Baltimore @ Houston Picks & Props

As it relates to his BABIP talent, Colton Cowser is projected as the 10th-best hitter in the game by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). The Houston Astros have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Colton Cowser stands a good chance of holding the platoon advantage against every reliever all game. Colton Cowser has a 90th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (36.3%) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them in the direction of MLB's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today. In the past 7 days, Colton Cowser's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 98.1-mph over the course of the season to 110-mph lately. In the last week's worth of games, Colton Cowser's 66.7% rate of hitting balls at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 47.8%.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Gunnar Henderson ranks as the 15th-best hitter in the league. Gunnar Henderson is projected to bat 4th in the batting order today. The Houston Astros have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Gunnar Henderson stands a good chance of holding the platoon advantage against every reliever all game. Gunnar Henderson has a 79th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (34.2%) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Gunnar Henderson has seen a substantial gain in his exit velocity on flyballs this season; just compare his 96.8-mph average to last season's 94-mph mark.

Minute Maid Park profiles as the #21 ballpark in the league for righty base hits, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT). Built just 20 feet above sea level, Minute Maid Park has one of the lowest elevations among all parks, which tends to lead to lower offensive output. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making conditions in this contest -13° colder than the average outdoor game on the schedule today — favorable for pitching. In today's game, Ryan Mountcastle is at a disadvantage facing the league's 9th-deepest RF fences given that he hits his flyballs to the opposite field at a 37.1% rate (92nd percentile). Ryan Mountcastle will be at a disadvantage playing as a visiting player today.

Minute Maid Park has the 2nd-least fair ground among all major league stadiums — generally good for dingers. Cesar Salazar will have the handedness advantage against Albert Suarez today. Cesar Salazar will possess the home field advantage today, which ought to improve all of his stats.

Yordan Alvarez projects as the 3rd-best batter in baseball, via the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Yordan Alvarez is penciled in 3rd in the batting order in this matchup. Hitting from the opposite that Albert Suarez throws from, Yordan Alvarez will have an advantage in today's game. Yordan Alvarez will benefit from the home field advantage today, which ought to improve all of his stats. Over the past 14 days, Yordan Alvarez's 25.8% rate of hitting balls at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 20.7%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jose Altuve in the 90th percentile when assessing his batting average ability. Jose Altuve is penciled in 1st in the batting order in this game. Jose Altuve pulls many of his flyballs (41.9% — 99th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards the league's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Jose Altuve will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to boost all of his stats. In the past week's worth of games, Jose Altuve's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 8.3% up to 20%.

Batting from the opposite that Framber Valdez throws from, James McCann will have the upper hand in today's game. James McCann has suffered from bad luck when it comes to his wOBA this year; his .222 rate is quite a bit lower than his .322 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data. The standard deviation of James McCann's launch angle since the start of last season (25.3°) is in the 92nd percentile. A low figure like this tends to lead to a higher BABIP.

Chas McCormick's BABIP skill is projected in the 84th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Chas McCormick will benefit from the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to improve all of his stats. Chas McCormick has made significant gains with his Barrel% recently, bettering his 9% seasonal rate to 35.7% in the past 14 days. In the past week's worth of games, Chas McCormick's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 87.8-mph over the course of the season to 100.3-mph lately. In the last two weeks' worth of games, Chas McCormick's 71.4% rate of hitting balls at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 47.4%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jordan Westburg in the 95th percentile as it relates to his BABIP skill. Jordan Westburg is projected to bat 5th in the batting order in this game. The shallowest LF dimensions in the league are found in Minute Maid Park. Jordan Westburg will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Framber Valdez today. Jordan Westburg has made big improvements with his Barrel% in recent games, upping his 11.1% seasonal rate to 24.1% over the past two weeks.

Anthony Santander is projected to hit 3rd on the lineup card in today's game. The switch-hitting Anthony Santander will have the advantage of batting from from his strong side (0) today against Framber Valdez. Anthony Santander pulls many of his flyballs (41.5% — 99th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Extreme flyball hitters like Anthony Santander are generally more successful against extreme groundball pitchers like Framber Valdez. In the last week, Anthony Santander's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 10.6% up to 27.8%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jeremy Pena in the 94th percentile when it comes to his BABIP talent. Jeremy Pena is penciled in 5th in the lineup today. The shallowest LF dimensions in the league are found in Minute Maid Park. Jeremy Pena will possess the home field advantage today, which should improve all of his stats. In the past week, Jeremy Pena's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 90.4-mph over the course of the season to 92.6-mph recently.

Yainer Diaz's batting average talent is projected to be in the 96th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Yainer Diaz is projected to hit 4th in the lineup today. Yainer Diaz will benefit from the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should boost all of his stats. Over the last week, Yainer Diaz's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 7.5% up to 13.3%. Yainer Diaz has seen a big improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs of late; just compare his 99.7-mph average in the last week's worth of games to his seasonal mark of 92.8-mph.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Adley Rutschman in the 95th percentile when estimating his overall offensive ability. Adley Rutschman is projected to hit 1st in the batting order in today's game. The shallowest LF dimensions in the league are found in Minute Maid Park. The switch-hitting Adley Rutschman will hold the platoon advantage while batting from from his better side (0) today against Framber Valdez. There has been a significant improvement in Adley Rutschman's launch angle from last season's 12.5° to 17.7° this season.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jake Meyers in the 76th percentile when assessing his BABIP talent. Jake Meyers has primarily hit in the back-half of the batting order this year (87% of the time), but he is projected to hit 5th on the lineup card in today's game. The shallowest LF dimensions in the league are found in Minute Maid Park. Jake Meyers will possess the home field advantage today, which ought to bolster all of his stats. In the past week's worth of games, Jake Meyers's 27.3% rate of hitting balls at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 16.9%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Alex Bregman in the 94th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive skill. Alex Bregman is penciled in 2nd on the lineup card in this game. Alex Bregman will benefit from the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to boost all of his stats. Despite posting a .309 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Alex Bregman has had some very poor luck given the .032 disparity between that mark and his estimated true talent wOBA of .341. Posting a 1.79 K/BB rate this year, Alex Bregman has demonstrated strong plate discipline, ranking in the 82nd percentile.

The shallowest LF dimensions in the league are found in Minute Maid Park. Hitting from the opposite that Framber Valdez throws from, Austin Hays will have an advantage in today's matchup. Compared to his seasonal average of 10.1°, Austin Hays has significantly improved his launch angle in recent games, posting a 38° mark in the last 7 days. Checking in at the 89th percentile, Austin Hays has put up a .335 BABIP since the start of last season.

Batting from the opposite that Albert Suarez throws from, Jon Singleton will have an advantage today. Home field advantage generally bolsters hitter metrics in all categories, and Jon Singleton will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

Hitting from the opposite that Framber Valdez throws from, Ramon Urias will have the upper hand in today's matchup. Ramon Urias has notched a .331 BABIP since the start of last season, grading out in the 88th percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Mauricio Dubon in the 89th percentile when assessing his batting average talent. Mauricio Dubon will benefit from the home field advantage in today's game, which should boost all of his stats. Mauricio Dubon has compiled a .295 batting average this year, placing in the 91st percentile.

The shallowest LF dimensions in the league are found in Minute Maid Park. Jorge Mateo will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Framber Valdez today. There has been a significant improvement in Jorge Mateo's launch angle from last season's 10.3° to 14.2° this year.