Houston @ Athletics Picks & Props

The 6th-deepest left field dimensions in the majors are found in Sutter Health Park. Hitting from the same side that Jason Alexander throws from, Jacob Wilson will be in a tough position in today's matchup. Extreme groundball hitters like Jacob Wilson usually hit better against extreme flyball pitchers like Jason Alexander. In the last week, Jacob Wilson has failed to produce much power, posting a mere a 0% Barrel% (an advanced standard to study power). Jacob Wilson has been lucky this year, posting a .389 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .312 — a .077 gap.

The 6th-deepest left field dimensions in the majors are found in Sutter Health Park. Jeremy Pena will be at a disadvantage playing as a visiting player in today's matchup. From last season to this one, Jeremy Pena's ability to hit the ball at a launch angle that optimizes home runs (23° to 34°) has decreased substantially, plummeting from 12.3% to 8.9%. Jeremy Pena has experienced some positive variance in regards to his batting average this year; his .320 BA is quite a bit higher than his .278 Expected Batting Average, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data. Jeremy Pena's 89.7-mph exit velocity on flyballs (a reliable metric to assess power) ranks in the 15th percentile this year.

Yainer Diaz hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (39% — 88th percentile) but may find it hard to clear baseball's 11th-deepest CF fences in today's matchup. Yainer Diaz will be at a disadvantage playing on the road today. Yainer Diaz has exhibited weak plate discipline this year, grading out in the 11th percentile with a 5.02 K/BB rate. With a .266 BABIP this year, Yainer Diaz grades out in the 20th percentile.

Jose Altuve pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (41% — 99th percentile) and will be challenged by MLB's 6th-deepest LF fences in today's matchup. Jose Altuve will be at a disadvantage playing as a visiting player today. Jose Altuve's average exit velocity has fallen off in recent games; his 84.9-mph seasonal figure has lowered to 82.6-mph in the past two weeks. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.283) suggests that Jose Altuve has experienced some positive variance this year with his .324 actual wOBA. Ranked in the 3rd percentile, Jose Altuve's average exit velocity of 84.9 mph ranks among the lowest in MLB this year.

Jason Alexander will hold the platoon advantage over Brent Rooker today. In today's game, Brent Rooker is at a disadvantage facing the league's 11th-deepest CF center field fences given that he hits his flyballs towards center field at a 39.3% rate (92nd percentile).

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Lawrence Butler in the 82nd percentile when it comes to his overall offensive ability. Lawrence Butler is projected to bat 1st in the batting order today. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather forecast expects the hottest temperature on the slate today at 88°. The wind projects to be blowing out to CF at 9.2-mph in this contest, the 4th-best of the day for hitters. Lawrence Butler will have the handedness advantage over Jason Alexander in today's game.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Mauricio Dubon in the 82nd percentile as it relates to his batting average skill. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather forecast expects the hottest temperature on the slate today at 88°. The wind projects to be blowing out to CF at 9.2-mph in this contest, the 4th-best of the day for hitters. J.T. Ginn will hold the platoon advantage over Mauricio Dubon in today's matchup... and it's a particular mismatch considering Ginn's large platoon split. Mauricio Dubon has compiled a .263 batting average since the start of last season, ranking in the 78th percentile.

When it comes to his overall offensive talent, Tyler Soderstrom ranks in the 86th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Tyler Soderstrom is projected to bat 3rd in the lineup in today's game. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather forecast expects the hottest temperature on the slate today at 88°. The wind projects to be blowing out to CF at 9.2-mph in this contest, the 4th-best of the day for hitters. Tyler Soderstrom will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Jason Alexander in today's game.

High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather forecast expects the hottest temperature on the slate today at 88°. The wind projects to be blowing out to CF at 9.2-mph in this contest, the 4th-best of the day for hitters.

Christian Walker is penciled in 5th on the lineup card today. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather forecast expects the hottest temperature on the slate today at 88°. The wind projects to be blowing out to CF at 9.2-mph in this contest, the 4th-best of the day for hitters. Considering J.T. Ginn's large platoon split, Christian Walker will be at a big disadvantage hitting from the same side of the dish today. Christian Walker has made significant strides with his Barrel% lately, improving his 13.7% seasonal rate to 21.4% over the last two weeks.

Isaac Paredes is projected to hit 2nd in the lineup in this game. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather forecast expects the hottest temperature on the slate today at 88°. The wind projects to be blowing out to CF at 9.2-mph in this contest, the 4th-best of the day for hitters. Because of J.T. Ginn's large platoon split, Isaac Paredes will be at a gigantic disadvantage batting from the same side of the plate in today's matchup. Isaac Paredes has made significant improvements with his Barrel% lately, improving his 6.2% seasonal rate to 16% in the past 14 days.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Denzel Clarke as the 8th-best hitter in the game when it comes to his BABIP talent. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather forecast expects the hottest temperature on the slate today at 88°. The wind projects to be blowing out to CF at 9.2-mph in this contest, the 4th-best of the day for hitters. Denzel Clarke will possess the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to improve all of his stats. Denzel Clarke's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has increased of late, rising from 21.2% on the season to 36.4% in the past week.

Nicholas Kurtz has primarily hit in the back-half of the lineup this season (94% of the time), but he is projected to hit 5th on the lineup card in today's game. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather forecast expects the hottest temperature on the slate today at 88°. The wind projects to be blowing out to CF at 9.2-mph in this contest, the 4th-best of the day for hitters. Nicholas Kurtz will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Jason Alexander in today's game. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter metrics across the board, and Nicholas Kurtz will hold that advantage in today's game.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jake Meyers in the 84th percentile when assessing his batting average ability. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather forecast expects the hottest temperature on the slate today at 88°. The wind projects to be blowing out to CF at 9.2-mph in this contest, the 4th-best of the day for hitters. J.T. Ginn will hold the platoon advantage over Jake Meyers in today's game... and it's an even larger mismatch considering Ginn's large platoon split. Jake Meyers has seen a big gain in his exit velocity recently; just compare his 94.3-mph average over the past 7 days to his seasonal 88.6-mph mark.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Max Muncy in the 77th percentile when it comes to his BABIP talent. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather forecast expects the hottest temperature on the slate today at 88°. The wind projects to be blowing out to CF at 9.2-mph in this contest, the 4th-best of the day for hitters. Max Muncy will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's game, which should bolster all of his stats. Max Muncy has made big improvements with his Barrel% lately, upping his 9.3% seasonal rate to 17.2% in the past two weeks' worth of games.

High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather forecast expects the hottest temperature on the slate today at 88°. The wind projects to be blowing out to CF at 9.2-mph in this contest, the 4th-best of the day for hitters. Home field advantage generally boosts batter metrics across the board, and Luis Urias will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Luis Urias's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has increased of late, going from 9.9% on the season to 23.5% in the past 7 days. Luis Urias has shown good plate discipline this year, placing in the 92nd percentile with a 1.28 K/BB rate.

High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather forecast expects the hottest temperature on the slate today at 88°. The wind projects to be blowing out to CF at 9.2-mph in this contest, the 4th-best of the day for hitters. Home field advantage typically bolsters hitter stats across the board, and Austin Wynns will hold that advantage in today's game. In the past week's worth of games, Austin Wynns's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 17.6% up to 33.3%. Austin Wynns has seen a significant increase in his exit velocity on flyballs of late; just compare his 106.1-mph average over the last week to his seasonal average of 95.5-mph.

Victor Caratini has gone over 0.5 in 4 of his last 10 games.