Chicago @ Washington Picks & Props

The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Nationals Park as the 3rd-worst park in MLB for RHB batting average. Nationals Park's altitude is near sea-level, one of the lowest among all parks, which generally leads to less offense. The Chicago Cubs infield defense grades out as the 3rd-best among every team in action today. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Amed Rosario's true offensive talent to be a .302, implying that he has been very fortunate this year given the .037 gap between that figure and his actual .339 wOBA. Since the start of last season, Amed Rosario's 4.8% Barrel%, an advanced standard for measuring power, places him in the 20th percentile among his peers.

As it relates to his overall offensive ability, Michael Busch ranks in the 91st percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). The 9th-shallowest RF fences in the majors are found in Nationals Park. The weather report expects temperatures in this matchup to reach the 5th-highest level of all games on the slate today at 84°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Michael Busch has made big gains with his Barrel% in recent games, improving his 14.2% seasonal rate to 27.8% in the past two weeks. Michael Busch's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has gotten better from last year to this one, rising from 18.1% to 23.9%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects James Wood as the best hitter in the majors when assessing his BABIP skill. James Wood is projected to bat 3rd on the lineup card today. The weather report expects temperatures in this matchup to reach the 5th-highest level of all games on the slate today at 84°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). James Wood has a 97th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (39.8%) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards baseball's 10th-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Extreme flyball hitters like James Wood are generally more successful against extreme groundball pitchers like Matthew Boyd.

As it relates to his overall offensive skill, Pete Crow-Armstrong ranks in the 80th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Pete Crow-Armstrong is penciled in 4th in the lineup in this game, which would be an upgrade from his 67% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the batting order this season. The weather report expects temperatures in this matchup to reach the 5th-highest level of all games on the slate today at 84°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Pete Crow-Armstrong pulls a lot of his flyballs (34.3% — 84th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards MLB's 10th-shallowest RF fences in today's matchup. Pete Crow-Armstrong has seen a sizeable increase in his exit velocity on flyballs lately; just compare his 99.8-mph average over the last two weeks to his seasonal figure of 94.9-mph.

The 9th-shallowest RF fences in the majors are found in Nationals Park. The weather report expects temperatures in this matchup to reach the 5th-highest level of all games on the slate today at 84°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Extreme groundball hitters like Robert Hassell III generally hit better against extreme flyball pitchers like Matthew Boyd. Home field advantage typically bolsters batter metrics in all categories, and Robert Hassell III will hold that advantage in today's game. Robert Hassell III has been hot in recent games, compiling a a 15% Barrel% (an advanced stat to measure power) in the past 7 days.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects CJ Abrams in the 77th percentile when estimating his batting average skill. CJ Abrams is projected to bat 1st in the batting order today. The weather report expects temperatures in this matchup to reach the 5th-highest level of all games on the slate today at 84°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). CJ Abrams pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (33.6% — 77th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards the game's 10th-shallowest RF fences in today's game. Home field advantage typically boosts batter metrics in all categories, and CJ Abrams will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Dansby Swanson in the 89th percentile when estimating his overall offensive ability. Dansby Swanson is projected to bat 5th in the lineup today. The 10th-shallowest LF fences among all stadiums are found in Nationals Park. The weather report expects temperatures in this matchup to reach the 5th-highest level of all games on the slate today at 84°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Hitting from the opposite that MacKenzie Gore throws from, Dansby Swanson will have an edge in today's game.

The 10th-shallowest LF fences among all stadiums are found in Nationals Park. The weather report expects temperatures in this matchup to reach the 5th-highest level of all games on the slate today at 84°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Extreme groundball bats like Nasim Nunez tend to perform better against extreme flyball pitchers like Matthew Boyd. Home field advantage typically bolsters batter metrics across the board, and Nasim Nunez will hold that advantage in today's game. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.304) suggests that Nasim Nunez has suffered from bad luck since the start of last season with his .277 actual wOBA.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Nathaniel Lowe in the 79th percentile as it relates to his BABIP ability. Nathaniel Lowe is penciled in 4th on the lineup card today. The weather report expects temperatures in this matchup to reach the 5th-highest level of all games on the slate today at 84°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Nathaniel Lowe has a 98th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (41.2%) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards MLB's 10th-shallowest LF fences today. Extreme groundball batters like Nathaniel Lowe tend to be more successful against extreme flyball pitchers like Matthew Boyd.

Seiya Suzuki projects as the 18th-best hitter in the league, per the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Seiya Suzuki is projected to bat 2nd in the batting order in today's game. The 10th-shallowest LF fences among all stadiums are found in Nationals Park. The weather report expects temperatures in this matchup to reach the 5th-highest level of all games on the slate today at 84°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Seiya Suzuki will hold the platoon advantage against MacKenzie Gore in today's game.

The weather report expects temperatures in this matchup to reach the 5th-highest level of all games on the slate today at 84°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Hitting from the opposite that Matthew Boyd throws from, Alex Call will have the upper hand in today's game. Alex Call has a 79th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (34%) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them out towards the league's 10th-shallowest RF fences in today's matchup. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter metrics in all categories, and Alex Call will hold that advantage today. Alex Call has posted a .375 wOBA (the best measure of overall offense) since the start of last season, checking in at the 97th percentile.

Jon Berti's BABIP ability is projected in the 92nd percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). The weather report expects temperatures in this matchup to reach the 5th-highest level of all games on the slate today at 84°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Hitting from the opposite that MacKenzie Gore throws from, Jon Berti will have the upper hand in today's matchup. Jon Berti has a 100th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (44.1%) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them in the direction of the league's 10th-shallowest RF fences in today's matchup. Extreme flyball hitters like Jon Berti tend to be more successful against extreme groundball pitchers like MacKenzie Gore.

The 10th-shallowest LF fences among all stadiums are found in Nationals Park. The weather report expects temperatures in this matchup to reach the 5th-highest level of all games on the slate today at 84°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Riley Adams will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Matthew Boyd today. Home field advantage generally bolsters batter stats across the board, and Riley Adams will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.235) may lead us to conclude that Riley Adams has had some very poor luck since the start of last season with his .203 actual batting average.

Carson Kelly is penciled in 3rd in the batting order today. The 10th-shallowest LF fences among all stadiums are found in Nationals Park. The weather report expects temperatures in this matchup to reach the 5th-highest level of all games on the slate today at 84°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Batting from the opposite that MacKenzie Gore throws from, Carson Kelly will have an edge today. Carson Kelly has made substantial gains with his Barrel%, bettering his 6.6% rate last season to 14.6% this year.

When estimating his overall offensive talent, Ian Happ ranks in the 87th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Ian Happ is penciled in 1st in the lineup in this matchup. The weather report expects temperatures in this matchup to reach the 5th-highest level of all games on the slate today at 84°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Ian Happ has an 80th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (34.3%) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them in the direction of the game's 10th-shallowest RF fences in today's game. Ian Happ's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased from last season to this one, going from 44% to 50.3%.

The weather report expects temperatures in this matchup to reach the 5th-highest level of all games on the slate today at 84°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Batting from the opposite that MacKenzie Gore throws from, Matt Shaw will have the upper hand today. Matt Shaw has a 91st percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (36.3%) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them out towards MLB's 10th-shallowest RF fences in today's matchup.

Josh Bell is projected to hit 5th in the lineup in this game. The weather report expects temperatures in this matchup to reach the 5th-highest level of all games on the slate today at 84°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Josh Bell has an 82nd percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (34.5%) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards the game's 10th-shallowest RF fences in today's game. Batters such as Josh Bell with extreme flyball tendencies are usually more effective when facing pitchers like Matthew Boyd who skew towards the groundball end of the spectrum. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter metrics in all categories, and Josh Bell will hold that advantage in today's game.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Nico Hoerner in the 97th percentile as it relates to his batting average talent. The weather report expects temperatures in this matchup to reach the 5th-highest level of all games on the slate today at 84°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Nico Hoerner will hold the platoon advantage against MacKenzie Gore today. Nico Hoerner has an 86th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (35.1%) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards the league's 10th-shallowest RF fences in today's matchup. Nico Hoerner has seen a substantial gain in his exit velocity on flyballs of late; just compare his 89.3-mph average in the past 7 days to his seasonal mark of 86.9-mph.

The 10th-shallowest LF fences among all stadiums are found in Nationals Park. The weather report expects temperatures in this matchup to reach the 5th-highest level of all games on the slate today at 84°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Justin Turner will have the handedness advantage over MacKenzie Gore in today's game. Justin Turner's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has increased from last year to this one, rising from 19.1% to 28.2%. Justin Turner has been unlucky in regards to his wOBA this year; his .263 mark is deflated compared to his .314 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

The weather report expects temperatures in this matchup to reach the 5th-highest level of all games on the slate today at 84°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Keibert Ruiz pulls many of his flyballs (38.8% — 97th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards the game's 10th-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Home field advantage typically improves batter metrics in all categories, and Keibert Ruiz will hold that advantage in today's game. Keibert Ruiz's launch angle lately (27.3° in the last 7 days) is considerably better than his 10.9° seasonal figure.