Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh picks

We took the Reds on Tuesday, and they were shut out 1-0. On Wednesday, we jump ship to the Pirates as I believe they have the pitching advantage despite what the surface-level stats say. Brady Singer may be 5-2, but he's given up 14 runs in the last three games, and has allowed a home run in seven straight, while dealing with major command issues. The Pirates should be able to take advantage on Wednesday. 

Bryan Reynolds's BABIP talent is projected in the 92nd percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Bryan Reynolds is penciled in 3rd in the lineup in this matchup.. Built 724 feet above sea level, PNC Park has the 6th-highest elevation among all major league stadiums, which generally leads to higher offensive output.. The switch-hitting Bryan Reynolds will have the advantage of batting from from his better side (0) today against Brady Singer... and even better, Singer has a large platoon split.. Bryan Reynolds will possess the home field advantage today, which should improve all of his stats.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) ranks Oneil Cruz as baseball's 8th-best home run batter.. Oneil Cruz is projected to hit 1st in the batting order today.. Oneil Cruz will have the handedness advantage over Brady Singer in today's game... and even better, Singer has a large platoon split.. Home field advantage generally improves batter metrics in all categories, and Oneil Cruz will hold that advantage today.. Oneil Cruz has seen a sizeable improvement in his exit velocity in recent games; just compare his 100.2-mph average in the last two weeks' worth of games to his seasonal 96.3-mph mark.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Matt McLain in the 95th percentile as it relates to his BABIP talent.. Batting from the opposite that Andrew Heaney throws from, Matt McLain will have an edge today.. In the past week, Matt McLain's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 11.8% up to 18.2%.. Matt McLain has seen a sizeable improvement in his exit velocity of late; just compare his 94.2-mph average over the past week to his seasonal 90.9-mph figure.. Matt McLain's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved in recent games, increasing from 17.4% on the season to 36.4% in the last week.

Rece Hinds will have the handedness advantage over Andrew Heaney in today's game.. Rece Hinds has notched a .346 Expected wOBA (xwOBA) since the start of last season, placing in the 91st percentile for offensive ability according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.. Rece Hinds has averaged 37.6 Expected Home Runs per 600 plate appearances since the start of last season, placing in the 99th percentile for power according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.. Ranking in the 92nd percentile for Sprint Speed at 28.95 ft/sec this year, Rece Hinds is notably athletic.

When assessing his BABIP talent, Elly De La Cruz is projected as the 2nd-best hitter in the game by the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Elly De La Cruz is projected to bat 3rd in the batting order today.. Extreme flyball bats like Elly De La Cruz usually hit better against extreme groundball pitchers like Andrew Heaney.. Elly De La Cruz has made sizeable gains with his Barrel% recently, upping his 11% seasonal rate to 16% in the past 14 days.. In the last two weeks' worth of games, Elly De La Cruz's 24% rate of hitting balls at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 16.5%.

As it relates to his home run talent, Alexander Canario ranks in the 84th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Alexander Canario is projected to hit 5th in the lineup in this game.. Home field advantage typically improves batter metrics in all categories, and Alexander Canario will hold that advantage in today's game.. Alexander Canario has seen a big gain in his exit velocity on flyballs recently; just compare his 101.4-mph average over the last week to his seasonal average of 97.7-mph.. Alexander Canario's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has increased recently, increasing from 20.4% on the season to 26.3% over the past 14 days.

When assessing his BABIP talent, Elly De La Cruz is projected as the 2nd-best hitter in the game by the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Elly De La Cruz is projected to bat 3rd in the batting order today.. Extreme flyball bats like Elly De La Cruz usually hit better against extreme groundball pitchers like Andrew Heaney.. Elly De La Cruz has made sizeable gains with his Barrel% recently, upping his 11% seasonal rate to 16% in the past 14 days.. In the last two weeks' worth of games, Elly De La Cruz's 24% rate of hitting balls at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 16.5%.

When assessing his BABIP talent, Elly De La Cruz is projected as the 2nd-best hitter in the game by the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Elly De La Cruz is projected to bat 3rd in the batting order today.. Extreme flyball bats like Elly De La Cruz usually hit better against extreme groundball pitchers like Andrew Heaney.. Elly De La Cruz has made sizeable gains with his Barrel% recently, upping his 11% seasonal rate to 16% in the past 14 days.. In the last two weeks' worth of games, Elly De La Cruz's 24% rate of hitting balls at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 16.5%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) ranks Oneil Cruz as baseball's 8th-best home run batter.. Oneil Cruz is projected to hit 1st in the batting order today.. Oneil Cruz will have the handedness advantage over Brady Singer in today's game... and even better, Singer has a large platoon split.. Home field advantage generally improves batter metrics in all categories, and Oneil Cruz will hold that advantage today.. Oneil Cruz has seen a sizeable improvement in his exit velocity in recent games; just compare his 100.2-mph average in the last two weeks' worth of games to his seasonal 96.3-mph mark.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) ranks Oneil Cruz as baseball's 8th-best home run batter.. Oneil Cruz is projected to hit 1st in the batting order today.. Oneil Cruz will have the handedness advantage over Brady Singer in today's game... and even better, Singer has a large platoon split.. Home field advantage generally improves batter metrics in all categories, and Oneil Cruz will hold that advantage today.. Oneil Cruz has seen a sizeable improvement in his exit velocity in recent games; just compare his 100.2-mph average in the last two weeks' worth of games to his seasonal 96.3-mph mark.