Washington @ Los Angeles Picks & Props

The Los Angeles Angels infield defense projects as the 4th-best out of every team on the slate today. Playing on the road generally reduces hitter stats across the board due to the lack of home field advantage, which figures to be the case for CJ Abrams today. Compared to his seasonal angle of 12.5°, CJ Abrams has produced a noticeably lower launch angle (7.6°) over the last 14 days. Last season, CJ Abrams had a launch angle of 13.7° on his highest exit velocity balls, but this year he experienced a significant decline to just 9.6°. CJ Abrams has been lucky this year, compiling a .362 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .321 — a .041 difference.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Christian Moore in the 87th percentile as it relates to his BABIP skill. Christian Moore will possess the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to improve all of his stats. Christian Moore has been hot in recent games, putting up a a 27.3% Barrel% (an advanced stat to assess power) over the past 7 days. Christian Moore has been zeroed in on the ideal launch angle for home runs of late, angling balls between 23° and 34° 25% of the time in the past two weeks' worth of games.

When estimating his BABIP ability, James Wood is projected as the best hitter in the game by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). James Wood is projected to hit 2nd in the batting order in this game. Hitting from the opposite that Jose Soriano throws from, James Wood will have an edge in today's matchup. James Wood has made substantial improvements with his Barrel%, upping his 10.7% rate last season to 19.7% this year. James Wood has made significant strides with his Barrel% in recent games, upping his 19.7% seasonal rate to 29.4% in the past two weeks.

Hitting from the same side that Jake Irvin throws from, Mike Trout will be at a disadvantage in today's matchup. Mike Trout has taken a step back with his Barrel% recently; his 17.3% seasonal rate has lowered to 0% over the past 7 days. In the last week's worth of games, Mike Trout's 0% rate of hitting balls at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has taken a nosedive compared to his seasonal rate of 25.2%. Placing in the 21st percentile, Mike Trout sits with a .244 BABIP since the start of last season.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Brady House in the 90th percentile when assessing his BABIP skill.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Taylor Ward in the 94th percentile when estimating his overall offensive skill. Taylor Ward is penciled in 4th in the lineup in today's game. Hitters such as Taylor Ward with extreme flyball tendencies are usually more effective when facing pitchers like Jake Irvin who skew towards the groundball end of the spectrum. Home field advantage typically bolsters batter metrics in all categories, and Taylor Ward will hold that advantage in today's game. Taylor Ward's launch angle this year (20.4°) is a considerable increase over his 17.3° mark last year.

Jacob Young's BABIP ability is projected in the 86th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Jacob Young has seen a significant improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs this season; just compare his 88.3-mph average to last year's 84.9-mph figure. Over the last two weeks, Jacob Young has significantly improved the launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls: 6.5° compared to his seasonal mark of -0.2°. Jacob Young has been unlucky in regards to his batting average this year; his .250 BA is a fair amount lower than his .274 Expected Batting Average, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data. As it relates to plate discipline, Jacob Young's ability is quite impressive, posting a 1.64 K/BB rate this year while ranking in in the 82nd percentile.

Daylen Lile's batting average skill is projected to be in the 78th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Daylen Lile will hold the platoon advantage against Jose Soriano in today's game. Daylen Lile's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has improved in recent games, increasing from 49% on the season to 61.5% over the past week.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Nolan Schanuel in the 91st percentile when it comes to his batting average talent. Nolan Schanuel is projected to bat 2nd in the lineup today. Hitting from the opposite that Jake Irvin throws from, Nolan Schanuel will have the upper hand today. The Washington Nationals have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Nolan Schanuel can likely count on holding the platoon advantage against every reliever all game. Home field advantage typically boosts batter stats in all categories, and Nolan Schanuel will hold that advantage today.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jo Adell in the 79th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive skill. Jo Adell has primarily hit in the back-half of the lineup this year (98% of the time), but he is projected to hit 5th in the batting order in today's game. Home field advantage typically improves batter stats in all categories, and Jo Adell will hold that advantage today. This season, Jo Adell has experienced a significant increase in his exit velocity on flyballs, now sitting at an average of 99.6 mph compared to last year's 94.1 mph mark. Jo Adell's launch angle lately (22.6° over the past two weeks) is considerably higher than his 14.9° seasonal angle.

Scott Kingery will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which should boost all of his stats.

Hitting from the opposite that Jake Irvin throws from, LaMonte Wade Jr. will have an edge in today's matchup. LaMonte Wade Jr. is apt to have an advantage against every reliever from start to finish, since the bullpen of the Washington Nationals has just 1 same-handed RP. LaMonte Wade Jr. will possess the home field advantage today, which ought to boost all of his stats. LaMonte Wade Jr.'s launch angle this year (21.4°) is quite a bit better than his 12.8° angle last season. LaMonte Wade Jr.'s ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better lately, going from 47.7% on the season to 58.3% in the past week.

Josh Bell is penciled in 5th in the lineup today. Josh Bell has seen a sizeable gain in his exit velocity on flyballs this year; just compare his 95-mph average to last season's 92.8-mph average. Josh Bell has had some very poor luck with his batting average this year; his .193 rate is a good deal lower than his .231 Expected Batting Average, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Nathaniel Lowe in the 79th percentile as it relates to his BABIP skill. Nathaniel Lowe is projected to bat 4th in the lineup in today's game. Nathaniel Lowe will hold the platoon advantage over Jose Soriano today. Nathaniel Lowe has made significant gains with his Barrel% lately, bettering his 7.5% seasonal rate to 23.5% in the last week.

Riley Adams's launch angle recently (23° in the past 7 days) is a considerable increase over his 11.4° seasonal mark. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.219) provides evidence that Riley Adams has had some very poor luck since the start of last season with his .179 actual batting average. Since the start of last season, Riley Adams's flyball exit velocity (an advanced standard to measure power) grades out in the 89th percentile at 95.2 mph.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Logan O'Hoppe in the 85th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive ability. Logan O'Hoppe will possess the home field advantage today, which ought to boost all of his stats. Logan O'Hoppe has made sizeable strides with his Barrel%, bettering his 12% rate last year to 18.6% this season. In the past 7 days, Logan O'Hoppe's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 18.6% up to 33.3%. Last year, Logan O'Hoppe had an average launch angle of 16° on his highest exit velocity balls, while this year it has significantly increased to 22.1°.

Home field advantage typically bolsters hitter stats in all categories, and Kevin Newman will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Luis Rengifo in the 77th percentile when estimating his batting average ability. Luis Rengifo is projected to bat 1st on the lineup card in this game, which would be an upgrade from his 74% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the lineup this year. Luis Rengifo will possess the home field advantage today, which should bolster all of his stats. Luis Rengifo has seen a notable gain in his exit velocity on flyballs this year; just compare his 91.5-mph average to last year's 87.5-mph EV. Luis Rengifo's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has gotten better in recent games, increasing from 12.8% on the season to 28.6% over the past 7 days.

Luis Garcia has gone over 1.5 in 0 of his last 10 games.