Athletics @ Houston picks

The Astros have scored in the first inning in just 17% of their games — easily the lowest rate in the majors. They also have an OPS of just .684 against lefties and will face A's southpaw J.P. Sears tonight. Sears has been solid on the road where he has a 3.09 ERA through 35 innings. He's also been sharp in the first inning where he yet to allow a run this year while logging an OBA of .118. Meanwhile, Houston will send ace Hunter Brown and his 2.04 ERA to the hill. 

When assessing his home run ability, Shea Langeliers ranks in the 96th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 5° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense.. Shea Langeliers pulls many of his flyballs (35.8% — 91st percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards the game's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today.. Shea Langeliers has gotten much quicker this season, improving from last year's 27.76 ft/sec to 28.36 ft/sec now (according to Statcast's Sprint Speed metric).. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.279) may lead us to conclude that Shea Langeliers has had some very poor luck this year with his .241 actual batting average.

Brent Rooker projects as the 10th-best home run hitter in the game, via the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Brent Rooker is projected to hit 3rd in the batting order in this matchup.. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 5° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense.. Extreme flyball bats like Brent Rooker usually hit better against extreme groundball pitchers like Hunter Brown.. Brent Rooker's 13.5% Barrel% (an advanced metric to assess power) grades out in the 84th percentile this year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Tyler Soderstrom in the 88th percentile as it relates to his home run talent.. Tyler Soderstrom is penciled in 4th on the lineup card in today's game.. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 5° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense.. Hitting from the opposite that Hunter Brown throws from, Tyler Soderstrom will have an edge today.. Tyler Soderstrom's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better from last year to this one, rising from 41.6% to 48.5%.

Isaac Paredes is projected to hit 2nd on the lineup card in this matchup.. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 5° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense.. Hitting from the opposite that JP Sears throws from, Isaac Paredes will have the upper hand in today's game.. Isaac Paredes pulls a lot of his flyballs (46.3% — 100th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards the game's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup.. Home field advantage generally bolsters batter metrics in all categories, and Isaac Paredes will hold that advantage in today's game.

As it relates to his home run skill, Christian Walker ranks in the 93rd percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Christian Walker is projected to hit 4th in the lineup in this matchup.. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 5° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense.. Batting from the opposite that JP Sears throws from, Christian Walker will have the upper hand in today's matchup.. Christian Walker pulls many of his flyballs (34.6% — 86th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards MLB's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game.

Jose Altuve's batting average talent is projected to be in the 88th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Jose Altuve is projected to bat 3rd in the batting order in this matchup.. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 5° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense.. Hitting from the opposite that JP Sears throws from, Jose Altuve will have the upper hand in today's game.. Jose Altuve pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (40.8% — 99th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards the league's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game.

Brent Rooker projects as the 10th-best home run hitter in the game, via the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Brent Rooker is projected to hit 3rd in the batting order in this matchup.. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 5° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense.. Extreme flyball bats like Brent Rooker usually hit better against extreme groundball pitchers like Hunter Brown.. Brent Rooker's 13.5% Barrel% (an advanced metric to assess power) grades out in the 84th percentile this year.

When assessing his home run ability, Shea Langeliers ranks in the 96th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 5° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense.. Shea Langeliers pulls many of his flyballs (35.8% — 91st percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards the game's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today.. Shea Langeliers has gotten much quicker this season, improving from last year's 27.76 ft/sec to 28.36 ft/sec now (according to Statcast's Sprint Speed metric).. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.279) may lead us to conclude that Shea Langeliers has had some very poor luck this year with his .241 actual batting average.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Denzel Clarke in the 95th percentile when assessing his BABIP talent.. Minute Maid Park has the shallowest LF fences in the league.. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 5° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense.

The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 5° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense.. Luis Urias pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (36.8% — 94th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards the game's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today.. Luis Urias has done a good job optimizing his launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls. His 17.5° mark is among the highest in the league since the start of last season (84th percentile).. Luis Urias has compiled a .324 wOBA (the best measure of overall offense) since the start of last season, placing in the 77th percentile.. When it comes to power, Luis Urias is ranked in the 82nd percentile, having paced 22.9 long-balls per 600 plate appearances since the start of last season.