Arizona @ Houston props

Minute Maid Park projects as the #21 field in the majors for RHB batting average, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT). Minute Maid Park's altitude is near sea-level, one of the lowest among all major league parks, which generally leads to worse offense. Out of every team on the slate today, the 4th-strongest infield defense is that of the the Arizona Diamondbacks. Over the last 7 days, Jeremy Pena's exit velocity on flyballs has fallen from his seasonal EV of 91.3 mph to 85.6 mph. Jeremy Pena's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has declined lately, falling from 41.8% on the season to 23.1% in the last 14 days.

Adrian Del Castillo has a 79th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (34.3%) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today.

As a switch-hitter who performs better from the 0 side of the dish, Jose Herrera will get to bat from his better side against Yusei Kikuchi in this game. Jose Herrera pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (33.5% — 77th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards MLB's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup.

Kyle Tucker projects as the 11th-best hitter in the game, via the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Kyle Tucker is projected to hit 4th in the lineup in this matchup. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter metrics in all categories, and Kyle Tucker will hold that advantage today. Kyle Tucker's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has increased from last season to this one, increasing from 19.5% to 25.3%. Kyle Tucker has notched a .411 Expected wOBA (xwOBA) this year, grading out in the 98th percentile for offensive skills according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Christian Walker in the 93rd percentile when it comes to his overall offensive ability. Christian Walker is projected to hit 4th in the lineup in this matchup. Batting from the opposite that Yusei Kikuchi throws from, Christian Walker will have an edge today. Christian Walker pulls many of his flyballs (33.6% — 78th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards the league's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Christian Walker has seen a sizeable gain in his exit velocity recently; just compare his 98-mph average over the past 7 days to his seasonal 91-mph average.

Yordan Alvarez projects as the 2nd-best hitter in the majors, per the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Yordan Alvarez is projected to bat 2nd in the lineup in this game. Home field advantage typically improves hitter metrics in all categories, and Yordan Alvarez will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Yordan Alvarez has made sizeable strides with his Barrel% lately, upping his 14.5% seasonal rate to 21.9% over the past 14 days. In the past two weeks' worth of games, Yordan Alvarez's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 94-mph over the course of the season to 98.7-mph lately.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Corbin Carroll in the 92nd percentile when assessing his overall offensive ability. Corbin Carroll is penciled in 2nd on the lineup card in this game. Corbin Carroll has an 81st percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (34.5%) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Corbin Carroll has seen a notable increase in his exit velocity lately; just compare his 92.8-mph average over the past two weeks to his seasonal 89-mph EV. Corbin Carroll's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has increased lately, rising from 11.2% on the season to 25.6% in the last two weeks.

When estimating his overall offensive skill, Eugenio Suarez ranks in the 85th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Eugenio Suarez is projected to hit 5th on the lineup card in today's game, which would be an upgrade from his 82% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the batting order this year. Eugenio Suarez will have the handedness advantage against Yusei Kikuchi in today's game. Eugenio Suarez pulls a lot of his flyballs (37.6% — 95th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards MLB's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Eugenio Suarez has made significant improvements with his Barrel% lately, improving his 10.3% seasonal rate to 17.1% in the past two weeks.

Victor Caratini will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to boost all of his stats. Last year, Victor Caratini had an average launch angle of 4.7° on his hardest-hit balls, while this season it has significantly increased to 8.3°. Using Statcast metrics, Victor Caratini grades out in the 86th percentile via the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average this year at .272. Grading out in the 83rd percentile, Victor Caratini sports a .334 wOBA (widely regarded as the top measure of overall offense) this year. In notching a .280 batting average this year, Victor Caratini grades out in the 89th percentile.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Ketel Marte ranks as the 15th-best hitter in the game. Ketel Marte is projected to bat 1st on the lineup card in this matchup. The switch-hitting Ketel Marte will have the advantage of batting from from his strong side (0) today against Yusei Kikuchi. Ketel Marte pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (35.1% — 87th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards MLB's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Ketel Marte has seen a notable gain in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 93.7-mph average to last season's 91.1-mph mark.

Jose Altuve's batting average ability is projected to be in the 94th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Jose Altuve is penciled in 1st on the lineup card in this game. Hitting from the opposite that Eduardo Rodriguez throws from, Jose Altuve will have an advantage in today's matchup. Jose Altuve pulls many of his flyballs (41.8% — 99th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards the game's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today. Jose Altuve will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to improve all of his stats.

Jake Meyers's BABIP ability is projected in the 79th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). In the majors, Minute Maid Park's LF dimensions are the 2nd-shallowest. Hitting from the opposite that Eduardo Rodriguez throws from, Jake Meyers will have the upper hand in today's matchup. Home field advantage generally bolsters batter stats in all categories, and Jake Meyers will hold that advantage in today's game. Jake Meyers has been unlucky in regards to his wOBA this year; his .291 mark is a fair amount lower than his .331 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

As it relates to his batting average ability, Yainer Diaz is projected as the 17th-best batter in the majors by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Yainer Diaz is penciled in 3rd on the lineup card in this matchup. Yainer Diaz will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Eduardo Rodriguez in today's matchup. Yainer Diaz will possess the home field advantage in today's game, which should improve all of his stats. Yainer Diaz has compiled a .341 Expected wOBA (xwOBA) this year, placing in the 81st percentile for offensive ability according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

Long-balls are generally more common at fields with shallow fences, and Minute Maid Park has the shallowest in Major League Baseball. Ben Gamel will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should boost all of his stats.

In the majors, Minute Maid Park's LF dimensions are the 2nd-shallowest. The switch-hitting Geraldo Perdomo will hold the platoon advantage while batting from from his strong side (0) today against Yusei Kikuchi. Geraldo Perdomo's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has improved lately, rising from 42.8% on the season to 62.5% over the last 7 days. Geraldo Perdomo has exhibited favorable plate discipline this year, grading out in the 81st percentile with a 1.92 K/BB rate. Grading out in the 81st percentile, Geraldo Perdomo has posted a .271 batting average this year.

Batting from the opposite that Yusei Kikuchi throws from, Kevin Newman will have an advantage today. Kevin Newman's average launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls of late (10.7° in the past two weeks' worth of games) is considerably better than his 3.7° seasonal angle. Kevin Newman has compiled a .270 batting average this year, grading out in the 80th percentile.

Jake McCarthy's BABIP ability is projected in the 88th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Jake McCarthy has an 81st percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (34.5%) and has the good fortune of hitting them in the direction of the league's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Jake McCarthy's average launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls this year (14.5°) is significantly better than his 11.1° figure last year. By putting up a .287 Expected Batting Average (an advanced metric created by the leading projection system (THE BAT X) using Statcast data) this year , Jake McCarthy is ranked in the 93rd percentile. Jake McCarthy has compiled a .338 wOBA (the best measure of overall offense) this year, checking in at the 78th percentile.

As it relates to his overall offensive skill, Alex Bregman ranks in the 95th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Alex Bregman is projected to hit 4th in the batting order in today's game. Batting from the opposite that Eduardo Rodriguez throws from, Alex Bregman will have an edge in today's game. Alex Bregman will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to bolster all of his stats. Alex Bregman has seen a big increase in his exit velocity of late; just compare his 91.3-mph average in the past two weeks' worth of games to his seasonal 89.3-mph EV.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Randal Grichuk in the 85th percentile when estimating his overall offensive skill. Randal Grichuk is penciled in 3rd in the lineup today. Randal Grichuk will have the handedness advantage against Yusei Kikuchi in today's game. Randal Grichuk pulls many of his flyballs (33.9% — 80th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards the game's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today. In the last week, Randal Grichuk's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 10% up to 27.3%.

Chas McCormick's BABIP ability is projected in the 79th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Batting from the opposite that Eduardo Rodriguez throws from, Chas McCormick will have an advantage in today's matchup. Home field advantage generally improves hitter stats in all categories, and Chas McCormick will hold that advantage today. Chas McCormick has suffered from bad luck when it comes to his batting average this year; his .197 BA is a good deal lower than his .221 Expected Batting Average, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

Mauricio Dubon's batting average ability is projected to be in the 83rd percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Mauricio Dubon will have the handedness advantage over Eduardo Rodriguez in today's game. Home field advantage typically bolsters hitter stats across the board, and Mauricio Dubon will hold that advantage in today's matchup.