Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh picks

Tommy Pham has primarily hit in the back-half of the batting order this year (63% of the time), but he is penciled in 2nd in the batting order in this matchup.. The weather forecast projects temperatures in this matchup to reach the 4th-highest level on the slate at 87°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts).. Tommy Pham will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to bolster all of his stats.. Tommy Pham has seen a big increase in his exit velocity recently; just compare his 94.3-mph average in the last two weeks to his seasonal 91.5-mph EV.. Tommy Pham's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased in recent games, rising from 46% on the season to 58.3% in the last 14 days.

Oneil Cruz projects as the 6th-best home run hitter in Major League Baseball, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Oneil Cruz is projected to bat 4th in the batting order in this matchup.. The weather report predicts the 4th-most favorable hitting weather of all games on the slate, as it relates to temperature and humidity.. Batting from the opposite that Zack Littell throws from, Oneil Cruz will have the upper hand today.. Oneil Cruz has strong power (99th percentile) if he makes contact, but that's usually a big "IF" (30.5% K%). Today, however, opposing pitcher Zack Littell struggles to strike batters out (9th percentile K%) — great news for Cruz.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Bryan Reynolds in the 95th percentile when it comes to his BABIP skill.. Bryan Reynolds is projected to bat 3rd on the lineup card in today's game.. Built 724 feet above sea level, PNC Park has the 6th-highest elevation among all major league parks, which generally leads to more offense.. The weather forecast projects temperatures in this matchup to reach the 4th-highest level on the slate at 87°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts).. The switch-hitting Bryan Reynolds will have the advantage of batting from from his strong side (0) today against Zack Littell.

Austin Hays is penciled in 5th in the batting order today.. Built 724 feet above sea level, PNC Park has the 6th-highest elevation among all major league parks, which generally leads to more offense.. The weather forecast projects temperatures in this matchup to reach the 4th-highest level on the slate at 87°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts).. Out of all the teams today, the 3rd-worst outfield defense is that of the Pittsburgh Pirates.. Austin Hays has seen a notable improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs this year; just compare his 94.6-mph average to last year's 91.6-mph mark.

Matt McLain's BABIP talent is projected in the 90th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Matt McLain is penciled in 2nd in the batting order in today's game.. The weather forecast projects temperatures in this matchup to reach the 4th-highest level on the slate at 89°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts).. Out of all the teams today, the 3rd-worst outfield defense is that of the Pittsburgh Pirates.. Matt McLain has made significant improvements with his Barrel% in recent games, upping his 6.5% seasonal rate to 20% over the past week.

It may be smart to expect better results for the Pittsburgh Pirates offense the rest of the season, given that the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes they are the unluckiest offense in baseball this year.. Built 724 feet above sea level, PNC Park has the 6th-highest elevation among all major league parks, which generally leads to more offense.. The weather report predicts the 5th-most favorable hitting weather of all games on the slate, as it relates to temperature and humidity.. Playing on the road typically reduces pitcher metrics in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which should be the case for Zack Littell today.. Zack Littell's slider rate has dropped by 5.5% from last year to this one (39.9% to 34.4%) .

Oneil Cruz projects as the 6th-best home run hitter in Major League Baseball, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Oneil Cruz is projected to bat 4th in the batting order in this matchup.. The weather forecast projects temperatures in this matchup to reach the 4th-highest level on the slate at 87°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts).. Batting from the opposite that Zack Littell throws from, Oneil Cruz will have the upper hand today.. Oneil Cruz has strong power (99th percentile) if he makes contact, but that's usually a big "IF" (30.5% K%). Today, however, opposing pitcher Zack Littell struggles to strike batters out (9th percentile K%) — great news for Cruz.

Built 724 feet above sea level, PNC Park has the 6th-highest elevation among all major league parks, which generally leads to more offense.. The weather forecast projects temperatures in this matchup to reach the 4th-highest level on the slate at 87°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts).. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter metrics in all categories, and Henry Davis will hold that advantage in today's matchup.. Henry Davis has made sizeable improvements with his Barrel% lately, improving his 10.5% seasonal rate to 22.2% in the last 7 days.. Henry Davis has been hot recently, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 88.4-mph to 93.1-mph in the past 14 days.

When assessing his overall offensive ability, Andrew McCutchen ranks in the 80th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).. Andrew McCutchen is penciled in 2nd in the lineup today.. Built 724 feet above sea level, PNC Park has the 6th-highest elevation among all major league parks, which generally leads to more offense.. The weather forecast projects temperatures in this matchup to reach the 3rd-highest level on the slate at 89°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts).. Andrew McCutchen will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should boost all of his stats.

Oneil Cruz projects as the 6th-best home run hitter in Major League Baseball, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Oneil Cruz is projected to bat 4th in the batting order in this matchup.. The weather report predicts the 5th-most favorable hitting weather of all games on the slate, as it relates to temperature and humidity.. Batting from the opposite that Zack Littell throws from, Oneil Cruz will have the upper hand today.. Oneil Cruz has strong power (99th percentile) if he makes contact, but that's usually a big "IF" (30.5% K%). Today, however, opposing pitcher Zack Littell struggles to strike batters out (9th percentile K%) — great news for Cruz.