Cincinnati @ Los Angeles Picks & Props

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Matt McLain in the 89th percentile when it comes to his BABIP skill. Matt McLain has made big improvements with his Barrel% of late, bettering his 6.6% seasonal rate to 15.8% in the last 14 days. Despite posting a .285 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Matt McLain has suffered from bad luck given the .037 deviation between that figure and his estimated true talent wOBA of .322. Matt McLain and his 16.8° launch angle on his hardest-hit balls rank in 87th percentile, among the highest in the majors this year.

Given Victor Mederos's large platoon split, Miguel Andujar will be at a gigantic disadvantage hitting from the same side of the dish today. Playing on the road generally weakens hitter metrics in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which should be the case for Miguel Andujar today. In the last week, Miguel Andujar's Barrel% has experienced a negative regression, plummeting from his seasonal rate of 5.6% down to 0%. Miguel Andujar's average launch angle on his hardest-hit balls lately (0.2° in the past two weeks) is significantly lower than his 8° seasonal mark. Miguel Andujar has had some very good luck with with his wOBA this year; his .349 rate is quite a bit higher than his .297 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Taylor Ward in the 93rd percentile as it relates to his overall offensive skill. Taylor Ward is projected to bat 4th on the lineup card in this matchup. Out of all the teams on the slate today, the 9th-weakest outfield defense is that of the Cincinnati Reds. Home field advantage typically bolsters batter stats across the board, and Taylor Ward will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Taylor Ward is in the 94th percentile when it comes to hitting balls between 23° and 34°, the launch angle range that tends to result the most in home runs (19.8% rate this year).

Tyler Stephenson's BABIP ability is projected in the 90th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

When estimating his BABIP skill, 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 penciled in 3rd in the batting order in today's game. As a switch-hitter who bats better from the 0 side of the plate, Elly De La Cruz will have the advantage of batting from from his strong side against a pitcher with a large platoon split (Victor Mederos) in today's matchup. Elly De La Cruz has seen a significant increase in his exit velocity on flyballs lately; just compare his 99-mph average in the last 14 days to his seasonal mark of 94-mph. Checking in at the 93rd percentile, Elly De La Cruz has put up a .343 BABIP this year.

TJ Friedl is projected to bat 1st on the lineup card today. Because of Victor Mederos's large platoon split, TJ Friedl will have a huge advantage batting from the opposite side of the dish in today's matchup. TJ Friedl has been hot of late, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 87-mph to 92.1-mph in the past week. Posting a 1.47 K/BB rate this year, TJ Friedl has demonstrated strong plate discipline, checking in at the 89th percentile.

Austin Hays is projected to hit 4th in the batting order in this game. Austin Hays has seen a big improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs this season; just compare his 94.8-mph average to last season's 91.6-mph mark. Austin Hays has seen a sizeable increase in his exit velocity on flyballs recently; just compare his 100.4-mph average over the last 7 days to his seasonal mark of 94.8-mph. In notching a .317 BABIP this year, Austin Hays grades out in the 78th percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Gavin Lux in the 91st percentile as it relates to his BABIP skill. Gavin Lux is projected to bat 2nd in the lineup in today's game. Gavin Lux will hold the platoon advantage against Victor Mederos in today's game... and even better, Mederos has a large platoon split. Gavin Lux has seen a substantial gain in his exit velocity in recent games; just compare his 93.7-mph average over the past 14 days to his seasonal 88.9-mph mark. Gavin Lux's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has gotten better from last year to this one, rising from 12.7% to 16.1%.

Spencer Steer has made big strides with his Barrel% recently, upping his 6.3% seasonal rate to 11.8% over the last 14 days. Spencer Steer's launch angle lately (28.7° in the last two weeks) is a considerable increase over his 19.1° seasonal figure. Spencer Steer's average launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls this year (16.2°) is a significant increase over his 11.5° figure last season.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Christian Moore in the 91st percentile when assessing his BABIP skill. Out of all the teams on the slate today, the 9th-weakest outfield defense is that of the Cincinnati Reds. Home field advantage generally boosts batter stats in all categories, and Christian Moore will hold that advantage in today's game.

Ke'Bryan Hayes's launch angle this season (9°) is quite a bit better than his 4.7° angle last year. Ke'Bryan Hayes's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased lately, rising from 47% on the season to 66.7% over the past 7 days. Despite posting a .258 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Ke'Bryan Hayes has suffered from bad luck given the .034 disparity between that figure and his estimated true talent wOBA of .292.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Nolan Schanuel in the 92nd percentile when it comes to his batting average talent. Nolan Schanuel is projected to bat 2nd in the lineup today. Nolan Schanuel will hold the platoon advantage over Brady Singer in today's game... and the cherry on top, Singer has a large platoon split. Out of all the teams on the slate today, the 9th-weakest outfield defense is that of the Cincinnati Reds. Nolan Schanuel will hold the home field advantage today, which should boost all of his stats.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Luis Rengifo in the 82nd percentile as it relates to his batting average talent. Out of all the teams on the slate today, the 9th-weakest outfield defense is that of the Cincinnati Reds. Luis Rengifo will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to improve all of his stats. Luis Rengifo has been hot of late, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 88.3-mph to 93.9-mph in the past 7 days. Luis Rengifo's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has increased in recent games, rising from 15.1% on the season to 36% in the last two weeks.

Jose Trevino has gone over 0.5 in 3 of his last 10 games.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Zach Neto in the 88th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive skill. Zach Neto is penciled in 1st in the lineup in today's game. Out of all the teams on the slate today, the 9th-weakest outfield defense is that of the Cincinnati Reds. Home field advantage typically improves batter stats in all categories, and Zach Neto will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Zach Neto has made big gains with his Barrel%, bettering his 8.5% rate last year to 14.3% this season.

Noelvi Marte's batting average skill is projected to be in the 81st percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Noelvi Marte has primarily hit in the back-half of the batting order this year (80% of the time), but he is projected to bat 5th in the batting order in this game. Noelvi Marte has seen a big gain in his exit velocity this year; just compare his 89.7-mph average to last year's 87-mph average. Noelvi Marte has seen a big gain in his exit velocity on flyballs lately; just compare his 95.5-mph average in the past two weeks to his seasonal EV of 92.2-mph. Noelvi Marte has recorded a .345 wOBA (the best measure of overall offense) this year, grading out in the 84th percentile.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Mike Trout ranks as the 15th-best hitter in the league. Mike Trout is penciled in 3rd on the lineup card in today's game. Out of all the teams on the slate today, the 9th-weakest outfield defense is that of the Cincinnati Reds. Mike Trout will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which should bolster all of his stats. Despite posting a .347 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Mike Trout has experienced some negative variance given the .020 discrepancy between that mark and his estimated true talent wOBA of .367.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Logan O'Hoppe in the 80th percentile when assessing his overall offensive skill. Out of all the teams on the slate today, the 9th-weakest outfield defense is that of the Cincinnati Reds. Logan O'Hoppe will benefit from the home field advantage in today's game, which should bolster all of his stats. Last season, Logan O'Hoppe had an average launch angle of 16° on his hardest-contacted balls, while this year it has significantly increased to 21.1°. In the last 14 days, Logan O'Hoppe's 68.4% rate of hitting balls at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 49.8%.

When it comes to his overall offensive skill, Yoan Moncada ranks in the 83rd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Yoan Moncada is projected to bat 5th in the lineup in this matchup. The switch-hitting Yoan Moncada will have the advantage of batting from from his strong side (0) today against Brady Singer... and even better, Singer has a large platoon split. Out of all the teams on the slate today, the 9th-weakest outfield defense is that of the Cincinnati Reds. Yoan Moncada will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which should improve all of his stats.

When assessing his overall offensive skill, Jo Adell ranks in the 85th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Out of all the teams on the slate today, the 9th-weakest outfield defense is that of the Cincinnati Reds. Jo Adell will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should boost all of his stats. Jo Adell has made substantial strides with his Barrel% lately, upping his 16.8% seasonal rate to 23.5% over the last two weeks. Jo Adell has seen a big gain in his exit velocity on flyballs this season; just compare his 97.4-mph average to last year's 94.1-mph mark.

Out of all the teams on the slate today, the 9th-weakest outfield defense is that of the Cincinnati Reds. Bryce Teodosio will hold the home field advantage today, which figures to improve all of his stats.

Travis d'Arnaud has gone over 0.5 in 3 of his last 10 games.