Los Angeles @ San Diego props

Petco Park profiles as the #26 ballpark in the league for lefty batting average, per the leading projection system (THE BAT). Petco Park's elevation is near sea-level, one of the lowest among all parks, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to worse offense. This game is predicted to have the 4th-most suitable conditions for pitching among all the games scheduled today. Over the past week, Jackson Merrill's exit velocity on flyballs has dropped off from his seasonal mark of 93.8 mph to 91.4 mph. Jackson Merrill's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has dropped off lately, decreasing from 48.9% on the season to 37.5% over the past 14 days.

The #5 stadium in the game for suppressing batting average to right-handed batters, per the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Petco Park. Petco Park's elevation is near sea-level, one of the lowest among all parks, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to worse offense. This game is predicted to have the 4th-most suitable conditions for pitching among all the games scheduled today. Kyle Hendricks will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Fernando Tatis Jr. in today's matchup. Fernando Tatis Jr. has struggled with his Barrel% lately; his 15.4% seasonal rate has dropped to 0% in the past 14 days.

Petco Park profiles as the #26 ballpark in the league for lefty batting average, per the leading projection system (THE BAT). Petco Park's elevation is near sea-level, one of the lowest among all parks, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to worse offense. This game is predicted to have the 4th-most suitable conditions for pitching among all the games scheduled today. Luis Arraez has been cold in recent games, with his seasonal exit velocity of 85.8-mph dropping to 80.5-mph in the last week. Luis Arraez's exit velocity on flyballs has declined this year; his 87.9-mph mark last season has lowered to 85.4-mph.

Among all stadiums, Petco Park's CF fences are the 2nd-shallowest. Kyren Paris has been hot lately, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 88.6-mph to 93-mph in the past 14 days. Compared to his seasonal average of 17.1°, Kyren Paris has significantly improved his launch angle recently, posting a 47° angle in the last 7 days. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.199) provides evidence that Kyren Paris has had some very poor luck since the start of last season with his .175 actual batting average.

The #5 stadium in the game for suppressing batting average to right-handed batters, per the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Petco Park. Petco Park's elevation is near sea-level, one of the lowest among all parks, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to worse offense. This game is predicted to have the 4th-most suitable conditions for pitching among all the games scheduled today. Hitting from the same side that Kyle Hendricks throws from, Manny Machado will have a tough matchup today. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Manny Machado's true offensive ability to be a .344, indicating that he has been very fortunate this year given the .036 gap between that mark and his actual .380 wOBA.

When assessing his BABIP talent, Tim Anderson is projected as the 7th-best hitter in the game by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Extreme groundball batters like Tim Anderson usually hit better against extreme flyball pitchers like Randy Vasquez. Tim Anderson has seen a significant gain in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 88.1-mph average to last season's 85.9-mph EV. Tim Anderson's footspeed has improved this year. His 27.11 ft/sec Statcast Sprint Speed last season sits at 27.68 ft/sec now.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Zach Neto in the 82nd percentile when assessing his overall offensive talent. Zach Neto is projected to bat 1st in the batting order in this game. Among all stadiums, Petco Park's CF fences are the 2nd-shallowest. Zach Neto has seen a sizeable gain in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 94.4-mph average to last year's 88.5-mph figure. Compared to last season, Zach Neto 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 40.6% to 53.6% this season.

When it comes to his overall offensive talent, Logan O'Hoppe ranks in the 86th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Logan O'Hoppe hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (38.7% — 84th percentile) and will have a big advantage facing baseball's 2nd-shallowest CF fences in today's matchup. Logan O'Hoppe has seen a substantial gain in his exit velocity on flyballs this season; just compare his 96.6-mph average to last year's 94.6-mph figure. Last season, Logan O'Hoppe had an average launch angle of 16° on his highest exit velocity balls, while this season it has significantly increased to 24.9°. In the past two weeks, Logan O'Hoppe's 63.3% rate of hitting balls at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 55.1%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Xander Bogaerts in the 93rd percentile when estimating his batting average talent. Xander Bogaerts is projected to bat 5th in the batting order in today's game. Among all stadiums, Petco Park's CF fences are the 2nd-shallowest. Home field advantage typically bolsters batter metrics in all categories, and Xander Bogaerts will hold that advantage in today's game. Xander Bogaerts's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased from last season to this one, going from 42% to 49.6%.

Among all stadiums, Petco Park's CF fences are the 2nd-shallowest.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jorge Soler in the 92nd percentile when assessing his overall offensive talent. Jorge Soler is penciled in 4th in the lineup in today's game. Jorge Soler hits many of his flyballs to center field (39% — 89th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting towards the game's 2nd-shallowest CF fences today.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Taylor Ward in the 91st percentile when it comes to his overall offensive ability. Taylor Ward is projected to bat 5th on the lineup card in today's game. Taylor Ward has made notable strides with his Barrel% lately, improving his 13.9% seasonal rate to 20% over the past two weeks. Taylor Ward's launch angle this year (21.3°) is quite a bit higher than his 17.3° angle last season. Compared to his seasonal average of 21.3°, Taylor Ward has significantly improved his launch angle lately, posting a 26° mark in the past two weeks' worth of games.

Among all stadiums, Petco Park's CF fences are the 2nd-shallowest. In the last week's worth of games, Jo Adell's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 14.7% up to 40%. In the past two weeks, Jo Adell's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 96.7-mph over the course of the season to 105.1-mph recently. Compared to his seasonal average of 13.5°, Jo Adell has significantly improved his launch angle recently, posting a 30° figure in the past 7 days. In terms of his batting average, Jo Adell has suffered from bad luck since the start of last season. His .205 BA falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .234.

Nolan Schanuel's batting average ability is projected to be in the 89th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Nolan Schanuel is projected to hit 2nd on the lineup card in this matchup, which would be an upgrade from his 51% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the lineup this season. Among all stadiums, Petco Park's CF fences are the 2nd-shallowest. Batting from the opposite that Randy Vasquez throws from, Nolan Schanuel will have an advantage in today's game. Nolan Schanuel has seen a notable gain in his exit velocity in recent games; just compare his 94.3-mph average in the last 7 days to his seasonal 87.9-mph figure.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Brandon Lockridge in the 89th percentile when assessing his BABIP talent. Brandon Lockridge hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (38.6% — 82nd percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest CF fences in today's game. Brandon Lockridge will possess the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to improve all of his stats. Ranking in the 99th percentile for Sprint Speed at 29.76 ft/sec this year, Brandon Lockridge is quite toolsy.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Yoan Moncada in the 89th percentile when it comes to his BABIP ability. Yoan Moncada is penciled in 3rd in the batting order today. As a switch-hitter who is best from the 0 side of the plate, Yoan Moncada will get to bat from his better side against Randy Vasquez in this game. Yoan Moncada has been hot lately, posting a .379 wOBA in the past two weeks. Yoan Moncada has been hot in recent games, putting up a a 25% Barrel% (an advanced stat to study power) in the past 14 days.

Among all stadiums, Petco Park's CF fences are the 2nd-shallowest. Home field advantage generally improves batter stats across the board, and Martin Maldonado will hold that advantage in today's matchup. This season, Martin Maldonado has experienced a significant increase in his exit velocity on flyballs, now sitting at an average of 95.6 mph compared to last year's 93.5 mph mark. In terms of the ability to lift the ball for power, Martin Maldonado ranks in the 84th percentile with a 17.9° launch angle, which is one of the most flyball-inducing angles in the game.

Travis d'Arnaud has gone over 0.5 in 7 of his last 10 games.

Batting from the opposite that Kyle Hendricks throws from, Jason Heyward will have the upper hand in today's game. Home field advantage typically improves hitter metrics across the board, and Jason Heyward will hold that advantage today. Despite posting a .225 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Jason Heyward has had some very poor luck given the .071 gap between that mark and his estimated true talent wOBA of .296.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Luis Rengifo in the 77th percentile when estimating his batting average skill. Luis Rengifo hits many of his flyballs to center field (39.4% — 92nd percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting out towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest CF fences today. Hitters such as Luis Rengifo with extreme flyball tendencies are usually more effective when facing pitchers like Randy Vasquez who skew towards the groundball end of the spectrum. Despite posting a .239 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Luis Rengifo has had bad variance on his side given the .056 discrepancy between that mark and his estimated true talent wOBA of .295. Luis Rengifo has put up a .319 BABIP since the start of last season, checking in at the 83rd percentile.

As it relates to his overall offensive skill, Jake Cronenworth ranks in the 87th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Among all stadiums, Petco Park's CF fences are the 2nd-shallowest. Batting from the opposite that Kyle Hendricks throws from, Jake Cronenworth will have an advantage in today's matchup. Home field advantage typically improves batter stats across the board, and Jake Cronenworth will hold that advantage in today's game. Jake Cronenworth's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has improved of late, increasing from 30% on the season to 50% in the last week's worth of games.

Hitting from the opposite that Kyle Hendricks throws from, Gavin Sheets will have an edge today. Gavin Sheets will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which figures to improve all of his stats. Gavin Sheets has made big improvements with his Barrel% of late, improving his 9.3% seasonal rate to 20% in the last 14 days. Gavin Sheets has seen a notable increase in his exit velocity this year; just compare his 92.6-mph average to last season's 87.8-mph mark. Gavin Sheets has seen a big improvement in his exit velocity recently; just compare his 95.5-mph average in the last two weeks to his seasonal 92.6-mph average.