Pittsburgh @ Los Angeles Picks & Props

The weather forecast forecasts temperatures in this game to reach the 5th-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Michael A. Taylor hits many of his flyballs to center field (40% — 99th percentile) and will have a big advantage facing baseball's 9th-shallowest CF fences in today's matchup. In the past 7 days, Michael A. Taylor's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 13.2% up to 28.6%. Michael A. Taylor's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has gotten better of late, going from 13.2% on the season to 28.6% over the last week. Compared to last year, Michael A. Taylor has improved his ability to hit the ball at a launch angle ideal for base hits, increasing his percentage of balls hit between -4° and 26° from 39.9% to 47.3% this season.

The weather forecast forecasts temperatures in this game to reach the 5th-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Nick Ahmed hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (38.1% — 78th percentile) and will have a big advantage facing MLB's 9th-shallowest CF fences in today's matchup. Nick Ahmed will benefit from the home field advantage today, which should boost all of his stats. Nick Ahmed has seen a notable increase in his exit velocity on flyballs recently; just compare his 91.9-mph average over the past 14 days to his seasonal figure of 89.8-mph. Nick Ahmed's average launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls this season (16.3°) is considerably higher than his 11.7° mark last year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Oneil Cruz in the 95th percentile when estimating his BABIP skill. Oneil Cruz is penciled in 3rd on the lineup card today. The 7th-shallowest centerfield fences in MLB are found in Dodger Stadium. The weather forecast forecasts temperatures in this game to reach the 5th-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Oneil Cruz will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against River Ryan in today's matchup.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Teoscar Hernandez as the 10th-best batter in the game when it comes to his BABIP talent. Teoscar Hernandez is projected to bat 2nd in the lineup in this matchup. The weather forecast forecasts temperatures in this game to reach the 5th-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Home field advantage typically boosts batter stats across the board, and Teoscar Hernandez will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Teoscar Hernandez has seen a substantial gain in his exit velocity on flyballs recently; just compare his 100.9-mph average over the past week to his seasonal mark of 96.1-mph.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Bryan De La Cruz in the 89th percentile when assessing his BABIP ability. The weather forecast forecasts temperatures in this game to reach the 5th-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Bryan De La Cruz has been unlucky this year, putting up a .292 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .316 — a .024 discrepancy.

Joey Bart is penciled in 4th in the batting order in this game, which would be an upgrade from his 79% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the lineup this season. The 7th-shallowest centerfield fences in MLB are found in Dodger Stadium. The weather forecast forecasts temperatures in this game to reach the 5th-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Joey Bart has made notable strides with his Barrel% in recent games, improving his 12.4% seasonal rate to 23.1% in the past 14 days. Joey Bart has seen a big increase in his exit velocity on flyballs lately; just compare his 102.8-mph average in the last 14 days to his seasonal figure of 97.2-mph.

When estimating his batting average ability, Freddie Freeman is projected as the 4th-best hitter in the game by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Freddie Freeman is penciled in 3rd in the lineup today. The 7th-shallowest centerfield fences in MLB are found in Dodger Stadium. The weather forecast forecasts temperatures in this game to reach the 5th-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Batting from the opposite that Paul Skenes throws from, Freddie Freeman will have an edge in today's matchup.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Bryan Reynolds in the 95th percentile when estimating his BABIP ability. Bryan Reynolds is projected to hit 2nd in the lineup today. The 7th-shallowest centerfield fences in MLB are found in Dodger Stadium. The weather forecast forecasts temperatures in this game to reach the 5th-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). The switch-hitting Bryan Reynolds will get to bat from his strong side (0) today against River Ryan.

When assessing his overall offensive ability, Andrew McCutchen ranks in the 84th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Andrew McCutchen is projected to bat 1st in the batting order in this game. In terms of temperature and humidity, the weather report predicts for the 5th-most favorable hitting conditions of all games today. Andrew McCutchen hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (38.9% — 91st percentile) and is fortunate to face MLB's 9th-shallowest CF fences in today's matchup. Andrew McCutchen has made substantial strides with his Barrel%, improving his 6.8% rate last year to 11.8% this year.

The weather forecast forecasts temperatures in this game to reach the 5th-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Austin Barnes hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (38.4% — 83rd percentile) and is fortunate to face the game's 9th-shallowest CF fences in today's game. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter metrics across the board, and Austin Barnes will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

Rowdy Tellez is penciled in 5th on the lineup card in today's game. The weather forecast forecasts temperatures in this game to reach the 5th-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Batting from the opposite that River Ryan throws from, Rowdy Tellez will have an advantage in today's game. Rowdy Tellez hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (39.9% — 98th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting out towards MLB's 9th-shallowest CF fences in today's game. Rowdy Tellez has made big strides with his Barrel% lately, bettering his 7.9% seasonal rate to 17.6% in the past two weeks' worth of games.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the 90th percentile when estimating his batting average skill. Isiah Kiner-Falefa is projected to hit 1st on the lineup card in this matchup, which would be an upgrade from his 86% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the lineup this year. The weather forecast forecasts temperatures in this game to reach the 5th-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Over the past 14 days, Isiah Kiner-Falefa's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 87.5-mph over the course of the season to 95.2-mph of late. Isiah Kiner-Falefa has recorded a .334 wOBA (the best measure of overall offense) this year, ranking in the 75th percentile.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Shohei Ohtani ranks as the 4th-best batter in baseball. Shohei Ohtani is projected to hit 1st in the lineup today. The 7th-shallowest centerfield fences in MLB are found in Dodger Stadium. The weather forecast forecasts temperatures in this game to reach the 5th-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Batting from the opposite that Paul Skenes throws from, Shohei Ohtani will have the upper hand today.

The 7th-shallowest centerfield fences in MLB are found in Dodger Stadium. In terms of temperature and humidity, the weather report predicts for the 5th-most favorable hitting conditions of all games today. Andy Pages will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which should bolster all of his stats. Andy Pages has had some very poor luck with his wOBA this year; his .296 figure is quite a bit lower than his .328 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data. In terms of the ability to lift the ball for power, Andy Pages ranks in the 95th percentile with a 20.7° launch angle, which is one of the steepest angles in the majors.

The weather forecast forecasts temperatures in this game to reach the 5th-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Kike Hernandez hits many of his flyballs to center field (38.8% — 90th percentile) and will have a big advantage facing MLB's 9th-shallowest CF fences today. Home field advantage generally bolsters hitter stats across the board, and Kike Hernandez will hold that advantage today. Kike Hernandez's average exit velocity has risen significantly from last season to this one, averaging 90.2-mph now compared to just 87.8-mph then. Kike Hernandez has been unlucky this year, notching a .269 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .295 — a .026 gap.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Gavin Lux in the 78th percentile when estimating his BABIP ability. Gavin Lux has primarily hit in the back-half of the lineup this season (84% of the time), but he is projected to bat 4th in the lineup today. The weather forecast forecasts temperatures in this game to reach the 5th-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Batting from the opposite that Paul Skenes throws from, Gavin Lux will have the upper hand today. Gavin Lux hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (39.3% — 95th percentile) and is fortunate to face baseball's 9th-shallowest CF fences in today's matchup.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Ke'Bryan Hayes in the 80th percentile when estimating his batting average ability. The weather forecast forecasts temperatures in this game to reach the 5th-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Ke'Bryan Hayes's true offensive skill to be a .299, providing some evidence that he has had some very poor luck this year given the .032 deviation between that mark and his actual .267 wOBA.

The 7th-shallowest centerfield fences in MLB are found in Dodger Stadium. The weather forecast forecasts temperatures in this game to reach the 5th-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Yasmani Grandal has seen a sizeable improvement in his exit velocity this year; just compare his 91-mph average to last season's 87.9-mph mark. In the past week's worth of games, Yasmani Grandal's 83.3% rate of hitting balls at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 38.2%. Yasmani Grandal has experienced some negative variance in regards to his batting average this year; his .191 mark is significantly deflated relative to his .219 Expected Batting Average, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

Jason Heyward is penciled in 5th on the lineup card in today's game. The weather forecast forecasts temperatures in this game to reach the 5th-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Jason Heyward will hold the platoon advantage over Paul Skenes today. Home field advantage typically improves hitter stats across the board, and Jason Heyward will hold that advantage in today's game. When it comes to plate discipline, Jason Heyward's skill is quite good, putting up a 2.04 K/BB rate this year while checking in at in the 81st percentile.

The 7th-shallowest centerfield fences in MLB are found in Dodger Stadium. The weather forecast forecasts temperatures in this game to reach the 5th-highest level on the slate at 83°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Kevin Kiermaier will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Paul Skenes in today's game. Home field advantage typically improves batter metrics across the board, and Kevin Kiermaier will hold that advantage in today's game. Kevin Kiermaier has seen a big gain in his exit velocity on flyballs this season; just compare his 90.6-mph average to last year's 87.4-mph average.

In terms of temperature and humidity, the weather report predicts for the 5th-most favorable hitting conditions of all games today. Home field advantage generally improves batter metrics across the board, and Miguel Rojas will hold that advantage today. When it comes to plate discipline, Miguel Rojas's talent is quite good, putting up a 1.98 K/BB rate this year while grading out in in the 82nd percentile.

Jared Triolo has gone over 0.5 in 5 of his last 10 games.