Cleveland @ Houston props

Zack Short's batting average skill is projected to be in the 2nd percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Zack Short is projected to hit 8th in the batting order today. Minute Maid Park's altitude is near sea-level, one of the lowest in MLB, which often leads to worse offense. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up -7° colder than the average outdoor game of all games today — favorable for pitching. Zack Short hits many of his flyballs to center field (39.8% — 96th percentile) and has the misfortune of hitting them in the direction of the game's 9th-deepest CF fences in today's matchup.

Johnathan Rodriguez's BABIP skill is projected in the 92nd percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). The 2nd-shallowest left field dimensions in the league are found in Minute Maid Park.

HRs are generally more common at ballparks with shallow fences, and Minute Maid Park has the shallowest among all major league stadiums. Home field advantage generally bolsters hitter metrics across the board, and Taylor Trammell will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

Minute Maid Park's altitude is near sea-level, one of the lowest in MLB, which often leads to worse offense. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up -7° colder than the average outdoor game of all games today — favorable for pitching. Yainer Diaz hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (39.2% — 90th percentile) but may find it hard to clear baseball's 9th-deepest CF fences today. Out of every team playing today, the best infield defense is that of the the Cleveland Guardians. Yainer Diaz's launch angle in recent games (1.8° in the last 7 days) is a significant dropoff from his 11.9° seasonal angle.

Hitting from the opposite that Hunter Brown throws from, Bo Naylor will have an advantage in today's matchup. Extreme groundball bats like Bo Naylor are generally more successful against extreme flyball pitchers like Hunter Brown. Bo Naylor has been hot of late, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 88.7-mph to 92.8-mph over the past 7 days. There has been a significant improvement in Bo Naylor's launch angle from last year's 19.5° to 23.2° this year. Bo Naylor's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased recently, rising from 35.5% on the season to 50% in the past 7 days.

Jhonkensy Noel pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (38% — 97th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards MLB's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Despite posting a .172 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Jhonkensy Noel has experienced some negative variance given the .117 disparity between that mark and his estimated true talent wOBA of .289.

Carlos Santana is penciled in 4th in the lineup today. Carlos Santana's launch angle in recent games (24.8° in the past two weeks) is a significant increase over his 16.8° seasonal figure. When it comes to plate discipline, Carlos Santana's skill is quite strong, posting a 1.59 K/BB rate this year while ranking in in the 83rd percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Steven Kwan in the 95th percentile when estimating his batting average skill. Steven Kwan is penciled in 1st on the lineup card today. Steven Kwan will have the handedness advantage over Hunter Brown in today's matchup. Steven Kwan has a 92nd percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (36.6%) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them in the direction of the game's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today. Over the last week, Steven Kwan's 35% rate of hitting balls at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 17.5%.

HRs are generally more common at ballparks with shallow fences, and Minute Maid Park has the shallowest among all major league stadiums. Brayan Rocchio has seen a substantial increase in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 86.5-mph average to last year's 84.5-mph average. Brayan Rocchio has been hot in recent games, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 86.5-mph to 91.2-mph in the past week. When it comes to his wOBA and overall offense, Brayan Rocchio has been unlucky this year. His .208 mark falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected wOBA (xwOBA) at .288.

Isaac Paredes is projected to hit 1st in the batting order in this matchup. Isaac Paredes will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Joey Cantillo today. Isaac Paredes pulls a lot of his flyballs (46.8% — 100th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards the league's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today. Extreme flyball hitters like Isaac Paredes generally hit better against extreme groundball pitchers like Joey Cantillo. Isaac Paredes will hold the home field advantage today, which ought to improve all of his stats.

Jose Ramirez's batting average ability is projected to be in the 96th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Jose Ramirez is projected to bat 3rd in the lineup in this matchup. Extreme groundball hitters like Jose Ramirez usually hit better against extreme flyball pitchers like Hunter Brown. Compared to his seasonal average of 19.5°, Jose Ramirez has significantly improved his launch angle recently, posting a 32.4° figure in the last week. Jose Ramirez's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better from last year to this one, rising from 38.6% to 43.7%.

Victor Caratini is penciled in 5th on the lineup card in this game. Home field advantage typically bolsters batter metrics in all categories, and Victor Caratini will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Victor Caratini has made notable strides with his Barrel% recently, improving his 9.5% seasonal rate to 20.8% in the last two weeks. Victor Caratini has seen a significant gain in his exit velocity recently; just compare his 92.4-mph average over the past 7 days to his seasonal 89.5-mph average. Victor Caratini's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved recently, rising from 17.9% on the season to 41.7% over the last two weeks.

Over the past week, Angel Martinez's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 3.1% up to 8.3%. Angel Martinez's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has gotten better lately, rising from 17.3% on the season to 42.9% over the past two weeks. Despite posting a .268 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Angel Martinez has experienced some negative variance given the .023 gap between that mark and his estimated true talent wOBA of .291.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Nolan Jones in the 88th percentile when it comes to his BABIP skill. Nolan Jones has primarily hit in the back-half of the batting order this year (62% of the time), but he is projected to hit 2nd in the batting order in this game. Nolan Jones will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Hunter Brown in today's game. Nolan Jones has a 90th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (35.9%) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them in the direction of the league's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today. Nolan Jones has seen a substantial improvement in his exit velocity this year; just compare his 91.9-mph average to last year's 88.3-mph average.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jose Altuve in the 89th percentile when estimating his batting average talent. Jose Altuve is penciled in 3rd in the lineup in this game. Batting from the opposite that Joey Cantillo throws from, Jose Altuve will have the upper hand in today's game. Jose Altuve pulls a lot of his flyballs (40.9% — 99th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards the game's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today. Home field advantage typically improves hitter stats in all categories, and Jose Altuve will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

Cooper Hummel pulls a lot of his flyballs (34.1% — 82nd percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards the league's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter metrics across the board, and Cooper Hummel will hold that advantage in today's game. In the past 7 days, Cooper Hummel's maximum exit velocity (a favorable measure of recent form and raw power) has been 111.9-mph, which qualifies as one of the hardest-hit balls in baseball. In the last two weeks, Cooper Hummel's swing has been well optimized for base hits, notching a 54.5% of balls hit with a launch angle in the optimal range of -4° to 26°.

Daniel Schneemann is projected to hit 5th on the lineup card in today's game. Daniel Schneemann will have the handedness advantage over Hunter Brown in today's matchup. Daniel Schneemann has suffered from bad luck when it comes to his wOBA this year; his .295 rate is a fair amount lower than his .334 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

Mauricio Dubon's batting average ability is projected to be in the 82nd percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Mauricio Dubon will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Joey Cantillo today. Mauricio Dubon will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which ought to boost all of his stats. Compared to last year, Mauricio Dubon 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 12.1% to 21.2% this season. Over the past two weeks, Mauricio Dubon's 29% rate of hitting balls at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 21.2%.

The 2nd-shallowest left field dimensions in the league are found in Minute Maid Park. Hitting from the opposite that Joey Cantillo throws from, Shay Whitcomb will have an edge today. Shay Whitcomb will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to boost all of his stats. Shay Whitcomb has gotten much quicker this year, improving from last year's 27.41 ft/sec to 27.9 ft/sec now (according to Statcast's Sprint Speed metric).

The 2nd-shallowest left field dimensions in the league are found in Minute Maid Park. Kenedy Corona will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Joey Cantillo today. Kenedy Corona will possess the home field advantage today, which figures to improve all of his stats.