better than his 9.1° figure last year. The standard deviation of Victor Caratini's launch angle since the start of last season (25.3°) is in the 94th percentile. A low mark like this tends to lead to a higher BABIP.

When assessing his BABIP talent, Riley Greene is projected as the 5th-best hitter in the game by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Riley Greene is projected to hit 4th in the batting order today. Minute Maid Park has the 2nd-smallest outfield in Major League Baseball — generally good for HRs. Riley Greene will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against A.J. Blubaugh today. Over the past 7 days, Riley Greene's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 9% up to 21.4%.

Isaac Paredes is penciled in 3rd in the lineup today. Isaac Paredes pulls a lot of his flyballs (46.3% — 100th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards the league's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today. Isaac Paredes will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should boost all of his stats. Isaac Paredes's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better from last season to this one, increasing from 39.7% to 50%. Isaac Paredes's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased recently, going from 48.1% on the season to 66.7% in the last 7 days.

Yordan Alvarez projects as the 2nd-best hitter in MLB, per the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Yordan Alvarez is penciled in 3rd in the lineup in this game. Yordan Alvarez will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Jackson Jobe today. Yordan Alvarez will benefit from the home field advantage today, which figures to improve all of his stats. Yordan Alvarez's launch angle in recent games (27.8° over the last 7 days) is quite a bit better than his 19.5° seasonal figure.

Jose Altuve's batting average ability is projected to be in the 90th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Jose Altuve is projected to hit 2nd in the lineup in this game. Jose Altuve pulls many of his flyballs (41% — 99th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards MLB's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter stats across the board, and Jose Altuve will hold that advantage in today's matchup. In the last two weeks, Jose Altuve's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 93-mph over the course of the season to 96.5-mph recently.

Trey Sweeney will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against A.J. Blubaugh in today's game. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.316) provides evidence that Trey Sweeney has suffered from bad luck this year with his .274 actual wOBA.

Christian Walker is projected to hit 4th on the lineup card in this matchup. Christian Walker pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (33.6% — 78th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards the game's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Home field advantage typically bolsters hitter stats in all categories, and Christian Walker will hold that advantage today. Christian Walker has made notable strides with his Barrel% recently, improving his 11.7% seasonal rate to 20% in the past 7 days. Christian Walker has seen a big gain in his exit velocity of late; just compare his 94.8-mph average over the last 7 days to his seasonal 90.6-mph figure.

Jake Meyers will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which should bolster all of his stats. Jake Meyers has been hot in recent games, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 90.3-mph to 94.5-mph over the last 14 days. Jake Meyers's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better from last season to this one, rising from 44.4% to 51.9%. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.258) implies that Jake Meyers has been unlucky since the start of last season with his .223 actual batting average.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Zachary Dezenzo in the 95th percentile when assessing his BABIP ability. In the majors, Minute Maid Park's left field fences are the shallowest. Zachary Dezenzo will benefit from the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to bolster all of his stats. Zachary Dezenzo has been hot lately, compiling a a 22.2% Barrel% (a reliable standard to evaluate power) in the last 7 days. Zachary Dezenzo has been zeroed in on the ideal launch angle for base hits lately, hitting balls between -4° and 26° 88.9% of the time over the past week.

Jace Jung will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against A.J. Blubaugh today. Jace Jung has an 88th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (35.5%) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards MLB's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game.

When estimating his overall offensive talent, Kerry Carpenter ranks in the 94th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Kerry Carpenter is projected to bat 1st in the batting order in today's game. Kerry Carpenter will hold the platoon advantage against A.J. Blubaugh in today's game. Kerry Carpenter's launch angle of late (56° in the past week's worth of games) is a considerable increase over his 20.5° seasonal mark. In notching a .358 Expected wOBA (or xwOBA, an advanced metric created by the leading projection system (THE BAT X) based on Statcast data) since the start of last season, Kerry Carpenter finds himself in the 93rd percentile for offensive skills.

Mauricio Dubon will benefit from the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to improve all of his stats. Compared to last year, Mauricio Dubon has improved his ability to hit the ball at a launch angle ideal for home runs, increasing his percentage of balls hit between 23° and 34° from 12.1% to 20% this season. Ranking in the 79th percentile, Mauricio Dubon has put up a .267 batting average since the start of last season.

Dillon Dingler has gone over 0.5 in 4 of his last 10 games.