Pittsburgh @ Chicago picks

The Pittsburgh Pirates are very likely to have trouble keeping up offensively in Chicago. They rank dead last in runs per game and Oneil Cruz is sidelined with a concussion, removing their most dynamic bat from an already putrid lineup. Even after a recent dip in production, the Cubs still sit fourth in runs per game and Top-10 in average, OBP, SLG, OPS, homers, and stolen bases. They are a very well rounded attack. It will be very difficult for Braxton Ashcraft and the Pirates bullpen – which ranks 28th in ERA over the last 30 days – to slow the Cubs down offensively; and their offense isn’t good enough to keep up.

As it relates to his home run ability, Jack Suwinski ranks in the 92nd percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Wrigley Field sits at the 10th-highest altitude among all stadiums. High elevation generally leads to better offense.. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is predicted to have the 5th-hottest weather on the schedule today at 85°.. Jack Suwinski will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Colin Rea in today's game.. Jack Suwinski has a ton of pop (92nd percentile) if he makes contact, but that's never a sure thing (31% K%). Today, however, opposing pitcher Colin Rea struggles to strike batters out (8th percentile K%) — great news for Suwinski.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Bryan Reynolds in the 96th percentile when it comes to his BABIP skill.. Bryan Reynolds is projected to bat 3rd on the lineup card today.. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is predicted to have the 4th-hottest weather on the schedule today at 86°.. As a switch-hitter who is stronger from the 0 side of the plate, Bryan Reynolds will hold the platoon advantage while batting from from his strong side against Colin Rea in this game.. Bryan Reynolds's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased from last year to this one, rising from 44.3% to 49.5%.

Kyle Tucker projects as the 11th-best batter in the game, via the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Kyle Tucker is projected to bat 3rd on the lineup card today.. Wrigley Field sits at the 10th-highest altitude among all stadiums. High elevation generally leads to better offense.. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is predicted to have the 4th-hottest weather on the schedule today at 86°.. Kyle Tucker will have the handedness advantage over Braxton Ashcraft in today's matchup.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Seiya Suzuki ranks as the 16th-best hitter in the majors.. Seiya Suzuki is projected to bat 2nd in the lineup today.. The 6th-shallowest left field dimensions in the league are found in Wrigley Field.. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is predicted to have the 5th-hottest weather on the schedule today at 85°.. Seiya Suzuki will benefit from the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to bolster all of his stats.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Dansby Swanson in the 87th percentile as it relates to his BABIP ability.. The 6th-shallowest left field dimensions in the league are found in Wrigley Field.. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is predicted to have the 4th-hottest weather on the schedule today at 86°.. Dansby Swanson will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which figures to improve all of his stats.. In the past week, Dansby Swanson's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 94.2-mph over the course of the season to 102.7-mph in recent games.

Spencer Horwitz is projected to bat 2nd on the lineup card in this game.. Wrigley Field sits at the 10th-highest altitude among all stadiums. High elevation generally leads to better offense.. Batting from the opposite that Colin Rea throws from, Spencer Horwitz will have the upper hand in today's matchup.. Spencer Horwitz has a 93rd percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (36.8%) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards the game's 6th-shallowest LF fences today.. Over the last week, Spencer Horwitz's 25% rate of hitting balls at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 20.1%.

As it relates to his home run ability, Jack Suwinski ranks in the 93rd percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).. Wrigley Field sits at the 10th-highest altitude among all stadiums. High elevation generally leads to better offense.. Jack Suwinski will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Colin Rea in today's game.. Jack Suwinski has a ton of pop (93rd percentile) if he makes contact, but that's never a sure thing (31% K%). Today, however, opposing pitcher Colin Rea struggles to strike batters out (8th percentile K%) — great news for Suwinski.. Last season, Jack Suwinski had an average launch angle of 8.5° on his hardest-contacted balls, while this season it has significantly increased to 25.1°.

Wrigley Field sits at the 10th-highest altitude among all stadiums. High elevation generally leads to better offense.. Henry Davis pulls a lot of his flyballs (36.2% — 93rd percentile) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards MLB's 6th-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup.. Henry Davis's speed has improved this year. His 27.73 ft/sec Statcast Sprint Speed last year sits at 28.22 ft/sec now.. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.312) provides evidence that Henry Davis has suffered from bad luck this year with his .239 actual wOBA.. In terms of the ability to lift the ball for power, Henry Davis ranks in the 94th percentile with a 23.1° launch angle, which is among the highest angles in MLB.

When it comes to his overall offensive skill, Tommy Pham ranks in the 75th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).. Tommy Pham is projected to bat 4th in the batting order in this game, which would be an upgrade from his 60% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the batting order this season.. Wrigley Field sits at the 10th-highest altitude among all stadiums. High elevation generally leads to better offense.. Tommy Pham has seen a significant increase in his exit velocity in recent games; just compare his 94.2-mph average in the last two weeks to his seasonal 91.7-mph average.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Dansby Swanson in the 87th percentile as it relates to his BABIP ability.. The 6th-shallowest left field dimensions in the league are found in Wrigley Field.. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is predicted to have the 5th-hottest weather on the schedule today at 85°.. Dansby Swanson will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which figures to improve all of his stats.. In the past week, Dansby Swanson's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 94.2-mph over the course of the season to 102.7-mph in recent games.