Cincinnati @ Los Angeles Picks & Props

Elly De La Cruz will be at a disadvantage playing as a visiting player today. Elly De La Cruz has taken a step back with his Barrel% recently; his 10.6% seasonal rate has lowered to 2.9% over the past 14 days. Elly De La Cruz's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has dropped off lately, going from 14.9% on the season to 8.8% over the last 14 days. When it comes to his wOBA and overall offense, Elly De La Cruz has experienced some positive variance this year. His .344 rate has been considerably higher than the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected wOBA (xwOBA) at .313.

Kyle Hendricks will have the handedness advantage against Miguel Andujar today. Playing on the road typically reduces hitter metrics across the board due to the lack of home field advantage, which figures to be the case for Miguel Andujar in today's matchup. In the last 7 days, Miguel Andujar's Barrel% has experienced a negative regression, plummeting from his seasonal rate of 5.5% down to 0%. Miguel Andujar's average launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls of late (2.7° over the past 14 days) is significantly lower than his 8° seasonal angle. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.296) suggests that Miguel Andujar has had some very good luck this year with his .349 actual wOBA.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Matt McLain in the 88th percentile when estimating his BABIP talent. Matt McLain has made substantial gains with his Barrel% of late, upping his 6.6% seasonal rate to 50% over the last 7 days. Matt McLain has seen a significant increase in his exit velocity recently; just compare his 96.8-mph average in the last week's worth of games to his seasonal 88.3-mph EV. Matt McLain's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved in recent games, going from 15.4% on the season to 50% in the last 7 days. Despite posting a .283 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Matt McLain has suffered from bad luck given the .038 difference between that mark and his estimated true talent wOBA of .321.

Ke'Bryan Hayes has made notable improvements with his Barrel% in recent games, upping his 4.9% seasonal rate to 25% over the past week. Ke'Bryan Hayes's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved from last season to this one, increasing from 7.5% to 10.9%. In the past week, Ke'Bryan Hayes's 37.5% rate of hitting balls at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 10.9%. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Ke'Bryan Hayes's true offensive talent to be a .293, suggesting that he has suffered from bad luck this year given the .034 gap between that mark and his actual .259 wOBA.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Taylor Ward in the 94th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive talent. Taylor Ward is projected to hit 4th in the batting order in this game. Home field advantage typically improves batter stats across the board, and Taylor Ward will hold that advantage today. Taylor Ward's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has dropped off lately, going from 44% on the season to 35.3% over the past 7 days. In the past two weeks' worth of games, Taylor Ward's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 15.2% up to 18.9%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Logan O'Hoppe in the 80th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive talent. Home field advantage generally boosts hitter metrics across the board, and Logan O'Hoppe will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Over the last 14 days, Logan O'Hoppe's 65.2% rate of hitting balls at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 49.8%. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.324) suggests that Logan O'Hoppe has suffered from bad luck this year with his .292 actual wOBA.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Tyler Stephenson in the 90th percentile when assessing his BABIP talent. Tyler Stephenson's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved from last year to this one, increasing from 14% to 21.2%. Tyler Stephenson's 12.3% Barrel% (an advanced standard to measure power) ranks in the 83rd percentile this year.

Travis d'Arnaud will benefit from the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to boost all of his stats. 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 21.8% this season. Travis d'Arnaud's 13.7% Barrel% (a reliable stat to assess power) grades out in the 89th percentile this year. Travis d'Arnaud's 96.9-mph exit velocity on flyballs (an advanced standard to evaluate power) ranks in the 93rd percentile this year.

Spencer Steer has made significant strides with his Barrel% of late, upping his 6.3% seasonal rate to 12.5% in the last two weeks' worth of games. Spencer Steer's average launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls this season (16.1°) is considerably higher than his 11.5° figure last year. In the last 14 days, Spencer Steer's 37.5% rate of hitting balls at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 16.1%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Noelvi Marte in the 81st percentile when assessing his batting average skill. Noelvi Marte has seen a notable improvement in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 89.7-mph average to last year's 87-mph figure. In the last two weeks' worth of games, Noelvi Marte's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 92.1-mph over the course of the season to 94.2-mph recently. In the past 7 days, Noelvi Marte's 23.5% rate of hitting balls at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 13.9%. Ranking in the 84th percentile, Noelvi Marte has posted a .344 wOBA (widely regarded as the top measure of overall offense) this year.

Austin Hays is projected to bat 5th on the lineup card in this matchup. Austin Hays has seen a significant improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs this year; just compare his 94.9-mph average to last year's 91.6-mph average. Over the past two weeks, Austin Hays's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 94.9-mph over the course of the season to 97.5-mph of late. Checking in at the 80th percentile, Austin Hays has notched a .321 BABIP this year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jo Adell in the 85th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive talent. Jo Adell is projected to hit 5th in the batting order in this game. Jo Adell will hold the home field advantage today, which should bolster all of his stats. Jo Adell has made significant gains with his Barrel% of late, improving his 17.1% seasonal rate to 24.3% in the last two weeks' worth of games. Jo Adell has seen a big increase in his exit velocity on flyballs this year; just compare his 97.4-mph average to last season's 94.1-mph EV.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Mike Trout ranks as the 16th-best batter in baseball. Mike Trout is penciled in 3rd in the lineup 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. Mike Trout has been unlucky this year, notching a .348 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .366 — a .018 discrepancy. Mike Trout has put up a .353 Expected wOBA (xwOBA) this year, ranking in the 86th percentile for offensive skills according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

When it comes to his overall offensive ability, Zach Neto ranks in the 89th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Zach Neto is projected to bat 1st in the lineup in this matchup. Home field advantage generally bolsters batter stats across the board, and Zach Neto will hold that advantage today. Over the last 14 days, Zach Neto has improved his Barrel% substantially, increasing it from his seasonal rate of 14.7% to 24.4%. In the past two weeks, Zach Neto's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 96-mph over the course of the season to 98.4-mph in recent games.

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

When estimating his overall offensive skill, Yoan Moncada ranks in the 83rd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). As a switch-hitter who performs better from the 0 side of the dish, Yoan Moncada will hold the platoon advantage while batting from from his better side against Hunter Greene in this game. Yoan Moncada will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to bolster all of his stats. In the past 7 days, Yoan Moncada's 75% rate of hitting balls at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 36.5%. Using Statcast data, Yoan Moncada is in the 82nd percentile for offensive ability according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (xwOBA) this year at .336.

Gavin Lux's BABIP skill is projected in the 91st percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Gavin Lux is penciled in 2nd on the lineup card in this game. Gavin Lux will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Kyle Hendricks today. Gavin Lux has been hot recently, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 88.9-mph to 94.6-mph in the past two weeks' worth of games. 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, increasing from 12.7% to 16.1%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Christian Moore in the 91st percentile when it comes to his BABIP talent. Home field advantage generally improves hitter stats in all categories, and Christian Moore will hold that advantage today.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Nolan Schanuel in the 92nd percentile when estimating his batting average skill. Nolan Schanuel is penciled in 2nd in the lineup in this game. Nolan Schanuel will hold the platoon advantage against Hunter Greene today. Nolan Schanuel will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should improve all of his stats. Nolan Schanuel has seen a big gain in his exit velocity on flyballs this season; just compare his 91-mph average to last year's 88.9-mph average.

TJ Friedl is penciled in 1st in the batting order in this matchup. TJ Friedl will have the handedness advantage over Kyle Hendricks in today's game. TJ Friedl has shown good plate discipline this year, checking in at the 90th percentile with a 1.46 K/BB rate.

Home field advantage generally improves hitter stats in all categories, and Bryce Teodosio will hold that advantage today.