Miami @ Pittsburgh Picks & Props

The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 8.1-mph in this match-up, the 3rd-strongest of the day for batters. Nick Fortes has seen a sizeable increase in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 87-mph average to last year's 84.1-mph EV. Compared to last year, Nick Fortes has improved his ability to hit the ball at a launch angle ideal for home runs, increasing his percentage of balls hit between 23° and 34° from 11.6% to 19.7% this season. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.296) provides evidence that Nick Fortes has experienced some negative variance this year with his .243 actual wOBA.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Javier Sanoja in the 95th percentile when it comes to his batting average ability. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 8.1-mph in this match-up, the 3rd-strongest of the day for batters. Javier Sanoja has been hot in recent games, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 89.3-mph to 93.4-mph in the last 14 days. In the last week's worth of games, Javier Sanoja's 25% rate of hitting balls at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 13.6%. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.278) provides evidence that Javier Sanoja has suffered from bad luck this year with his .241 actual batting average.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Dane Myers as the 10th-best hitter in the majors when assessing his BABIP skill. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 8.1-mph in this match-up, the 3rd-strongest of the day for batters. By putting up a .337 wOBA (a leading indicator of offensive ability) since the start of last season, Dane Myers grades out in the 87th percentile. In notching a .379 BABIP since the start of last season, Dane Myers grades out in the 97th percentile.

The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 8.1-mph in this match-up, the 3rd-strongest of the day for batters.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Connor Norby in the 97th percentile when estimating his BABIP talent. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 8.1-mph in this match-up, the 3rd-strongest of the day for batters. In notching a .323 BABIP since the start of last season, Connor Norby finds himself in the 83rd percentile.

According to the weather report, the temperature and humidity for this matchup will be the 5th-most favorable for pitching of the day. Bryan Reynolds has a 75th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (33.5%) and has the misfortune of hitting them towards the game's 11th-deepest LF fences in today's matchup.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Oneil Cruz in the 96th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive skill. Oneil Cruz is projected to hit 1st in the lineup in today's game. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 8.1-mph in this match-up, the 3rd-strongest of the day for batters. Oneil Cruz will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Sandy Alcantara in today's matchup. Oneil Cruz will possess the home field advantage today, which should boost all of his stats.

Agustin Ramirez is penciled in 4th in the batting order in today's game. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 8.1-mph in this match-up, the 3rd-strongest of the day for batters. Agustin Ramirez has seen a significant gain in his exit velocity on flyballs of late; just compare his 100.6-mph average over the last 7 days to his seasonal figure of 93.9-mph.

According to the weather report, the temperature and humidity for this matchup will be the 5th-most favorable for pitching of the day. Xavier Edwards has a 99th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (41.8%) but may find it hard to clear the league's 11th-deepest LF fences in today's game. The Pittsburgh Pirates infield defense projects as the 3rd-best out of every team today. Xavier Edwards is an extreme groundball hitter and matches up with the strong infield defense of Pittsburgh (#3-best of all teams today). Xavier Edwards will be at a disadvantage playing on the road today.

The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 8.1-mph in this match-up, the 3rd-strongest of the day for batters. In the past week's worth of games, Heriberto Hernandez has been performing exceptionally well at the plate with a wOBA of .387. Over the last week, Heriberto Hernandez has averaged an impressive 101.4-mph exit velocity on his flyballs, an advanced measure of home run potential. Heriberto Hernandez has been zeroed in on the ideal launch angle for base hits lately, hitting balls between -4° and 26° 63.6% of the time over the last week.

When estimating his overall offensive ability, Jesus Sanchez ranks in the 89th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Jesus Sanchez is projected to bat 2nd in the lineup in this game. The #5 park in the game for boosting BABIP to LHB, via the leading projection system (THE BAT), is PNC Park. PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest elevation in the league. High elevation tends to lead to higher offensive output. Jesus Sanchez will hold the platoon advantage over Mitch Keller today.

According to the weather report, the temperature and humidity for this matchup will be the 5th-most favorable for pitching of the day. Hitting from the same side that Mitch Keller throws from, Otto Lopez will have a tough matchup today. The Pittsburgh Pirates infield defense projects as the 3rd-best out of every team today. Playing on the road typically weakens hitter stats across the board due to the lack of home field advantage, which figures to be the case for Otto Lopez today. Over the past 7 days, Otto Lopez's 6.7% rate of hitting balls at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has taken a nosedive compared to his seasonal rate of 17.4%.

When estimating his overall offensive skill, Kyle Stowers ranks in the 75th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Kyle Stowers is projected to hit 5th on the lineup card in this matchup. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 8.1-mph in this match-up, the 3rd-strongest of the day for batters. Kyle Stowers will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Mitch Keller today. Kyle Stowers has made substantial improvements with his Barrel%, improving his 11% rate last season to 20.4% this season.

The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 8.1-mph in this match-up, the 3rd-strongest of the day for batters. Henry Davis will benefit from the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to bolster all of his stats. Over the last 14 days, Henry Davis has improved his Barrel% substantially, increasing it from his seasonal rate of 10.2% to 22.7%. In the past two weeks, Henry Davis's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 90.9-mph over the course of the season to 98.7-mph in recent games. Over the past 7 days, Henry Davis's 45.5% rate of hitting balls at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 15.3%.

Jared Triolo's BABIP skill is projected in the 79th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 8.1-mph in this match-up, the 3rd-strongest of the day for batters. Jared Triolo will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to bolster all of his stats. Jared Triolo's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has gotten better in recent games, going from 19.5% on the season to 30% over the last week. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.235) implies that Jared Triolo has suffered from bad luck since the start of last season with his .210 actual batting average.

The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 8.1-mph in this match-up, the 3rd-strongest of the day for batters. Adam Frazier will have the handedness advantage against Sandy Alcantara in today's matchup. Home field advantage generally boosts batter metrics in all categories, and Adam Frazier will hold that advantage in today's game. Adam Frazier's average launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls this season (15.6°) is considerably higher than his 11.9° angle last season. Adam Frazier's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved in recent games, increasing from 15.9% on the season to 29.4% in the past two weeks' worth of games.

As it relates to his overall offensive skill, Andrew McCutchen ranks in the 86th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Andrew McCutchen is projected to bat 2nd in the lineup in this matchup. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 8.1-mph in this match-up, the 3rd-strongest of the day for batters. Andrew McCutchen will possess the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to improve all of his stats. Andrew McCutchen has made sizeable gains with his Barrel% in recent games, improving his 10.7% seasonal rate to 16.7% in the past two weeks.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Spencer Horwitz in the 78th percentile when assessing his batting average ability. Spencer Horwitz is projected to bat 4th on the lineup card today. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 8.1-mph in this match-up, the 3rd-strongest of the day for batters. Spencer Horwitz will have the handedness advantage over Sandy Alcantara in today's game. Home field advantage typically improves hitter stats across the board, and Spencer Horwitz will hold that advantage in today's game.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Ke'Bryan Hayes in the 75th percentile when it comes to his batting average ability. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 8.1-mph in this match-up, the 3rd-strongest of the day for batters. Home field advantage typically bolsters hitter stats in all categories, and Ke'Bryan Hayes will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Despite posting a .254 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Ke'Bryan Hayes has been unlucky given the .043 deviation between that mark and his estimated true talent wOBA of .297.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the 89th percentile when estimating his batting average skill. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 8.1-mph in this match-up, the 3rd-strongest of the day for batters. Isiah Kiner-Falefa will possess the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to improve all of his stats. Placing in the 91st percentile, Isiah Kiner-Falefa sports a .294 batting average this year.