Pittsburgh @ Cleveland Picks & Props

Bailey Falter will have the handedness advantage against Steven Kwan today. Over the last 7 days, Steven Kwan's 28% rate of hitting balls at a BABIP-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has taken a nosedive compared to his seasonal rate of 45.1%. Despite posting a .351 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Steven Kwan has experienced some positive variance given the .041 gap between that figure and his estimated true talent wOBA of .310.

Jose Ramirez has been cold of late, with his seasonal exit velocity of 89.3-mph dropping to 86-mph over the last 14 days. Jose Ramirez's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has declined from last year to this one, falling from 44.3% to 38%. Jose Ramirez's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has decreased in recent games, decreasing from 38% on the season to 27.9% in the past 14 days. As it relates to his batting average, Jose Ramirez has been very fortunate this year. His .274 figure has been inflated compared to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .249.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Progressive Field as the 9th-best stadium in MLB for righty BABIP. Among all major league parks, Progressive Field's LF fences are the 2nd-shallowest. Progressive Field sits at the 7th-highest altitude in the majors. High elevation often leads to higher offensive output. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest weather of the day at 85°. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 9.2-mph in this game, the most-favorable of the day for batters.

Among all stadiums, Progressive Field's centerfield fences are the 7th-deepest. Out of every team today, the best infield defense is that of the the Cleveland Guardians. Bryan Reynolds will be at a disadvantage playing away from home in today's matchup. In terms of the ability to lift the ball for power, Bryan Reynolds ranks in just the 20th percentile with a 9.4° launch angle, which is among the lowest angles in the league.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Progressive Field as the 9th-best stadium in the league for lefty BABIP. Progressive Field sits at the 7th-highest altitude in the majors. High elevation often leads to higher offensive output. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest weather of the day at 85°. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 9.2-mph in this game, the most-favorable of the day for batters. Because of Ben Lively's large platoon split, Billy McKinney will have a tremendous advantage batting from the opposite side of the dish in today's game.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Oneil Cruz in the 97th percentile when it comes to his BABIP ability. Oneil Cruz is projected to hit 3rd on the lineup card in today's game. The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Progressive Field as the 9th-best stadium in the league for lefty BABIP. Progressive Field sits at the 7th-highest altitude in the majors. High elevation often leads to higher offensive output. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest weather of the day at 85°.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the 88th percentile as it relates to his batting average talent. Isiah Kiner-Falefa has primarily hit in the back-half of the batting order this season (73% of the time), but he is projected to bat 1st in the lineup in this matchup. The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Progressive Field as the 9th-best stadium in MLB for righty BABIP. Progressive Field sits at the 7th-highest altitude in the majors. High elevation often leads to higher offensive output. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest weather of the day at 85°.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Bryan De La Cruz in the 90th percentile as it relates to his BABIP skill. The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Progressive Field as the 9th-best stadium in MLB for righty BABIP. Progressive Field sits at the 7th-highest altitude in the majors. High elevation often leads to higher offensive output. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest weather of the day at 87°. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 9.2-mph in this game, the 2nd-most-favorable of the day for batters.

Rowdy Tellez is penciled in 5th on the lineup card in this game. The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Progressive Field as the 9th-best stadium in the league for lefty BABIP. Progressive Field sits at the 7th-highest altitude in the majors. High elevation often leads to higher offensive output. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest weather of the day at 85°. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 9.2-mph in this game, the most-favorable of the day for batters.

Andres Gimenez's batting average talent is projected to be in the 87th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Progressive Field as the 9th-best stadium in the league for lefty BABIP. Progressive Field sits at the 7th-highest altitude in the majors. High elevation often leads to higher offensive output. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest weather of the day at 85°. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 9.2-mph in this game, the most-favorable of the day for batters.

Tyler Freeman's batting average talent is projected to be in the 90th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Progressive Field sits at the 7th-highest altitude in the majors. High elevation often leads to higher offensive output. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest weather of the day at 87°. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 9.2-mph in this game, the 2nd-most-favorable of the day for batters. Hitting from the opposite that Bailey Falter throws from, Tyler Freeman will have an advantage today.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Progressive Field as the 9th-best stadium in MLB for righty BABIP. Progressive Field sits at the 7th-highest altitude in the majors. High elevation often leads to higher offensive output. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest weather of the day at 85°. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 9.2-mph in this game, the most-favorable of the day for batters. Hitting from the opposite that Bailey Falter throws from, Jhonkensy Noel will have an edge today.

David Fry is penciled in 4th in the lineup in this matchup. The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Progressive Field as the 9th-best stadium in MLB for righty BABIP. Progressive Field sits at the 7th-highest altitude in the majors. High elevation often leads to higher offensive output. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest weather of the day at 85°. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 9.2-mph in this game, the most-favorable of the day for batters.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jared Triolo in the 87th percentile when estimating his BABIP skill. The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Progressive Field as the 9th-best stadium in MLB for righty BABIP. Progressive Field sits at the 7th-highest altitude in the majors. High elevation often leads to higher offensive output. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest weather of the day at 85°. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 9.2-mph in this game, the most-favorable of the day for batters.

When it comes to his overall offensive ability, Andrew McCutchen ranks in the 86th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Andrew McCutchen is penciled in 4th on the lineup card today. The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Progressive Field as the 9th-best stadium in MLB for righty BABIP. Progressive Field sits at the 7th-highest altitude in the majors. High elevation often leads to higher offensive output. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest weather of the day at 85°.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Progressive Field as the 9th-best stadium in MLB for righty BABIP. Progressive Field sits at the 7th-highest altitude in the majors. High elevation often leads to higher offensive output. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest weather of the day at 85°. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 9.2-mph in this game, the most-favorable of the day for batters. Batting from the opposite that Bailey Falter throws from, Austin Hedges will have an advantage in today's matchup.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Lane Thomas in the 75th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive ability. Lane Thomas is projected to hit 2nd on the lineup card in this matchup. The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Progressive Field as the 9th-best stadium in MLB for righty BABIP. Progressive Field sits at the 7th-highest altitude in the majors. High elevation often leads to higher offensive output. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest weather of the day at 85°.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Progressive Field as the 9th-best stadium in the league for lefty BABIP. Progressive Field sits at the 7th-highest altitude in the majors. High elevation often leads to higher offensive output. High temperatures are strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer Ks), and the weather report forecasts the 3rd-hottest weather of the day at 85°. The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 9.2-mph in this game, the most-favorable of the day for batters. Yasmani Grandal has made substantial gains with his Barrel% recently, improving his 8.8% seasonal rate to 16.7% in the past two weeks.

Michael A. Taylor has gone over 0.5 in 3 of his last 10 games.