Chicago @ Washington picks

The Cubs got the better of the Nationals on Tuesday, so we'll back them again to do the deed on Wednesday. Matthew Boyd has been solid this year, posting a 5-2 record with a 3.08 ERA. He should have plenty in the tank to deal with an average-hitting Nats side. 

Carson Kelly is penciled in 4th 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 4th-highest level of all games on the slate today at 85°, 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 it comes to his home run talent, Pete Crow-Armstrong ranks in the 86th percentile according to the leading projection system (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 weather report expects temperatures in this matchup to reach the 4th-highest level of all games on the slate today at 85°, 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.. Josh Bell has made big strides with his Barrel% recently, improving his 10.9% seasonal rate to 19.2% over the last 14 days.

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%.

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 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 4th-highest level of all games on the slate today at 85°, 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.

It is likely that we will see a Huge Hitters Umpire (Shane Livensparger) calling pitches in this game.. Projected catcher Riley Adams projects as a weak pitch framer, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT).. The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Nationals Park as the 9th-best field in baseball for walks.. 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).

When it comes to his home run talent, Pete Crow-Armstrong ranks in the 86th percentile according to the leading projection system (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 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.

It is likely that we will see a Huge Hitters Umpire (Shane Livensparger) calling pitches in this game.. The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Nationals Park as the 9th-best field in baseball for walks.. 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).. Given that groundball hitters hold a big advantage over flyball pitchers, Matthew Boyd and his 38% underlying GB% (according to the leading projection system, THE BAT) finds himself in a hard position in today's game being matched up with 6 opposing GB batters.