Tampa Bay @ Minnesota picks

The Twins are not playing good baseball right now, losing four of their last five games. While Tampa just snapped a three-game skid, they do have the pitching advantage in this matchup. Zack Littel is coming off a solid start vs. O's and has given up just one run in each of his last two starts. I'll take the visitors here. 

Over the last 30 days, the Rays are leading the majors in OPS (.814) and runs per game (5.77). They should be able to get to Twins starter Chris Paddack who has a 4.70 ERA in 17 starts and has pitched to a 5.82 ERA in the opening frame. Zack Littell will be on the hill for Tampa Bay and he's in the bottom 25th percentile in xERA (4.56) and xBA (.270). Meanwhile, the Twins plate a run in the first inning in 33.3% of their games at home. The stiff 16 mph wind blowing towards the outfield today is another reason to expect plenty of runs.

When estimating his batting average talent, Yandy Diaz is projected as the 7th-best hitter in the majors by the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Yandy Diaz is penciled in 2nd in the lineup in this game.. The #6 venue in the majors for boosting offensive stats, via the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Target Field.. Target Field sits at the 5th-highest altitude in the league. High elevation usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense.. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer whiffs), and this game is predicted to have the hottest weather of all games on the slate today at 93°.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Junior Caminero in the 89th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive talent.. Junior Caminero is projected to bat 4th on the lineup card in this matchup.. The #6 venue in the majors for boosting offensive stats, via the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Target Field.. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer whiffs), and this game is predicted to have the hottest weather of all games on the slate today at 93°.. Extreme flyball batters like Junior Caminero are generally more successful against extreme groundball pitchers like Chris Paddack.

Ryan Jeffers is projected to hit 5th in the batting order in this matchup.. The #6 venue in the majors for boosting offensive stats, via the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Target Field.. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer whiffs), and this game is predicted to have the hottest weather of all games on the slate today at 93°.. Ryan Jeffers will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to bolster all of his stats.. In comparison to his 86.9-mph average last year, Ryan Jeffers's exit velocity has noticeably risen this season, now sitting at 89.3 mph.

When assessing his home run ability, Royce Lewis ranks in the 82nd percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. The #6 venue in the majors for boosting offensive stats, via the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Target Field.. Target Field sits at the 5th-highest altitude in the league. High elevation usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense.. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer whiffs), and this game is predicted to have the hottest weather of all games on the slate today at 93°.. Royce Lewis will possess the home field advantage today, which ought to improve all of his stats.

When estimating his home run talent, Brandon Lowe ranks in the 91st percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Brandon Lowe is penciled in 3rd on the lineup card in this matchup.. The #6 venue in the majors for boosting offensive stats, via the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Target Field.. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer whiffs), and this game is predicted to have the hottest weather of all games on the slate today at 93°.. Hitting from the opposite that Chris Paddack throws from, Brandon Lowe will have an edge today.

Carlos Correa's batting average skill is projected to be in the 90th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Carlos Correa is projected to hit 4th on the lineup card in today's game.. The #6 venue in the majors for boosting offensive stats, via the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Target Field.. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer whiffs), and this game is predicted to have the hottest weather of all games on the slate today at 93°.. Home field advantage typically improves hitter stats across the board, and Carlos Correa will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

The #6 venue in the majors for boosting offensive stats, via the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Target Field.. Target Field sits at the 5th-highest altitude in the league. High elevation usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense.. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer whiffs), and this game is predicted to have the hottest weather of all games on the slate today at 93°.. Among every team in action today, the weakest infield defense belongs to the Minnesota Twins.. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.257) suggests that Ha-seong Kim has suffered from bad luck since the start of last season with his .233 actual batting average.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) ranks Byron Buxton as Major League Baseball's 9th-best home run batter.. Byron Buxton is projected to hit 1st on the lineup card today.. The #6 venue in the majors for boosting offensive stats, via the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Target Field.. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer whiffs), and this game is predicted to have the hottest weather of all games on the slate today at 93°.. Home field advantage typically boosts batter metrics in all categories, and Byron Buxton will hold that advantage in today's game.

The #6 venue in the majors for boosting offensive stats, via the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Target Field.. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer whiffs), and this game is predicted to have the hottest weather of all games on the slate today at 93°.. Among every team in action today, the 3rd-weakest infield defense belongs to the Minnesota Twins.. Danny Jansen has been hot lately, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 88-mph to 93.8-mph over the past 14 days.. Danny Jansen's launch angle this season (25.1°) is quite a bit higher than his 21.6° mark last year.

Taking into account both his underlying tendencies and the matchup, Zack Littell is projected to throw 84 pitches in today's matchup by the leading projection system (THE BAT X) system, which is the 10th-least of all pitchers on the slate today.. Target Field ranks as the #4 ballpark in the game for base hits, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT).. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer whiffs), and this game is predicted to have the hottest weather of all games on the slate today at 93°.. Zack Littell will be at a disadvantage playing on the road in today's game.. Zack Littell's 91.4-mph velocity on his fastball this year is a notable 1-mph fall off from last year's 92.4-mph mark.