Baltimore @ Houston props

Built just 20 feet above sea level, Minute Maid Park has one of the lowest altitudes among all major league stadiums, which often leads to lower offensive output. The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making weather conditions in this match-up -10° colder than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for pitching. Hitting from the same side that Brandon Young throws from, Jose Altuve will have a disadvantage in today's game. Jose Altuve has been cold in recent games, with his seasonal exit velocity of 84.8-mph dropping to 80.4-mph over the past week. In the last two weeks, Jose Altuve's average launch angle on his hardest-hit balls (4.4°) has significantly dropped compared to his seasonal mark of 14.7°.

Built just 20 feet above sea level, Minute Maid Park has one of the lowest altitudes among all major league stadiums, which often leads to lower offensive output. The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making weather conditions in this match-up -10° colder than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for pitching. Hitting from the same side that Brandon Young throws from, Jeremy Pena encounters a tough challenge today. Jeremy Pena has been cold in recent games, with his seasonal exit velocity of 88.2-mph dropping to 85.6-mph over the last 7 days. Jeremy Pena's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has decreased recently, decreasing from 43.5% on the season to 20% in the past 7 days.

Built just 20 feet above sea level, Minute Maid Park has one of the lowest altitudes among all major league stadiums, which often leads to lower offensive output. The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making weather conditions in this match-up -10° colder than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for pitching. Batting from the same side that Brandon Young throws from, Yainer Diaz will be in a tough position today. Yainer Diaz hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (39.1% — 89th percentile) and will have to hit them out towards the league's 9th-deepest CF fences today. Yainer Diaz's average exit velocity has declined lately; his 90.4-mph seasonal mark has dropped off to 85.2-mph over the last two weeks.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jackson Holliday in the 90th percentile when it comes to his BABIP talent. Jackson Holliday is penciled in 1st in the lineup in this game. Jackson Holliday has a 92nd percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (36.7%) and has the good fortune of hitting them out towards the game's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup.

Gunnar Henderson projects as the 18th-best batter in the majors, via the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Gunnar Henderson is projected to bat 3rd on the lineup card in this game. Gunnar Henderson has made substantial improvements with his Barrel% in recent games, upping his 9.4% seasonal rate to 19% over the last week. In the past 7 days, Gunnar Henderson's 28.6% rate of hitting balls at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 11.1%. By putting up a .352 Expected wOBA (or xwOBA, an advanced metric created by the leading projection system (THE BAT X) using Statcast data) this year, Gunnar Henderson finds himself in the 85th percentile for offensive ability.

Minute Maid Park has the 2nd-shallowest left field dimensions among all stadiums. As a switch-hitter who is best from the 0 side of the dish, Dylan Carlson will get to bat from his better side against Framber Valdez in today's matchup. Compared to his seasonal average of 17.4°, Dylan Carlson has significantly improved his launch angle recently, posting a 36° angle in the last 7 days. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.267) suggests that Dylan Carlson has experienced some negative variance this year with his .236 actual wOBA.

Daniel Johnson is remarkably quick, grading out in the 97th percentile in Sprint Speed at 29.6 ft/sec this year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Ryan Mountcastle in the 94th percentile when estimating his batting average skill. Ryan Mountcastle is projected to hit 5th on the lineup card today. Hitting from the opposite that Framber Valdez throws from, Ryan Mountcastle will have an edge in today's game. Ryan Mountcastle has made sizeable gains with his Barrel% of late, upping his 12.3% seasonal rate to 22.2% over the last 7 days. Ryan Mountcastle has seen a notable increase in his exit velocity on flyballs lately; just compare his 97.4-mph average in the past 7 days to his seasonal average of 94.3-mph.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jesus Sanchez in the 88th percentile when assessing his overall offensive skill. Jesus Sanchez is penciled in 3rd on the lineup card in this matchup. Jesus Sanchez will hold the platoon advantage against Brandon Young in today's matchup. Jesus Sanchez has an 88th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (35.5%) and has the good fortune of hitting them out towards the league's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Jesus Sanchez will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which figures to bolster all of his stats.

When it comes to his overall offensive skill, Jordan Westburg ranks in the 92nd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Jordan Westburg is projected to hit 2nd on the lineup card today. Batting from the opposite that Framber Valdez throws from, Jordan Westburg will have the upper hand in today's game. Jordan Westburg has made substantial improvements with his Barrel% recently, bettering his 11.3% seasonal rate to 21.7% in the last week. Jordan Westburg has seen a notable gain in his exit velocity on flyballs in recent games; just compare his 101.9-mph average in the past week's worth of games to his seasonal EV of 93.7-mph.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Adley Rutschman in the 87th percentile when estimating his overall offensive talent. Adley Rutschman is projected to bat 4th on the lineup card in this matchup. Minute Maid Park has the 2nd-shallowest left field dimensions among all stadiums. The switch-hitting Adley Rutschman will hold the platoon advantage while batting from from his strong side (0) today against Framber Valdez. Adley Rutschman has been hot lately, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 89.8-mph to 92.6-mph over the past 7 days.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Mauricio Dubon in the 82nd percentile as it relates to his batting average skill. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter stats across the board, and Mauricio Dubon will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Mauricio Dubon's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved from last year to this one, rising from 12.1% to 20%. Posting a .277 Expected Batting Average (an advanced metric created by the leading projection system (THE BAT X) utilizing Statcast data) this year , Mauricio Dubon grades out in the 83rd percentile. Mauricio Dubon has exhibited impressive plate discipline this year, grading out in the 78th percentile with a 1.76 K/BB rate.

Minute Maid Park has the 2nd-shallowest left field dimensions among all stadiums. Ramon Urias will benefit from the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to improve all of his stats. Ramon Urias's launch angle lately (23.4° in the past two weeks) is quite a bit higher than his 13.2° seasonal mark. Ramon Urias's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has improved from last year to this one, going from 38.1% to 45.4%.

Christian Walker is penciled in 4th on the lineup card today. Christian Walker pulls many of his flyballs (33.2% — 77th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards the game's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Christian Walker will benefit from the home field advantage today, which ought to bolster all of his stats. Christian Walker has made notable strides with his Barrel% in recent games, bettering his 11.5% seasonal rate to 28.6% over the past 7 days. Christian Walker has been hot of late, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 90.3-mph to 95.9-mph in the past two weeks' worth of games.

Hitting from the opposite that Framber Valdez throws from, Coby Mayo will have the upper hand in today's game. Extreme groundball batters like Coby Mayo tend to perform better against extreme flyball pitchers like Framber Valdez. As it relates to his batting average, Coby Mayo has experienced some negative variance this year. His .213 rate falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .236.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Carlos Correa in the 94th percentile when assessing his batting average skill. Carlos Correa is penciled in 2nd in the lineup today. Minute Maid Park has the 2nd-shallowest left field dimensions among all stadiums. Home field advantage generally improves batter metrics in all categories, and Carlos Correa will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Carlos Correa has made significant gains with his Barrel% lately, bettering his 7.1% seasonal rate to 13.9% in the last two weeks.

Minute Maid Park has the least fair ground in Major League Baseball — generally good for long-balls. Taylor Trammell will hold the platoon advantage against Brandon Young today. Taylor Trammell will benefit from the home field advantage today, which ought to boost all of his stats. Over the past two weeks, Taylor Trammell has significantly improved the launch angle on his hardest-hit balls: 38.8° compared to his seasonal mark of 5.6°. The standard deviation of Taylor Trammell's launch angle has been very consistent recently (39.2° over the last two weeks), which is a proxy for reliable bat control and seeing the ball well.

Minute Maid Park has the 2nd-shallowest left field dimensions among all stadiums. Batting from the opposite that Framber Valdez throws from, Jeremiah Jackson will have an edge today. Jeremiah Jackson has been hot in recent games, posting a a 22.2% Barrel% (a reliable metric to assess power) in the past week. Compiling a 94.6-mph average exit velocity over the past 14 days, Jeremiah Jackson has been in great form recently. Over the last 7 days, Jeremiah Jackson's swing has been well optimized for home runs, notching a 44.4% of balls hit with a launch angle in the optimal range of 23° to 34°.

Minute Maid Park has the least fair ground in Major League Baseball — generally good for long-balls. Jacob Melton will hold the platoon advantage against Brandon Young today. Jacob Melton will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to improve all of his stats. Ranking in the 83rd percentile for Sprint Speed at 28.59 ft/sec this year, Jacob Melton is notably toolsy.

Greg Allen pulls a lot of his flyballs (34.2% — 83rd percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup.