Houston @ Pittsburgh picks

The Houston Astros have been struggling to score runs of late, plating just 9 runs across their last four games. Now they run into Paul Skenes, who has been solid, despite a 4-5 record. Skenes has not given up more than two runs in each of his last five starts, and I'm expecting that trend to continue vs. a weak-hitting Astros side. 

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Bryan Reynolds in the 94th percentile when estimating his BABIP ability.. Bryan Reynolds is penciled in 3rd on the lineup card in this game.. Built 724 feet above sea level, PNC Park has the 6th-highest altitude among all stadiums, which generally leads to higher offensive output.. The switch-hitting Bryan Reynolds will hold the platoon advantage while batting from from his better side (0) today against Lance McCullers Jr... Home field advantage typically improves batter metrics across the board, and Bryan Reynolds will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

Oneil Cruz projects as the 7th-best home run hitter in baseball, via the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Oneil Cruz is penciled in 1st on the lineup card in this game.. Oneil Cruz will hold the platoon advantage against Lance McCullers Jr. today.. Home field advantage generally boosts batter stats in all categories, and Oneil Cruz will hold that advantage today.. Oneil Cruz has made big strides with his Barrel%, upping his 15.7% rate last year to 24.6% this season.

As it relates to his home run talent, Christian Walker ranks in the 93rd percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Christian Walker is projected to bat 4th on the lineup card in today's game.. Built 724 feet above sea level, PNC Park has the 6th-highest altitude among all stadiums, which generally leads to higher offensive output.. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is projected to have the 5th-hottest weather on the schedule today at 82°.. Christian Walker's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has gotten better recently, going from 17.5% on the season to 25% in the last 7 days.

Oneil Cruz projects as the 7th-best home run hitter in baseball, via the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Oneil Cruz is penciled in 1st on the lineup card in this game.. Oneil Cruz will hold the platoon advantage against Lance McCullers Jr. today.. Home field advantage generally boosts batter stats in all categories, and Oneil Cruz will hold that advantage today.. Oneil Cruz has made big strides with his Barrel%, upping his 15.7% rate last year to 24.6% this season.

Oneil Cruz projects as the 7th-best home run hitter in baseball, via the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Oneil Cruz is penciled in 1st on the lineup card in this game.. Oneil Cruz will hold the platoon advantage against Lance McCullers Jr. today.. Home field advantage generally boosts batter stats in all categories, and Oneil Cruz will hold that advantage today.. Oneil Cruz has made big strides with his Barrel%, upping his 15.7% rate last year to 24.6% this season.

A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is projected to have the 5th-hottest weather on the schedule today at 82°.. Hitting from the opposite that Lance McCullers Jr. throws from, Adam Frazier will have an advantage today.. Adam Frazier will possess the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to improve all of his stats.. Over the past week, Adam Frazier's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 87.3-mph over the course of the season to 90.1-mph recently.. Adam Frazier's average launch angle on his hardest-hit balls this season (16.1°) is considerably better than his 11.9° figure last season.

Isaac Paredes is projected to hit 2nd on the lineup card in this matchup.. Built 724 feet above sea level, PNC Park has the 6th-highest altitude among all stadiums, which generally leads to higher offensive output.. Hitters such as Isaac Paredes with extreme groundball tendencies are usually more effective when facing pitchers like Paul Skenes who skew towards the flyball end of the spectrum.. Compared to his seasonal average of 20.3°, Isaac Paredes has significantly improved his launch angle lately, posting a 25.8° figure over the last two weeks.. Isaac Paredes's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has improved from last year to this one, going from 39.7% to 46.5%.