Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh Picks & Props

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Oneil Cruz in the 96th percentile when estimating his BABIP ability. Oneil Cruz is projected to bat 5th in the lineup in this matchup. PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation often leads to better offense. Among all the teams in action today, the 11th-worst infield defense is that of the the Cincinnati Reds. Oneil Cruz will possess the home field advantage today, which figures to improve all of his stats.

PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation often leads to better offense. Batting from the opposite that Nick Lodolo throws from, Michael A. Taylor will have an advantage in today's matchup. Among all the teams in action today, the 11th-worst infield defense is that of the the Cincinnati Reds. Michael A. Taylor will possess the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should improve all of his stats. Despite posting a .247 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Michael A. Taylor has experienced some negative variance given the .039 discrepancy between that mark and his estimated true talent wOBA of .286.

When estimating his BABIP ability, Elly De La Cruz is projected as the 2nd-best hitter in the game by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Elly De La Cruz is projected to hit 2nd in the batting order in this game. PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation often leads to better offense. As a switch-hitter who is best from the 0 side of the dish, Elly De La Cruz will hold the platoon advantage while batting from from his good side against Paul Skenes today. Elly De La Cruz has been hot of late, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 91.6-mph to 95.5-mph in the past two weeks.

When estimating his overall offensive talent, Tyler Stephenson ranks in the 87th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Tyler Stephenson is projected to hit 3rd on the lineup card in this matchup. PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation often leads to better offense. Tyler Stephenson has made notable improvements with his Barrel% lately, bettering his 10.2% seasonal rate to 17.2% in the last two weeks' worth of games. Tyler Stephenson has seen a sizeable improvement in his exit velocity of late; just compare his 94-mph average in the last 7 days to his seasonal 90.7-mph figure.

T.J. Friedl is penciled in 4th in the batting order in this game. PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation often leads to better offense. T.J. Friedl will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Paul Skenes in today's matchup. This season, T.J. Friedl has experienced a significant increase in his exit velocity on flyballs, now sitting at an average of 88.8 mph compared to last year's 86.7 mph mark. In the last week's worth of games, T.J. Friedl's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 88.8-mph over the course of the season to 99-mph in recent games.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Bryan Reynolds in the 94th percentile as it relates to his BABIP ability. Bryan Reynolds is projected to bat 2nd in the batting order in this game. PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation often leads to better offense. Among all the teams in action today, the 11th-worst infield defense is that of the the Cincinnati Reds. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter metrics in all categories, and Bryan Reynolds will hold that advantage in today's game.

Joey Bart is projected to hit 3rd in the batting order in this matchup, which would be an upgrade from his 65% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the batting order this season. PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation often leads to better offense. Joey Bart will have the handedness advantage over Nick Lodolo in today's matchup. Among all the teams in action today, the 11th-worst infield defense is that of the the Cincinnati Reds. Home field advantage typically boosts batter stats in all categories, and Joey Bart will hold that advantage today.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jonathan India in the 90th percentile when estimating his overall offensive skill. Jonathan India is projected to hit 1st on the lineup card in today's game. PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation often leads to better offense. In the last two weeks, Jonathan India's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 89.6-mph over the course of the season to 96.7-mph recently. Jonathan India's launch angle of late (27.9° in the past two weeks) is significantly better than his 12.5° seasonal figure.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the 91st percentile when estimating his batting average skill. Isiah Kiner-Falefa has primarily hit in the back-half of the lineup this year (80% of the time), but he is projected to hit 1st on the lineup card in this game. PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation often leads to better offense. Isiah Kiner-Falefa will hold the platoon advantage over Nick Lodolo today. Among all the teams in action today, the 11th-worst infield defense is that of the the Cincinnati Reds.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Santiago Espinal in the 83rd percentile when it comes to his batting average skill. PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation often leads to better offense.

PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation often leads to better offense. Hitting from the opposite that Nick Lodolo throws from, Connor Joe will have an advantage in today's game. Among all the teams in action today, the 11th-worst infield defense is that of the the Cincinnati Reds. Home field advantage generally boosts hitter metrics in all categories, and Connor Joe will hold that advantage today.

PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation often leads to better offense. The switch-hitting Yasmani Grandal will have the advantage of batting from from his strong side (0) today against Nick Lodolo. Among all the teams in action today, the 11th-worst infield defense is that of the the Cincinnati Reds. Home field advantage generally improves hitter stats in all categories, and Yasmani Grandal will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Yasmani Grandal has seen a sizeable increase in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 91.1-mph average to last season's 87.9-mph figure.

Jared Triolo's BABIP talent is projected in the 91st percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation often leads to better offense. Hitting from the opposite that Nick Lodolo throws from, Jared Triolo will have the upper hand today. Among all the teams in action today, the 11th-worst infield defense is that of the the Cincinnati Reds. Home field advantage generally boosts hitter metrics across the board, and Jared Triolo will hold that advantage in today's game.

When estimating his BABIP skill, Amed Rosario is projected as the 15th-best hitter in the game by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Amed Rosario is projected to hit 5th on the lineup card in this game. PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation often leads to better offense. Ranking in the 100th percentile, Amed Rosario has put up a .371 BABIP this year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Ty France in the 84th percentile as it relates to his batting average skill. PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation often leads to better offense. Ty France has been hot lately, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 88.6-mph to 93.4-mph over the past two weeks. Ty France's average launch angle on his hardest-hit balls this year (16°) is considerably higher than his 11.2° figure last season.

Bryan De La Cruz's BABIP skill is projected in the 90th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Bryan De La Cruz is penciled in 4th in the lineup today. PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation often leads to better offense. Hitting from the opposite that Nick Lodolo throws from, Bryan De La Cruz will have an edge in today's game. Among all the teams in action today, the 11th-worst infield defense is that of the the Cincinnati Reds.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Spencer Steer in the 83rd percentile as it relates to his overall offensive talent. Spencer Steer is penciled in 3rd in the batting order in today's game. PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation often leads to better offense. By putting up a 1.93 K/BB rate this year, Spencer Steer has demonstrated favorable plate discipline, checking in at the 80th percentile.

PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation often leads to better offense. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.222) provides evidence that Luke Maile has been unlucky since the start of last season with his .207 actual batting average.

PNC Park sits at the 6th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation often leads to better offense. Despite posting a .222 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Noelvi Marte has suffered from bad luck given the .067 discrepancy between that mark and his estimated true talent wOBA of .289. Since the start of last season, the hardest ball Noelvi Marte has connected with reached a maximum exit velocity of 115.6 mph (an advanced standard to evaluate power), placing in the 95th percentile.

Jake Fraley has gone over 0.5 in 6 of his last 10 games.