Tampa Bay @ Los Angeles Picks & Props

Adrian Houser will hold the platoon advantage over Zach Neto in today's game. Out of every team today, the 4th-best infield defense belongs to the Tampa Bay Rays. Zach Neto has negatively regressed with his Barrel% lately; his 13.5% seasonal rate has lowered to 0% in the past 14 days. Zach Neto's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has declined in recent games, falling from 15.5% on the season to 0% in the past 7 days. Sporting a 4.72 K/BB rate this year, Zach Neto has shown poor plate discipline, ranking in the 10th percentile.

As a switch-hitter who bats better from the 0 side of the dish, Taylor Walls will have the advantage of batting from from his good side against Yusei Kikuchi in today's game. Among every team in action today, the 8th-worst infield defense belongs to the Los Angeles Angels. Taylor Walls has been hot recently, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 86.3-mph to 89.6-mph in the past week. Taylor Walls's average launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls lately (19.7° over the last 14 days) is quite a bit higher than his 14.7° seasonal mark. Taylor Walls's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved from last year to this one, rising from 15.8% to 19.7%.

Junior Caminero's batting average talent is projected to be in the 89th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Junior Caminero is penciled in 3rd in the lineup in today's game. Junior Caminero will hold the platoon advantage over Yusei Kikuchi in today's game. Among every team in action today, the 8th-worst infield defense belongs to the Los Angeles Angels. Junior Caminero has seen a big increase in his exit velocity on flyballs in recent games; just compare his 101.1-mph average in the past week's worth of games to his seasonal average of 96-mph.

Jonny DeLuca is penciled in 5th in the lineup in today's game, which would be an upgrade from his 85% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the batting order this year. Jonny DeLuca will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Yusei Kikuchi in today's matchup. Among every team in action today, the 8th-worst infield defense belongs to the Los Angeles Angels. Jonny DeLuca has seen a notable increase in his exit velocity on flyballs recently; just compare his 90.2-mph average in the last 7 days to his seasonal figure of 81.9-mph.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jake Mangum in the 92nd percentile when it comes to his BABIP skill. Among every team in action today, the 8th-worst infield defense belongs to the Los Angeles Angels. With a .330 BABIP this year, Jake Mangum has performed in the 87th percentile.

Ha-seong Kim is penciled in 2nd in the lineup in this game. Batting from the opposite that Yusei Kikuchi throws from, Ha-seong Kim will have the upper hand in today's game. Among every team in action today, the 8th-worst infield defense belongs to the Los Angeles Angels. Ha-seong Kim has had bad variance on his side thus far when it comes to his batting average since the start of last season; his .231 mark is quite a bit lower than his .257 Expected Batting Average, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data. Ha-seong Kim has displayed strong plate discipline since the start of last season, grading out in the 96th percentile with a 1.39 K/BB rate.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Christopher Morel in the 85th percentile when assessing his overall offensive skill. Christopher Morel is projected to bat 4th in the lineup today. Hitting from the opposite that Yusei Kikuchi throws from, Christopher Morel will have the upper hand today. Among every team in action today, the 8th-worst infield defense belongs to the Los Angeles Angels. Christopher Morel has seen a big improvement in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 91.6-mph average to last year's 89.1-mph average.

Yandy Diaz will be at a disadvantage playing away from home today. In the last week, Yandy Diaz's Barrel% has experienced a negative regression, plummeting from his seasonal rate of 10.1% down to 0%. Compared to his seasonal mark of 5.6°, Yandy Diaz has produced a noticeably lower launch angle (-3°) over the last two weeks.

Nick Fortes will have the handedness advantage over Yusei Kikuchi in today's matchup. Among every team in action today, the 8th-worst infield defense belongs to the Los Angeles Angels. Nick Fortes has seen a substantial increase in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 86.5-mph average to last season's 84.1-mph average. Nick Fortes's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has increased from last season to this one, increasing from 11.6% to 16.5%. As it relates to his wOBA and overall offense, Nick Fortes has been unlucky this year. His .267 rate falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected wOBA (xwOBA) at .297.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Taylor Ward in the 93rd percentile when it comes to his overall offensive talent. Taylor Ward is penciled in 4th in the batting order in this game. Taylor Ward will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which should boost all of his stats. Taylor Ward's launch angle recently (34.5° in the last week's worth of games) is significantly better than his 19° seasonal angle. Taylor Ward grades out in the 95th percentile when it comes to hitting balls between 23° and 34°, the launch angle range that tends to optimize home runs (20.2% rate this year).

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jo Adell in the 82nd percentile when estimating his overall offensive ability. Home field advantage generally boosts hitter stats in all categories, and Jo Adell will hold that advantage today. This season, Jo Adell has experienced a significant improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs, now sitting at an average of 97.4 mph compared to last year's 94.1 mph mark. Jo Adell has had bad variance on his side thus far when it comes to his batting average this year; his .227 figure is deflated compared to his .269 Expected Batting Average, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

Gustavo Campero will possess the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to bolster all of his stats. Gustavo Campero has seen a notable increase in his exit velocity in recent games; just compare his 86.1-mph average in the last week's worth of games to his seasonal 83.9-mph average. Gustavo Campero has gotten much quicker this season, improving from last year's 28.34 ft/sec to 29.09 ft/sec now (according to Statcast's Sprint Speed metric).

When estimating his overall offensive ability, Brandon Lowe ranks in the 87th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Brandon Lowe is projected to hit 3rd on the lineup card in this matchup. Among every team in action today, the 8th-worst infield defense belongs to the Los Angeles Angels. In comparison to his 89.8-mph average last year, Brandon Lowe's exit velocity has noticeably risen this season, now sitting at 92 mph. Brandon Lowe has posted a .323 BABIP this year, placing in the 80th percentile.

Travis d'Arnaud will possess the home field advantage today, which ought to boost all of his stats. Compared to his seasonal average of 16.1°, Travis d'Arnaud has significantly improved his launch angle of late, posting a 26° figure over the past week. Compared to last season, Travis d'Arnaud 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 12.2% to 21.9% this season. Travis d'Arnaud has had some very poor luck with his wOBA this year; his .289 figure is a fair amount lower than his .315 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

As it relates to his overall offensive talent, Yoan Moncada ranks in the 83rd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Yoan Moncada is projected to bat 5th on the lineup card in this game. The switch-hitting Yoan Moncada will hold the platoon advantage while batting from from his good side (0) today against Adrian Houser. Home field advantage generally bolsters hitter stats across the board, and Yoan Moncada will hold that advantage in today's game. In notching a .339 Expected wOBA (or xwOBA, an advanced metric created by the leading projection system (THE BAT X) utilizing Statcast data) this year, Yoan Moncada has performed in the 83rd percentile for offensive skills.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Logan O'Hoppe in the 82nd percentile when estimating his overall offensive skill. Logan O'Hoppe will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which should bolster all of his stats. Logan O'Hoppe has seen a big increase in his exit velocity on flyballs this year; just compare his 97.6-mph average to last year's 94.6-mph EV. Logan O'Hoppe's launch angle recently (27° over the past week) is quite a bit better than his 18.1° seasonal angle. 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 20°.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Nolan Schanuel in the 92nd percentile as it relates to his batting average talent. Nolan Schanuel is penciled in 2nd on the lineup card in this game. Nolan Schanuel will have the handedness advantage over Adrian Houser today. Home field advantage generally bolsters hitter metrics across the board, and Nolan Schanuel will hold that advantage in today's game. Last year, Nolan Schanuel had an average launch angle of 13° on his hardest-hit balls, while this season it has significantly increased to 16.9°.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Luis Rengifo in the 82nd percentile as it relates to his batting average ability. Luis Rengifo will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to bolster all of his stats. In the last week's worth of games, Luis Rengifo's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 4.6% up to 20%. Luis Rengifo's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved lately, rising from 13.6% on the season to 27.3% over the last week. Luis Rengifo's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has improved from last season to this one, going from 41.4% to 50.2%.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Mike Trout ranks as the 13th-best batter in baseball. Mike Trout is projected to hit 3rd in the batting order in today's game. Home field advantage generally bolsters hitter stats across the board, and Mike Trout will hold that advantage in today's game. Over the last two weeks, Mike Trout's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 97.7-mph over the course of the season to 102.2-mph of late. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.256) may lead us to conclude that Mike Trout has experienced some negative variance this year with his .236 actual batting average.

Bryce Teodosio will benefit from the home field advantage today, which should bolster all of his stats. Bryce Teodosio is very quick, grading out in the 98th percentile in Sprint Speed at 29.76 ft/sec since the start of last season.

Christian Moore has gone over 0.5 in 6 of his last 10 games.

Josh Lowe has gone over 0.5 in 4 of his last 10 games.