Cincinnati @ St. Louis Picks & Props

When starting against a southpaw this year, Miguel Andujar has been lifted for a pinch-hitter 32% of the time. Miguel Andujar will be at a disadvantage playing on the visting team today. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.297) suggests that Miguel Andujar has been lucky this year with his .353 actual wOBA. This year, Miguel Andujar's 4.8% Barrel%, a reliable metric for measuring power, places him in the 20th percentile among his peers.

The weather forecast projects temperatures in this game to reach the highest level of all games today at 87°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Hitting from the opposite that Zack Littell throws from, Nolan Gorman will have an advantage in today's game. Nolan Gorman will probably have an advantage against every reliever throughout the game, since the bullpen of the Cincinnati Reds only has 1 same-handed RP. The Cincinnati Reds outfield defense projects as the 5th-worst among all the teams on the slate today. Home field advantage generally boosts hitter stats in all categories, and Nolan Gorman will hold that advantage in today's game.

When assessing his BABIP ability, Elly De La Cruz is projected as the 3rd-best hitter in the game by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Elly De La Cruz is projected to bat 3rd in the lineup in this matchup. The weather forecast projects temperatures in this game to reach the highest level of all games today at 87°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). The St. Louis Cardinals outfield defense projects as the 3rd-weakest among all the teams playing today. Elly De La Cruz has seen a substantial improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs of late; just compare his 98.2-mph average in the past 7 days to his seasonal mark of 94.1-mph.

TJ Friedl is projected to bat 1st in the lineup in today's game. The weather forecast projects temperatures in this game to reach the highest level of all games today at 87°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). The St. Louis Cardinals outfield defense projects as the 3rd-weakest among all the teams playing today. TJ Friedl has exhibited impressive plate discipline this year, grading out in the 92nd percentile with a 1.42 K/BB rate.

Matt McLain's BABIP talent is projected in the 90th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). The weather forecast projects temperatures in this game to reach the highest level of all games today at 87°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Hitting from the opposite that Matthew Liberatore throws from, Matt McLain will have an edge today. Matt McLain hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (39.6% — 95th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting towards the league's 7th-shallowest CF fences in today's matchup. The St. Louis Cardinals outfield defense projects as the 3rd-weakest among all the teams playing today.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Alec Burleson in the 94th percentile when assessing his batting average ability. Alec Burleson is penciled in 3rd in the batting order today. The weather forecast projects temperatures in this game to reach the highest level of all games today at 87°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Batting from the opposite that Zack Littell throws from, Alec Burleson will have the upper hand in today's matchup. The Cincinnati Reds have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Alec Burleson can likely count on holding the advantage against every reliever all game.

The weather forecast projects temperatures in this game to reach the highest level of all games today at 87°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Hitting from the opposite that Zack Littell throws from, Victor Scott II will have an edge in today's game. Victor Scott II may have an edge against every reliever from start to finish, since the bullpen of the Cincinnati Reds has just 1 same-handed RP. The Cincinnati Reds outfield defense projects as the 5th-worst among all the teams on the slate today. Victor Scott II will hold the home field advantage today, which should improve all of his stats.

The weather forecast projects temperatures in this game to reach the highest level of all games today at 87°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). The Cincinnati Reds outfield defense projects as the 5th-worst among all the teams on the slate today. Home field advantage generally bolsters batter stats across the board, and Pedro Pages will hold that advantage today.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Ivan Herrera in the 92nd percentile when it comes to his overall offensive talent. Ivan Herrera is penciled in 2nd in the batting order in this matchup. The weather forecast projects temperatures in this game to reach the highest level of all games today at 87°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). The Cincinnati Reds outfield defense projects as the 5th-worst among all the teams on the slate today. Ivan Herrera will possess the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to improve all of his stats.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Ke'Bryan Hayes in the 76th percentile when estimating his batting average talent. The weather forecast projects temperatures in this game to reach the highest level of all games today at 87°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Hitting from the opposite that Matthew Liberatore throws from, Ke'Bryan Hayes will have an edge today. The St. Louis Cardinals outfield defense projects as the 3rd-weakest among all the teams playing today. Ke'Bryan Hayes'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 7.5% to 12.2%.

When estimating his overall offensive ability, Willson Contreras ranks in the 95th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Willson Contreras is projected to bat 4th in the batting order in today's game. The weather forecast projects temperatures in this game to reach the highest level of all games today at 87°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). The Cincinnati Reds outfield defense projects as the 5th-worst among all the teams on the slate today. Home field advantage typically bolsters hitter stats across the board, and Willson Contreras will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Lars Nootbaar in the 89th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive skill. Lars Nootbaar is projected to bat 5th in the batting order in today's game. The weather forecast projects temperatures in this game to reach the highest level of all games today at 87°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Lars Nootbaar will hold the platoon advantage against Zack Littell in today's game. Lars Nootbaar is apt to have an edge against every reliever for the whole game, since the bullpen of the Cincinnati Reds has just 1 same-handed RP.

Noelvi Marte has primarily hit in the back-half of the batting order this year (58% of the time), but he is projected to hit 2nd on the lineup card in this matchup. The weather forecast projects temperatures in this game to reach the highest level of all games today at 87°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Batting from the opposite that Matthew Liberatore throws from, Noelvi Marte will have an advantage in today's matchup. The St. Louis Cardinals outfield defense projects as the 3rd-weakest among all the teams playing today. Compared to his seasonal average of 12.9°, Noelvi Marte has significantly improved his launch angle recently, posting a 26.4° figure over the last week.

Austin Hays is projected to hit 5th on the lineup card today. The weather forecast projects temperatures in this game to reach the highest level of all games today at 87°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Austin Hays will have the handedness advantage over Matthew Liberatore in today's game. The St. Louis Cardinals outfield defense projects as the 3rd-weakest among all the teams playing today. Austin Hays's launch angle recently (20.7° over the last 7 days) is quite a bit better than his 14.2° seasonal mark.

The weather forecast projects temperatures in this game to reach the highest level of all games today at 87°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Spencer Steer will hold the platoon advantage over Matthew Liberatore in today's game. The St. Louis Cardinals outfield defense projects as the 3rd-weakest among all the teams playing today. St. Louis's 3rd-worst outfield defense of all teams today creates a favorable matchup for Spencer Steer, who tends to hit a lot of flyballs. Spencer Steer's average launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls this season (16.7°) is significantly higher than his 11.5° angle last season.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Tyler Stephenson in the 90th percentile when assessing his BABIP ability. The weather forecast projects temperatures in this game to reach the highest level of all games today at 87°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Batting from the opposite that Matthew Liberatore throws from, Tyler Stephenson will have an advantage in today's game. The St. Louis Cardinals outfield defense projects as the 3rd-weakest among all the teams playing today. Tyler Stephenson has made sizeable strides with his Barrel% recently, bettering his 14.5% seasonal rate to 40% in the last week's worth of games.

Thomas Saggese's BABIP skill is projected in the 94th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). The weather forecast projects temperatures in this game to reach the highest level of all games today at 87°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). The Cincinnati Reds outfield defense projects as the 5th-worst among all the teams on the slate today. Thomas Saggese will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which should boost all of his stats. Thomas Saggese's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased in recent games, increasing from 47.9% on the season to 78.6% in the past 7 days.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Brendan Donovan in the 96th percentile when estimating his batting average skill. Brendan Donovan is projected to bat 1st in the lineup in this matchup. The weather forecast projects temperatures in this game to reach the highest level of all games today at 87°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Hitting from the opposite that Zack Littell throws from, Brendan Donovan will have an edge in today's game. The Cincinnati Reds have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Brendan Donovan can likely count on never losing the platoon advantage against the 'pen all game.