Washington @ San Diego Picks & Props

The 2nd-shallowest centerfield fences in the majors are found in Petco Park. The Washington Nationals have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Tyler Wade has a strong chance of never losing the platoon advantage against the 'pen all game. Batters such as Tyler Wade with extreme flyball tendencies are usually more effective when facing pitchers like MacKenzie Gore who skew towards the groundball end of the spectrum. Tyler Wade will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to improve all of his stats. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.243) provides evidence that Tyler Wade has experienced some negative variance since the start of last season with his .218 actual batting average.

Alex Call has shown strong plate discipline this year, grading out in the 95th percentile with a 1.22 K/BB rate. Ranking in the 83rd percentile, Alex Call has posted a .282 batting average this year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Daylen Lile in the 77th percentile when assessing his batting average skill. The 2nd-shallowest centerfield fences in the majors are found in Petco Park. Batting from the opposite that Nick Pivetta throws from, Daylen Lile will have an advantage in today's matchup. Daylen Lile has seen a sizeable improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs recently; just compare his 96.1-mph average in the last two weeks' worth of games to his seasonal mark of 92.2-mph. Compared to his seasonal average of 13.8°, Daylen Lile has significantly improved his launch angle recently, posting a 19.4° figure in the past two weeks.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects James Wood as the best hitter in the game when it comes to his BABIP ability. James Wood is projected to bat 2nd in the lineup in this matchup. The 2nd-shallowest centerfield fences in the majors are found in Petco Park. Hitting from the opposite that Nick Pivetta throws from, James Wood will have an advantage in today's game. Extreme flyball hitters like James Wood generally hit better against extreme groundball pitchers like Nick Pivetta.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jacob Young in the 85th percentile as it relates to his BABIP talent. Extreme groundball hitters like Jacob Young are generally more successful against extreme flyball pitchers like Nick Pivetta. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.272) may lead us to conclude that Jacob Young has suffered from bad luck this year with his .248 actual batting average. Ranking in the 83rd percentile, Jacob Young has notched a .318 BABIP since the start of last season.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Brady House in the 92nd percentile as it relates to his BABIP ability. Brady House is penciled in 5th on the lineup card in this game. The 2nd-shallowest centerfield fences in the majors are found in Petco Park. In the past 14 days, Brady House's swing has been well optimized for base hits, notching a 59.3% of balls hit with a launch angle in the optimal range of -4° to 26°.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects Petco Park as the 5th-worst venue in MLB for left-handed batting average. Petco Park's elevation is near sea-level, one of the lowest in the majors, which tends to lead to worse offense. As far as temperature and humidity go, the 5th-most favorable pitching weather on the schedule is expected for this contest. MacKenzie Gore will have the handedness advantage over Luis Arraez in today's game. Luis Arraez's exit velocity on flyballs has declined this year; his 87.9-mph figure last year has fallen to 85.3-mph.

Batting from the opposite that MacKenzie Gore throws from, Elias Diaz will have the upper hand today. Elias Diaz hits many of his flyballs to center field (38.4% — 75th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting out towards the game's 2nd-shallowest CF fences in today's game. Home field advantage typically improves hitter stats in all categories, and Elias Diaz will hold that advantage in today's game. Over the past two weeks, Elias Diaz's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 90.8-mph over the course of the season to 98.9-mph recently.

When it comes to his overall offensive ability, Jake Cronenworth ranks in the 86th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). The 2nd-shallowest centerfield fences in the majors are found in Petco Park. The Washington Nationals have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Jake Cronenworth has a strong chance of never losing the platoon advantage against the 'pen all game. Jake Cronenworth will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should boost all of his stats. Jake Cronenworth has displayed favorable plate discipline this year, placing in the 89th percentile with a 1.43 K/BB rate.

Fernando Tatis Jr. projects as the 8th-best batter in the game, via the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Fernando Tatis Jr. is projected to bat 4th in the lineup in today's game. Batting from the opposite that MacKenzie Gore throws from, Fernando Tatis Jr. will have the upper hand in today's matchup. Fernando Tatis Jr. hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (40% — 97th percentile) and is fortunate to face the league's 2nd-shallowest CF fences in today's game. Home field advantage generally bolsters hitter metrics in all categories, and Fernando Tatis Jr. will hold that advantage today.

When assessing his batting average talent, Jackson Merrill is projected as the 18th-best hitter in baseball by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Jackson Merrill is projected to bat 3rd in the lineup in this matchup. The Washington Nationals have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Jackson Merrill can likely count on holding the advantage against every reliever all game. Jackson Merrill hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (40.2% — 98th percentile) and will have a big advantage facing baseball's 2nd-shallowest CF fences in today's matchup. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter stats across the board, and Jackson Merrill will hold that advantage today.

Gavin Sheets is projected to hit 5th in the batting order today. Gavin Sheets has a good chance to have the upper hand against every reliever from start to finish, since the bullpen of the Washington Nationals has just 1 same-handed RP. Gavin Sheets will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which figures to improve all of his stats. Gavin Sheets has seen a sizeable improvement in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 91.9-mph average to last season's 87.8-mph average. Gavin Sheets has seen a substantial increase in his exit velocity on flyballs in recent games; just compare his 99.1-mph average in the last two weeks' worth of games to his seasonal mark of 95.9-mph.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Nathaniel Lowe in the 79th percentile when estimating his BABIP ability. Nathaniel Lowe is projected to hit 4th in the lineup today. The 2nd-shallowest centerfield fences in the majors are found in Petco Park. Hitting from the opposite that Nick Pivetta throws from, Nathaniel Lowe will have the upper hand in today's matchup. Nathaniel Lowe has made significant gains with his Barrel% lately, improving his 7.6% seasonal rate to 22.2% over the last week.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects CJ Abrams in the 78th percentile when assessing his batting average ability. CJ Abrams is penciled in 1st in the lineup today. CJ Abrams will have the handedness advantage against Nick Pivetta today. Using Statcast metrics, CJ Abrams grades out in the 79th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average this year at .275. Checking in at the 89th percentile, CJ Abrams has posted a .369 wOBA (widely regarded as the top indicator of overall offense) this year.

Josh Bell is projected to bat 5th in the batting order in this matchup. The 2nd-shallowest centerfield fences in the majors are found in Petco Park. Extreme flyball batters like Josh Bell tend to be more successful against extreme groundball pitchers like Nick Pivetta. Josh Bell has been hot in recent games, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 89.9-mph to 93.6-mph in the past two weeks. Josh Bell has seen a significant improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs this year; just compare his 95-mph average to last season's 92.8-mph EV.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Manny Machado in the 95th percentile when it comes to his batting average skill. Manny Machado is projected to hit 2nd on the lineup card in today's game. Manny Machado will hold the platoon advantage over MacKenzie Gore today. Manny Machado hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (39.3% — 92nd percentile) and will have a big advantage facing the league's 2nd-shallowest CF fences in today's matchup. Manny Machado will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to improve all of his stats.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Xander Bogaerts in the 95th percentile when it comes to his batting average ability. Xander Bogaerts will have the handedness advantage over MacKenzie Gore in today's game. Xander Bogaerts hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (39.1% — 89th percentile) and will have a big advantage facing MLB's 2nd-shallowest CF fences in today's game. Xander Bogaerts will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which should bolster all of his stats. In the past 7 days, Xander Bogaerts's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 5.2% up to 17.6%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jose Iglesias in the 89th percentile when estimating his batting average skill. Batting from the opposite that MacKenzie Gore throws from, Jose Iglesias will have an edge today. Extreme flyball batters like Jose Iglesias usually hit better against extreme groundball pitchers like MacKenzie Gore. Jose Iglesias will possess the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to improve all of his stats. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Jose Iglesias's true offensive ability to be a .282, providing some evidence that he has suffered from bad luck this year given the .030 deviation between that figure and his actual .252 wOBA.

Over the last week, Riley Adams's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 15.2% up to 33.3%. Riley Adams has seen a sizeable increase in his exit velocity recently; just compare his 95.5-mph average over the last 7 days to his seasonal 91.3-mph figure. As it relates to his batting average, Riley Adams has had bad variance on his side since the start of last season. His .181 figure falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .220.

The 2nd-shallowest centerfield fences in the majors are found in Petco Park. As a switch-hitter who bats better from the 0 side of the dish, Bryce Johnson will have the advantage of batting from from his better side against MacKenzie Gore in this game. Extreme flyball batters like Bryce Johnson tend to be more successful against extreme groundball pitchers like MacKenzie Gore. Home field advantage typically improves hitter metrics in all categories, and Bryce Johnson will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.296) may lead us to conclude that Bryce Johnson has had some very poor luck since the start of last season with his .269 actual wOBA.