Cincinnati @ Washington picks

The Washington Nationals are suddenly the best hitting team in baseball. Well, at least vs. the Cincinnati Reds. They've won the first two games and put up 16 runs in the process. While the going gets a bit tougher vs. Nick Lodolo, the Nats have a bit of momentum and as a home dog, I can't pass that up. 

When it comes to 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 bat 2nd in the batting order in this game.. Hot weather is strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer strikeouts), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest temperature on the slate today at 84°.. James Wood has a 97th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (38.7%) and has the good fortune of hitting them in the direction of baseball's 10th-shallowest LF fences in today's game.. Out of all the teams on the slate today, the 2nd-worst infield defense is that of the Cincinnati Reds.

When estimating his BABIP talent, Elly De La Cruz is projected as the 2nd-best hitter in the game by the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Elly De La Cruz is projected to bat 3rd in the batting order in this game.. Hot weather is strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer strikeouts), and the weather report forecasts the 2nd-hottest temperature on the slate today at 85°.. As a switch-hitter who is stronger from the 0 side of the plate, Elly De La Cruz will have the advantage of batting from from his good side against Mike Soroka in this game.. Elly De La Cruz has an 83rd percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (34.7%) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards baseball's 10th-shallowest LF fences in today's game.

Will Benson is projected to bat 8th on the lineup card in this matchup.. 11% of the time that Will Benson has started against a right-handed pitcher this year, he has been pinch hit for.. The #3 venue in baseball for suppressing offensive stats to left-handed hitters, per the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Nationals Park.. Built just 23 feet above sea level, Nationals Park has one of the lowest elevations in MLB, which tends to lead to worse offense.. Will Benson will be at a disadvantage playing away from home in today's matchup.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Will Benson in the 87th percentile when assessing his home run ability.. Hot weather is strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer strikeouts), and the weather report forecasts the 2nd-hottest temperature on the slate today at 85°.. Hitting from the opposite that Mike Soroka throws from, Will Benson will have the upper hand in today's game.. Will Benson pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (33.1% — 75th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards the game's 10th-shallowest RF fences in today's game.. Will Benson has seen a notable increase in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 93.6-mph average to last season's 89.4-mph EV.

When estimating his home run skill, Santiago Espinal ranks in the 5th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Santiago Espinal is projected to bat 9th on the lineup card in today's game, which would be a downgrade from his 55% rate of hitting in the top-half of the lineup this year.. The #3 ballpark in MLB for suppressing offensive stats to RHB, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Nationals Park.. Built just 23 feet above sea level, Nationals Park has one of the lowest elevations in MLB, which tends to lead to worse offense.. Hitting from the same side that Mike Soroka throws from, Santiago Espinal will have a tough matchup in today's game.

In the majors, Nationals Park's left field fences are the 9th-shallowest.. Hot weather is strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer strikeouts), and the weather report forecasts the 2nd-hottest temperature on the slate today at 85°.. Out of all the teams on the slate today, the worst infield defense is that of the Cincinnati Reds.. Playing on the road typically weakens pitcher stats in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which ought to be the case for Nick Lodolo today.. Nick Lodolo's 93-mph velocity on his fastball this season is a notable 1.1-mph decline from last year's 94.1-mph figure.

The #3 venue in baseball for suppressing offensive stats to left-handed hitters, per the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Nationals Park.. Built just 23 feet above sea level, Nationals Park has one of the lowest elevations in MLB, which tends to lead to worse offense.. Hitting from the same side that Nick Lodolo throws from, CJ Abrams will be in a tough position in today's matchup.. CJ Abrams has been cold of late, with his seasonal exit velocity of 89.1-mph dropping to 84.7-mph over the last 7 days.. CJ Abrams's average launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls this year (9.6°) is significantly worse than his 13.7° angle last season.