Los Angeles @ Houston Picks & Props

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Niko Kavadas in the 1st percentile when assessing his batting average skill. Niko Kavadas is projected to hit 8th in the lineup in this matchup. When starting against a right-handed starter since the start of last season, Niko Kavadas has been lifted for a pinch-hitter 18% of the time. The #4 field in MLB for suppressing batting average to left-handed hitters, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Minute Maid Park. Minute Maid Park's altitude is near sea-level, one of the lowest in the majors, which tends to lead to worse offense.

When assessing his overall offensive talent, Taylor Ward ranks in the 94th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Taylor Ward is projected to bat 4th on the lineup card today. Among every team in action today, the 7th-weakest outfield defense is that of the the Houston Astros. Taylor Ward has seen a sizeable increase in his exit velocity in recent games; just compare his 96.4-mph average in the last week to his seasonal 90.5-mph EV. In terms of his batting average, Taylor Ward has been unlucky this year. His .228 rate falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .247.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Matthew Lugo in the 85th percentile when assessing his BABIP ability. Matthew Lugo pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (33.8% — 81st percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards the league's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today. Among every team in action today, the 7th-weakest outfield defense is that of the the Houston Astros. Ranking in the 95th percentile for Sprint Speed at 29.32 ft/sec this year, Matthew Lugo is very athletic.

Oswald Peraza is projected to bat 2nd in the batting order in this game, which would be an upgrade from his 100% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the batting order this year. Extreme flyball hitters like Oswald Peraza generally hit better against extreme groundball pitchers like Luis Garcia. Among every team in action today, the 7th-weakest outfield defense is that of the the Houston Astros. Oswald Peraza has had some very poor luck with his wOBA this year; his .201 rate is quite a bit lower than his .248 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data. Checking in at the 77th percentile, the hardest ball Oswald Peraza has connected with this year reached a maximum exit velocity of 111.8 mph -- an advanced indication of underlying power ability.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Zach Neto in the 89th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive talent. Zach Neto is penciled in 1st in the lineup in this matchup. Zach Neto pulls many of his flyballs (37% — 95th percentile) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Among every team in action today, the 7th-weakest outfield defense is that of the the Houston Astros. Zach Neto has made sizeable improvements with his Barrel% recently, improving his 14.9% seasonal rate to 22.2% in the last 14 days.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Yoan Moncada in the 84th percentile when estimating his overall offensive talent. Yoan Moncada is projected to hit 2nd on the lineup card today. The switch-hitting Yoan Moncada will have the advantage of batting from from his strong side (0) today against Luis Garcia. Among every team in action today, the 7th-weakest outfield defense is that of the the Houston Astros. Yoan Moncada has made notable improvements with his Barrel% lately, bettering his 13.1% seasonal rate to 21.1% in the past 14 days.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jo Adell in the 86th percentile when estimating his overall offensive talent. Jo Adell has primarily hit in the back-half of the batting order this year (63% of the time), but he is projected to hit 4th on the lineup card today. The 2nd-shallowest left field fences in the league are found in Minute Maid Park. Among every team in action today, the 7th-weakest outfield defense is that of the the Houston Astros. Jo Adell has made substantial strides with his Barrel%, bettering his 11.8% rate last season to 17.3% this year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Luis Rengifo in the 82nd percentile when assessing his batting average talent. Luis Rengifo has primarily hit in the back-half of the lineup this year (78% of the time), but he is projected to hit 5th on the lineup card in today's game. Batters such as Luis Rengifo with extreme groundball tendencies are usually more effective when facing pitchers like Luis Garcia who skew towards the flyball end of the spectrum. Among every team in action today, the 7th-weakest outfield defense is that of the the Houston Astros. Luis Rengifo's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better from last year to this one, going from 41.4% to 47.4%.

The 2nd-shallowest left field fences in the league are found in Minute Maid Park. Among every team in action today, the 7th-weakest outfield defense is that of the the Houston Astros. Travis d'Arnaud's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has gotten better from last season to this one, going from 12.2% to 21%. When it comes to his wOBA and overall offense, Travis d'Arnaud has suffered from bad luck this year. His .269 figure falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected wOBA (xwOBA) at .299.

When estimating his batting average skill, Jeremy Pena is projected as the 20th-best batter in baseball by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Jeremy Pena is projected to bat 1st on the lineup card in this game. The 2nd-shallowest left field fences in the league are found in Minute Maid Park. Jeremy Pena will have the handedness advantage against Yusei Kikuchi in today's matchup. Out of all the teams today, the 5th-weakest infield defense is that of the the Los Angeles Angels.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Logan O'Hoppe in the 79th percentile when estimating his overall offensive ability. Logan O'Hoppe pulls a lot of his flyballs (33.9% — 82nd percentile) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards the game's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Among every team in action today, the 7th-weakest outfield defense is that of the the Houston Astros. Logan O'Hoppe has seen a big gain in his exit velocity on flyballs this season; just compare his 96.9-mph average to last season's 94.6-mph mark. Compared to his seasonal average of 17.9°, Logan O'Hoppe has significantly improved his launch angle of late, posting a 41° angle in the last week's worth of games.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Yainer Diaz in the 97th percentile when it comes to his batting average talent. Yainer Diaz will have the handedness advantage against Yusei Kikuchi in today's matchup. Out of all the teams today, the 5th-weakest infield defense is that of the the Los Angeles Angels. Home field advantage generally improves batter metrics across the board, and Yainer Diaz will hold that advantage in today's game. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Yainer Diaz's true offensive skill to be a .328, providing some evidence that he has had bad variance on his side this year given the .027 deviation between that figure and his actual .301 wOBA.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Carlos Correa in the 94th percentile when assessing his batting average talent. Carlos Correa is projected to bat 4th on the lineup card in this game. The 2nd-shallowest left field fences in the league are found in Minute Maid Park. Carlos Correa will have the handedness advantage against Yusei Kikuchi in today's matchup. Out of all the teams today, the 5th-weakest infield defense is that of the the Los Angeles Angels.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jesus Sanchez in the 88th percentile when estimating his overall offensive talent. Jesus Sanchez is projected to hit 5th in the lineup in this game. Jesus Sanchez has an 89th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (36%) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them in the direction of MLB's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today. Out of all the teams today, the 5th-weakest infield defense is that of the the Los Angeles Angels. Home field advantage generally bolsters hitter stats across the board, and Jesus Sanchez will hold that advantage today.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Mike Trout ranks as the 19th-best hitter in the game. Mike Trout is projected to hit 3rd in the lineup in this matchup. The 2nd-shallowest left field fences in the league are found in Minute Maid Park. Among every team in action today, the 7th-weakest outfield defense is that of the the Houston Astros. In the past 7 days, Mike Trout's 40% rate of hitting balls at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 19.8%.

Batting from the opposite that Yusei Kikuchi throws from, Chas McCormick will have an advantage in today's matchup. Out of all the teams today, the 5th-weakest infield defense is that of the the Los Angeles Angels. Chas McCormick will benefit from the home field advantage in today's game, which should boost all of his stats. Chas McCormick has seen a big improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs this year; just compare his 95.5-mph average to last season's 90.9-mph EV. Last year, Chas McCormick had an average launch angle of 15.6° on his highest exit velocity balls, while this year it has significantly increased to 23°.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jose Altuve in the 91st percentile when assessing his batting average skill. Jose Altuve is projected to bat 3rd on the lineup card in today's game. Hitting from the opposite that Yusei Kikuchi throws from, Jose Altuve will have an edge today. Jose Altuve pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (41.6% — 99th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards the league's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Out of all the teams today, the 5th-weakest infield defense is that of the the Los Angeles Angels.

Christian Walker is penciled in 5th on the lineup card in this matchup. Christian Walker will have the handedness advantage over Yusei Kikuchi in today's matchup. 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 baseball's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today. Out of all the teams today, the 5th-weakest infield defense is that of the the Los Angeles Angels. Christian Walker will benefit from the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to improve all of his stats.

The 2nd-shallowest left field fences in the league are found in Minute Maid Park. Ramon Urias will have the handedness advantage over Yusei Kikuchi in today's game. Out of all the teams today, the 5th-weakest infield defense is that of the the Los Angeles Angels. Home field advantage typically boosts batter metrics in all categories, and Ramon Urias will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Ramon Urias's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better from last season to this one, increasing from 38.1% to 45.3%.

Batting from the opposite that Yusei Kikuchi throws from, Mauricio Dubon will have an edge today. Out of all the teams today, the 5th-weakest infield defense is that of the the Los Angeles Angels. Home field advantage typically bolsters hitter stats across the board, and Mauricio Dubon will hold that advantage today. Mauricio Dubon's average launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls recently (21.7° over the last 14 days) is a considerable increase over his 7.1° seasonal figure. Mauricio Dubon's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has gotten better from last season to this one, rising from 12.1% to 19.9%.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Yordan Alvarez ranks as the 3rd-best hitter in the game. Yordan Alvarez is penciled in 2nd on the lineup card in today's game. Out of all the teams today, the 5th-weakest infield defense is that of the the Los Angeles Angels. Yordan Alvarez will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to boost all of his stats. Yordan Alvarez has made sizeable improvements with his Barrel% in recent games, improving his 13% seasonal rate to 25% in the past week.

Among every team in action today, the 7th-weakest outfield defense is that of the the Houston Astros.

Cesar Salazar has gone over 0.5 in 2 of his last 10 games.

Christian Moore has gone over 0.5 in 6 of his last 10 games.