Pittsburgh @ St. Louis picks

Tallying 96.5 adjusted pitches per GS this year on average, Mitch Keller checks in at the 91st percentile.. As far as temperature and humidity go, the 5th-best pitching weather on the schedule is expected for this matchup.. The wind projects to be blowing in from RF at 8.1-mph in this game, the 4th-strongest of the day for pitchers.. Mitch Keller's slider usage has spiked by 8.4% from last year to this one (25.1% to 33.5%) .. Out of all starting pitchers, Mitch Keller's fastball spin rate of 2405 rpm ranks in the 84th percentile this year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Willson Contreras in the 94th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive skill.. Willson Contreras is projected to hit 4th in the batting order in this matchup.. In the league, Busch Stadium has the 10th-lowest average fence height.. Willson Contreras hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (38.4% — 77th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting out towards the league's 7th-shallowest CF fences in today's game.. Extreme groundball bats like Willson Contreras tend to be more successful against extreme flyball pitchers like Mitch Keller.

Oneil Cruz projects as the 8th-best home run hitter in baseball, via the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Oneil Cruz is projected to bat 1st in the lineup in today's game.. In the league, Busch Stadium has the 10th-lowest average fence height.. Oneil Cruz will have the handedness advantage over Sonny Gray in today's matchup.. The St. Louis Cardinals infield defense grades out as the 2nd-worst among every team in action today.

When it comes to his home run skill, Joey Bart ranks in the 75th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Joey Bart is penciled in 4th on the lineup card today.. In the league, Busch Stadium has the 10th-lowest average fence height.. The St. Louis Cardinals infield defense grades out as the 2nd-worst among every team in action today.. Joey Bart's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better from last season to this one, going from 43.1% to 52.5%.

Oneil Cruz projects as the 8th-best home run hitter in baseball, via the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Oneil Cruz is projected to bat 1st in the lineup in today's game.. In the league, Busch Stadium has the 10th-lowest average fence height.. Oneil Cruz will have the handedness advantage over Sonny Gray in today's matchup.. The St. Louis Cardinals infield defense grades out as the 2nd-worst among every team in action today.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Willson Contreras in the 94th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive skill.. Willson Contreras is projected to hit 4th in the batting order in this matchup.. In the league, Busch Stadium has the 10th-lowest average fence height.. Willson Contreras hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (38.4% — 77th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting out towards the league's 7th-shallowest CF fences in today's game.. Extreme groundball bats like Willson Contreras tend to be more successful against extreme flyball pitchers like Mitch Keller.

In the league, Busch Stadium has the 10th-lowest average fence height.. Extreme groundball hitters like Liover Peguero generally hit better against extreme flyball pitchers like Sonny Gray.. The St. Louis Cardinals infield defense grades out as the 2nd-worst among every team in action today.. Liover Peguero is in the 97th percentile when it comes to hitting balls between -4° and 26°, the launch angle range that tends to best-produce base hits (57.1% rate since the start of last season).

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jared Triolo in the 79th percentile as it relates to his BABIP ability.. In the league, Busch Stadium has the 10th-lowest average fence height.. The St. Louis Cardinals infield defense grades out as the 2nd-worst among every team in action today.. Jared Triolo has seen a big increase in his exit velocity lately; just compare his 91.6-mph average in the last week's worth of games to his seasonal 88.6-mph mark.. Compared to his seasonal average of 18°, Jared Triolo has significantly improved his launch angle lately, posting a 23.2° mark over the past 14 days.