Pittsburgh @ St. Louis Picks & Props

Hitting from the same side that Andre Pallante throws from, Isiah Kiner-Falefa will not have the upper hand today. In today's matchup, Isiah Kiner-Falefa is at a disadvantage facing the league's 2nd-deepest RF fences given that he hits his flyballs to the opposite field at a 35.4% rate (85th percentile). Extreme groundball hitters like Isiah Kiner-Falefa generally hit worse against extreme groundball pitchers like Andre Pallante. Among every team on the slate today, the 14th-worst outfield defense is that of the St. Louis Cardinals. Playing on the road generally diminishes batter stats across the board due to the lack of home field advantage, which ought to be the case for Isiah Kiner-Falefa in today's matchup.

Connor Joe is projected to hit 4th in the batting order today. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer whiffs), and this game is forecasted to have the 2nd-highest temperatures on the schedule today at 82°. Connor Joe hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (38.1% — 79th percentile) and is fortunate to face the game's 7th-shallowest CF fences in today's game. Compared to his seasonal average of 15.9°, Connor Joe has significantly improved his launch angle lately, posting a 36.2° figure in the last 14 days.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Bryan Reynolds in the 95th percentile when assessing his BABIP skill. Bryan Reynolds is projected to hit 2nd on the lineup card in today's game. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer whiffs), and this game is forecasted to have the 2nd-highest temperatures on the schedule today at 82°. As a switch-hitter who is stronger from the 0 side of the dish, Bryan Reynolds will get to bat from his good side against Andre Pallante in today's matchup. Bryan Reynolds has made notable gains with his Barrel% in recent games, bettering his 9.7% seasonal rate to 20% over the past 7 days.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Oneil Cruz as the 18th-best hitter in MLB when estimating his BABIP talent. Oneil Cruz is penciled in 3rd in the lineup in today's game. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer whiffs), and this game is forecasted to have the 2nd-highest temperatures on the schedule today at 81°. Oneil Cruz will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Andre Pallante in today's game. Among every team on the slate today, the worst outfield defense is that of the St. Louis Cardinals.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Brendan Donovan in the 95th percentile when assessing his batting average ability. Brendan Donovan is penciled in 5th in the batting order in this game. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer whiffs), and this game is forecasted to have the 2nd-highest temperatures on the schedule today at 82°. Brendan Donovan will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Paul Skenes in today's matchup. Among all the teams in action today, the 13th-worst outfield defense is that of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jared Triolo in the 90th percentile when assessing his BABIP skill. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer whiffs), and this game is forecasted to have the 2nd-highest temperatures on the schedule today at 82°. Jared Triolo has made substantial strides with his Barrel% of late, improving his 5.6% seasonal rate to 16.7% over the last 7 days. Jared Triolo has seen a big gain in his exit velocity on flyballs of late; just compare his 99.5-mph average in the last 7 days to his seasonal EV of 90.5-mph. Jared Triolo has suffered from bad luck when it comes to his wOBA this year; his .280 rate is quite a bit lower than his .311 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

Joey Bart is projected to bat 3rd on the lineup card in today's game, which would be an upgrade from his 54% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the lineup this year. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer whiffs), and this game is forecasted to have the 2nd-highest temperatures on the schedule today at 82°. In the past 7 days, Joey Bart's exit velocity on flyballs has dropped from his seasonal figure of 93.8 mph to 87.8 mph. Joey Bart has recorded a .362 wOBA (the best measure of overall offense) this year, ranking in the 93rd percentile. Sporting a .268 batting average this year, Joey Bart is positioned in the 83rd percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Bryan De La Cruz in the 89th percentile when assessing his BABIP skill. Bryan De La Cruz is projected to bat 5th in the lineup today. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer whiffs), and this game is forecasted to have the 2nd-highest temperatures on the schedule today at 82°. Bryan De La Cruz has been hot lately, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 89.5-mph to 94.6-mph in the past week. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Bryan De La Cruz's true offensive talent to be a .311, indicating that he has experienced some negative variance this year given the .028 disparity between that mark and his actual .283 wOBA.

A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer whiffs), and this game is forecasted to have the 2nd-highest temperatures on the schedule today at 81°. Hitting from the opposite that Andre Pallante throws from, Rowdy Tellez will have an edge in today's matchup. Rowdy Tellez hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (38.7% — 90th percentile) and will have a big advantage facing the game's 7th-shallowest CF fences today. Among every team on the slate today, the worst outfield defense is that of the St. Louis Cardinals. In the past two weeks' worth of games, Rowdy Tellez's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 91.9-mph over the course of the season to 94.8-mph of late.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Andrew McCutchen in the 88th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive skill. Andrew McCutchen is projected to hit 4th in the lineup in today's game. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer whiffs), and this game is forecasted to have the 2nd-highest temperatures on the schedule today at 81°. Andrew McCutchen hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (38.3% — 83rd percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting out towards baseball's 7th-shallowest CF fences today. Among every team on the slate today, the worst outfield defense is that of the St. Louis Cardinals.

A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer whiffs), and this game is forecasted to have the 2nd-highest temperatures on the schedule today at 82°. Among all the teams in action today, the 13th-worst outfield defense is that of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Home field advantage typically boosts batter metrics across the board, and Pedro Pages will hold that advantage today. Pedro Pages has made big improvements with his Barrel% lately, bettering his 4.8% seasonal rate to 10% in the last two weeks' worth of games. Pedro Pages has seen a notable gain in his exit velocity on flyballs in recent games; just compare his 95-mph average over the past 14 days to his seasonal average of 90.5-mph.

Nolan Arenado is projected to bat 4th in the batting order in today's game. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer whiffs), and this game is forecasted to have the 2nd-highest temperatures on the schedule today at 82°. Extreme groundball hitters like Nolan Arenado generally hit better against extreme flyball pitchers like Paul Skenes. Among all the teams in action today, the 13th-worst outfield defense is that of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Nolan Arenado will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to boost all of his stats.

A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer whiffs), and this game is forecasted to have the 2nd-highest temperatures on the schedule today at 82°. Yasmani Grandal has seen a substantial increase in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 91.1-mph average to last season's 87.9-mph EV. Posting a 1.99 K/BB rate this year, Yasmani Grandal has demonstrated impressive plate discipline, ranking in the 83rd percentile.

As it relates to his overall offensive ability, Paul Goldschmidt ranks in the 91st percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Paul Goldschmidt is projected to bat 3rd in the lineup in this matchup. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer whiffs), and this game is forecasted to have the 2nd-highest temperatures on the schedule today at 82°. Among all the teams in action today, the 13th-worst outfield defense is that of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Paul Goldschmidt will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to improve all of his stats.

When it comes to his overall offensive skill, Lars Nootbaar ranks in the 93rd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer whiffs), and this game is forecasted to have the 2nd-highest temperatures on the schedule today at 82°. Lars Nootbaar will hold the platoon advantage over Paul Skenes in today's game. Lars Nootbaar hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (39.5% — 96th percentile) and will have a big advantage facing the game's 7th-shallowest CF fences in today's matchup. Among all the teams in action today, the 13th-worst outfield defense is that of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Alec Burleson in the 89th percentile when estimating his batting average skill. Alec Burleson is projected to bat 2nd on the lineup card in today's game. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer whiffs), and this game is forecasted to have the 2nd-highest temperatures on the schedule today at 82°. Hitting from the opposite that Paul Skenes throws from, Alec Burleson will have an edge in today's matchup. Among all the teams in action today, the 13th-worst outfield defense is that of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Masyn Winn is projected to hit 1st in the batting order today. A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer whiffs), and this game is forecasted to have the 2nd-highest temperatures on the schedule today at 82°. Among all the teams in action today, the 13th-worst outfield defense is that of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Home field advantage typically bolsters batter stats across the board, and Masyn Winn will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Masyn Winn has made sizeable improvements with his Barrel% recently, upping his 3.2% seasonal rate to 8.3% in the last week.

Jordan Walker's BABIP skill is projected in the 85th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). A correlation exists between high heat and more offense (and fewer whiffs), and this game is forecasted to have the 2nd-highest temperatures on the schedule today at 82°. Jordan Walker hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (39.1% — 93rd percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting out towards MLB's 7th-shallowest CF fences today. Among all the teams in action today, the 13th-worst outfield defense is that of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Jordan Walker will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should improve all of his stats.