Chicago @ Los Angeles Picks & Props

The Los Angeles Angels outfield defense grades out as the 5th-strongest among every team today. Kyle Tucker will be at a disadvantage playing away from home in today's game. Kyle Tucker has negatively regressed with his Barrel% recently; his 11.4% seasonal rate has lowered to 0% over the last week. Kyle Tucker has been cold lately, with his seasonal exit velocity of 90.1-mph dropping to 81.9-mph in the past week. Kyle Tucker's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has dropped off in recent games, falling from 18.1% on the season to 0% in the last week.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Taylor Ward in the 94th percentile when assessing his overall offensive skill. Taylor Ward is projected to hit 4th in the batting order in this matchup. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is predicted to have the highest temperatures on the slate at 87°. Home field advantage generally bolsters batter stats in all categories, and Taylor Ward will hold that advantage in today's game. Taylor Ward's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased of late, rising from 45.2% on the season to 60.5% in the last two weeks.

A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is predicted to have the highest temperatures on the slate at 87°. As a switch-hitter who performs better from the 0 side of the plate, Willi Castro will hold the platoon advantage while batting from from his better side against a pitcher with a huge platoon split (Victor Mederos) in today's matchup. Willi Castro has made sizeable strides with his Barrel% of late, improving his 7.6% seasonal rate to 22.2% in the past week's worth of games. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.254) suggests that Willi Castro has been unlucky this year with his .235 actual batting average.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Seiya Suzuki ranks as the 15th-best batter in the league. Seiya Suzuki is projected to bat 3rd in the batting order in today's game. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is predicted to have the highest temperatures on the slate at 87°. Seiya Suzuki has made notable gains with his Barrel%, bettering his 11.5% rate last year to 18.4% this year. Seiya Suzuki has seen a substantial gain in his exit velocity on flyballs of late; just compare his 99.8-mph average in the past week to his seasonal mark of 94.1-mph.

When it comes to his batting average talent, Nico Hoerner is projected as the 15th-best hitter in the league by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is predicted to have the highest temperatures on the slate at 87°. Nico Hoerner has seen a substantial increase in his exit velocity on flyballs lately; just compare his 96.1-mph average in the past week to his seasonal mark of 86.8-mph. Nico Hoerner's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better from last year to this one, increasing from 44.5% to 49.5%. Nico Hoerner's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased in recent games, going from 49.5% on the season to 62.5% over the last two weeks.

As it relates to his overall offensive skill, Ian Happ ranks in the 89th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Ian Happ is projected to hit 5th on the lineup card in today's game. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is predicted to have the highest temperatures on the slate at 87°. As a switch-hitter who is best from the 0 side of the plate, Ian Happ will hold the platoon advantage while batting from from his good side against a pitcher with a huge platoon split (Victor Mederos) today. Ian Happ has made big gains with his Barrel% of late, bettering his 9.2% seasonal rate to 14.3% in the last 7 days.

When assessing his overall offensive talent, Michael Busch ranks in the 92nd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Michael Busch is projected to bat 1st in the lineup in this game. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is predicted to have the highest temperatures on the slate at 87°. Given Victor Mederos's huge platoon split, Michael Busch will have a colossal advantage batting from the opposite side of the dish in this game. In the last two weeks, Michael Busch's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 94.4-mph over the course of the season to 97.7-mph of late.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Zach Neto in the 88th percentile when estimating his overall offensive skill. Zach Neto is projected to bat 1st in the batting order in this matchup. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is predicted to have the highest temperatures on the slate at 87°. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter metrics in all categories, and Zach Neto will hold that advantage in today's game. Zach Neto has made substantial improvements with his Barrel% in recent games, improving his 15% seasonal rate to 23.8% over the past 14 days.

A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is predicted to have the highest temperatures on the slate at 87°. Considering Victor Mederos's huge platoon split, Reese McGuire will have a gigantic advantage batting from the opposite side of the plate in today's game. This season, Reese McGuire has experienced a significant increase in his exit velocity on flyballs, now sitting at an average of 93.4 mph compared to last year's 89.1 mph mark. Reese McGuire's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved from last year to this one, rising from 15% to 18.6%.

Carson Kelly is projected to bat 5th on the lineup card in this game. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is predicted to have the highest temperatures on the slate at 87°. Compared to his seasonal average of 15.7°, Carson Kelly has significantly improved his launch angle in recent games, posting a 25.6° mark in the last 14 days. Posting a .359 Expected wOBA (or xwOBA, an advanced metric created by the leading projection system (THE BAT X) based on Statcast data) this year, Carson Kelly has performed in the 90th percentile for offensive ability. Posting a .353 wOBA (a leading indicator of offensive ability) this year, Carson Kelly is ranked in the 83rd percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Christian Moore in the 91st percentile as it relates to his BABIP talent. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is predicted to have the highest temperatures on the slate at 87°. Home field advantage typically boosts batter metrics across the board, and Christian Moore will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

As it relates to his overall offensive skill, Logan O'Hoppe ranks in the 79th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is predicted to have the highest temperatures on the slate at 87°. Home field advantage typically bolsters hitter metrics in all categories, and Logan O'Hoppe will hold that advantage today. Last year, Logan O'Hoppe had an average launch angle of 16° on his hardest-hit balls, while this season it has significantly increased to 21.3°. Logan O'Hoppe has been unlucky this year, compiling a .289 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .324 — a .035 deviation.

Mike Trout projects as the 16th-best batter in baseball, via the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Mike Trout 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 highest temperatures on the slate at 87°. Mike Trout will benefit from the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to boost all of his stats. Mike Trout has notched a .354 Expected wOBA (xwOBA) this year, grading out in the 87th percentile for offensive ability according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Dansby Swanson in the 86th percentile as it relates to his BABIP ability. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is predicted to have the highest temperatures on the slate at 87°. Dansby Swanson has made substantial strides with his Barrel% in recent games, improving his 12.1% seasonal rate to 20% in the past 7 days. Over the past two weeks, Dansby Swanson's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 94.4-mph over the course of the season to 97.5-mph of late. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Dansby Swanson's true offensive ability to be a .330, implying that he has been unlucky this year given the .026 deviation between that mark and his actual .304 wOBA.

Luis Rengifo's batting average ability is projected to be in the 82nd percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is predicted to have the highest temperatures on the slate at 87°. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter metrics across the board, and Luis Rengifo will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Luis Rengifo's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved recently, rising from 15.6% on the season to 46.2% in the last two weeks' worth of games. Luis Rengifo's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has improved from last year to this one, rising from 41.4% to 47.7%.

A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is predicted to have the highest temperatures on the slate at 87°. Matt Shaw has made significant strides with his Barrel% recently, improving his 7.2% seasonal rate to 25% in the last 7 days. Matt Shaw has seen a big gain in his exit velocity on flyballs lately; just compare his 97.7-mph average over the last 7 days to his seasonal EV of 91.5-mph. Matt Shaw's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has gotten better in recent games, going from 18.5% on the season to 40% in the past two weeks. Matt Shaw has had some very poor luck with his batting average this year; his .226 BA is a fair amount lower than his .258 Expected Batting Average, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jo Adell in the 87th percentile when estimating his overall offensive ability. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is predicted to have the highest temperatures on the slate at 87°. Jo Adell will hold the home field advantage today, which ought to bolster all of his stats. In the past week, Jo Adell's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 17.5% up to 46.2%. Jo Adell has been hot lately, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 91.6-mph to 104.4-mph in the past week's worth of games.

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 hit 2nd in the lineup in this matchup. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is predicted to have the highest temperatures on the slate at 87°. Hitting from the opposite that Cade Horton throws from, Nolan Schanuel will have the upper hand in today's game. Nolan Schanuel will possess the home field advantage today, which ought to boost all of his stats.

When it comes to his overall offensive ability, Yoan Moncada ranks in the 83rd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Yoan Moncada is projected to bat 5th in the batting order today. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is predicted to have the highest temperatures on the slate at 87°. As a switch-hitter who performs better from the 0 side of the dish, Yoan Moncada will have the advantage of batting from from his good side against Cade Horton in today's game. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter metrics across the board, and Yoan Moncada will hold that advantage in today's game.

A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer Ks), and this game is predicted to have the highest temperatures on the slate at 87°. Home field advantage generally bolsters batter metrics across the board, and Bryce Teodosio will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

Pete Crow-Armstrong has gone over 0.5 in 5 of his last 10 games.