Chicago @ Pittsburgh picks

Oneil Cruz projects as the 6th-best home run hitter in the game, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Oneil Cruz is projected to hit 5th in the batting order today.. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 9.2-mph in this match-up, the 3rd-most-favorable of the day for bats.. Batting from the opposite that Aaron Civale throws from, Oneil Cruz will have an edge in today's matchup.. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter stats in all categories, and Oneil Cruz will hold that advantage in today's game.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Miguel Vargas in the 86th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive skill.. Miguel Vargas is projected to bat 4th in the batting order in this game.. PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation tends to lead to more offense.. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 9.2-mph in this match-up, the 2nd-most-favorable of the day for bats.. Miguel Vargas will have the handedness advantage over Andrew Heaney in today's matchup.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jack Suwinski in the 93rd percentile when estimating his home run skill.. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 9.2-mph in this match-up, the 2nd-most-favorable of the day for bats.. Jack Suwinski will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Aaron Civale in today's game.. Home field advantage generally improves hitter metrics in all categories, and Jack Suwinski will hold that advantage in today's game.. Jack Suwinski has made significant strides with his Barrel%, improving his 9% rate last season to 14.3% this year.

Bryan Reynolds's BABIP talent is projected in the 95th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Bryan Reynolds is projected to hit 3rd in the batting order in this matchup.. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 9.2-mph in this match-up, the 3rd-most-favorable of the day for bats.. The switch-hitting Bryan Reynolds will get to bat from his better side (0) today against Aaron Civale.. Home field advantage generally boosts hitter metrics in all categories, and Bryan Reynolds will hold that advantage today.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Andrew Benintendi in the 80th percentile when assessing his batting average talent.. Andrew Benintendi is projected to hit 5th in the lineup today.. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 9.2-mph in this match-up, the 3rd-most-favorable of the day for bats.. The Pittsburgh Pirates outfield defense grades out as the 2nd-weakest among all the teams on the slate today.. In the past 7 days, Andrew Benintendi's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 94-mph over the course of the season to 100.6-mph recently.

When estimating his BABIP ability, Austin Slater is projected as the 10th-best hitter in the game by the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Austin Slater is projected to bat 2nd in the batting order in this game.. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 9.2-mph in this match-up, the 2nd-most-favorable of the day for bats.. Austin Slater will hold the platoon advantage against Andrew Heaney in today's game.. Extreme groundball batters like Austin Slater generally hit better against extreme flyball pitchers like Andrew Heaney.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Luis Robert Jr. in the 87th percentile when it comes to his home run talent.. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 9.2-mph in this match-up, the 2nd-most-favorable of the day for bats.. Luis Robert Jr. will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Andrew Heaney in today's game.. Over the last week, Luis Robert Jr.'s exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 95.3-mph over the course of the season to 100.3-mph recently.. There has been a significant improvement in Luis Robert Jr.'s launch angle from last year's 13.1° to 19.7° this year.

Tommy Pham has primarily hit in the back-half of the batting order this year (70% of the time), but he is penciled in 1st in the lineup in today's game.. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 9.2-mph in this match-up, the 3rd-most-favorable of the day for bats.. Batters such as Tommy Pham with extreme groundball tendencies are usually more effective when facing pitchers like Aaron Civale who skew towards the flyball end of the spectrum.. Tommy Pham will benefit from the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should boost all of his stats.. Tommy Pham has been hot of late, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 90.5-mph to 95.5-mph over the past two weeks.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Andrew McCutchen in the 81st percentile when estimating his overall offensive skill.. Andrew McCutchen is penciled in 2nd in the lineup today.. PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation tends to lead to more offense.. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 9.2-mph in this match-up, the 2nd-most-favorable of the day for bats.. Home field advantage typically bolsters hitter metrics in all categories, and Andrew McCutchen will hold that advantage in today's game.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) forecasts Andrew Heaney in the 21st percentile when it comes to his overall pitching talent.. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Andrew Heaney to throw 75 pitches today (least of all pitchers on the slate today), considering both his underlying tendencies and the matchup.. The Chicago White Sox have been the 10th-unluckiest offense in Major League Baseball this year, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), and are likely to positively regress going forward. It is expected that we will see a Hitters Umpire (Jansen Visconti) calling pitches in this game.. PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation tends to lead to more offense.