Chicago @ San Diego Picks & Props

Ha-seong Kim hits many of his flyballs to center field (39% — 92nd percentile) and will have a big advantage facing baseball's 2nd-shallowest CF fences in today's game. Home field advantage generally boosts batter metrics in all categories, and Ha-seong Kim will hold that advantage today. Ha-seong Kim has been hot of late, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 91-mph to 96.3-mph in the past 14 days. Ha-seong Kim has been hot of late, putting up a a 16.7% Barrel% (a reliable metric to assess power) over the last 14 days.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jackson Merrill in the 82nd percentile when it comes to his batting average skill. Drew Smyly will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Jackson Merrill today. Jackson Merrill has a good chance to have an advantage against every reliever from start to finish, since the bullpen of the Chicago Cubs has just 1 same-handed RP. Jackson Merrill hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (38% — 77th percentile) and is fortunate to face baseball's 2nd-shallowest CF fences in today's game. Home field advantage generally improves hitter stats in all categories, and Jackson Merrill will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

Batting from the opposite that Joe Musgrove throws from, Michael Busch will have an edge in today's game. Michael Busch hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (38% — 77th percentile) and will have a big advantage facing the game's 2nd-shallowest CF fences in today's game. Michael Busch has been hot recently, notching a 102.2-mph average exit velocity in the last two weeks.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Xander Bogaerts in the 96th percentile as it relates to his batting average talent. Xander Bogaerts is projected to hit 1st in the batting order in this game. Home field advantage typically bolsters batter stats across the board, and Xander Bogaerts will hold that advantage in today's matchup. In the past two weeks' worth of games, Xander Bogaerts's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 89.8-mph over the course of the season to 99.8-mph in recent games. In the last two weeks, Xander Bogaerts has significantly improved the launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls: 58° compared to his seasonal mark of 12.8°.

When estimating his overall offensive ability, Ian Happ ranks in the 83rd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Ian Happ is projected to bat 1st on the lineup card in this game. The switch-hitting Ian Happ will get to bat from his good side (0) today against Joe Musgrove.

Batting from the opposite that Joe Musgrove throws from, Mike Tauchman will have an advantage in today's game.

When estimating his overall offensive ability, Dansby Swanson ranks in the 91st percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Dansby Swanson is projected to bat 5th on the lineup card today. Dansby Swanson hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (38.7% — 89th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest CF fences today. In the last 14 days, Dansby Swanson's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 33.3% up to 33.3%. In the last two weeks, Dansby Swanson has averaged an impressive 100.3-mph exit velocity on his flyballs, an advanced indicator of home run potential.

When it comes to his overall offensive ability, Cody Bellinger ranks in the 82nd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Cody Bellinger is projected to bat 3rd in the lineup in this matchup. Batting from the opposite that Joe Musgrove throws from, Cody Bellinger will have the upper hand in today's matchup. Cody Bellinger hits many of his flyballs to center field (38.8% — 90th percentile) and is fortunate to face the game's 2nd-shallowest CF fences in today's game. Cody Bellinger has been hot of late, compiling a 96.5-mph average exit velocity in the past two weeks.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Luis Campusano in the 85th percentile when assessing his batting average ability. Home field advantage generally improves hitter metrics across the board, and Luis Campusano will hold that advantage today.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Nico Hoerner in the 96th percentile when estimating his batting average talent. Nico Hoerner has been hot of late, posting a 100.5-mph average exit velocity in the last two weeks' worth of games.

Fernando Tatis Jr. projects as the 7th-best hitter in baseball, per the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Fernando Tatis Jr. is projected to bat 2nd in the batting order in this matchup. Fernando Tatis Jr. hits many of his flyballs to center field (38.5% — 86th percentile) and is fortunate to face the game's 2nd-shallowest CF fences in today's game. Home field advantage generally improves hitter metrics across the board, and Fernando Tatis Jr. will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Over the last two weeks, Fernando Tatis Jr.'s exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 101.8-mph over the course of the season to 107.3-mph lately.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Manny Machado in the 92nd percentile when it comes to his overall offensive talent. Manny Machado is projected to bat 4th in the lineup today. Manny Machado will hold the home field advantage today, which ought to boost all of his stats. Manny Machado has been hot in recent games, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 86.9-mph to 90.3-mph in the last two weeks' worth of games. Manny Machado's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved lately, rising from 33.3% on the season to 50% over the last 14 days.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jake Cronenworth in the 77th percentile when estimating his overall offensive ability. Jake Cronenworth is projected to hit 3rd on the lineup card today. Batting from the same side that Drew Smyly throws from, Jake Cronenworth will have a tough matchup today. Jake Cronenworth is likely to have an edge against every reliever from start to finish, since the bullpen of the Chicago Cubs has just 1 same-handed RP. Jake Cronenworth will benefit from the home field advantage today, which ought to boost all of his stats.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Seiya Suzuki in the 95th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive talent. Seiya Suzuki is projected to bat 2nd on the lineup card in this game. Seiya Suzuki hits many of his flyballs to center field (40.3% — 98th percentile) and will have a big advantage facing baseball's 2nd-shallowest CF fences in today's matchup. The standard deviation of Seiya Suzuki's launch angle has been very consistent recently (33.8° in the last two weeks), which is a measure of reliable bat control and seeing the ball well.

As it relates to his overall offensive ability, Christopher Morel ranks in the 83rd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Christopher Morel is projected to bat 4th in the batting order today. Christopher Morel has been hot recently, batting his way to a .387 wOBA in the last 7 days. Christopher Morel has been hot of late, putting up a a 25% Barrel% (an advanced standard to assess power) over the past 14 days. Christopher Morel has been zeroed in on the ideal launch angle for home runs of late, hitting balls between 23° and 34° 25% of the time in the past two weeks.

Yan Gomes hits many of his flyballs to center field (38.7% — 89th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting towards MLB's 2nd-shallowest CF fences in today's game.

Jurickson Profar has primarily hit in the back-half of the batting order this season (92% of the time), but he is projected to hit 5th in the batting order in today's game. Jurickson Profar will possess the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to improve all of his stats. The standard deviation of Jurickson Profar's launch angle has been very consistent recently (31° in the past two weeks), which is an indicator of reliable bat control and seeing the ball well.

Tyler Wade has gone over 0.5 in 0 of his last 10 games.