Todays Matchup Details

Player match stat positives for St. Louis at Pittsburgh Matchup Today

Josh Palacios’s batting average skill is projected to be in the 76th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

PNC Park profiles as the #10 ballpark in the majors for run-scoring, per the leading projection system (THE BAT).

Hitting from the opposite that Andre Pallante throws from, Josh Palacios will have the upper hand in today’s matchup.

Josh Palacios will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which figures to bolster all of his stats.

Josh Palacios has suffered from bad luck when it comes to his batting average since the start of last season; his .239 BA is a good deal lower than his .258 Expected Batting Average, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s interpretation of Statcast data.

When assessing his overall offensive talent, Willson Contreras ranks in the 96th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

Willson Contreras is projected to bat 3rd on the lineup card in this game.

Out of all the teams on the slate today, the 5th-worst outfield defense is that of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Sporting a .399 wOBA (a leading indicator of offensive ability) this year, Willson Contreras grades out in the 97th percentile.

Brendan Donovan’s batting average skill is projected to be in the 94th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

Brendan Donovan is projected to hit 4th on the lineup card in today’s game.

Built 724 feet above sea level, PNC Park has the 6th-highest elevation in Major League Baseball, which often leads to higher offensive output.

Batting from the opposite that Mitch Keller throws from, Brendan Donovan will have an edge in today’s game.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Alec Burleson in the 88th percentile when it comes to his batting average talent.

Alec Burleson is penciled in 2nd in the lineup in today’s game.

Alec Burleson will have the handedness advantage against Mitch Keller in today’s matchup.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Bryan Reynolds in the 94th percentile when estimating his overall offensive talent.

Bryan Reynolds is projected to hit 2nd in the batting order in today’s game.

The switch-hitting Bryan Reynolds will get to bat from his better side (0) today against Andre Pallante.

Home field advantage generally bolsters batter metrics in all categories, and Bryan Reynolds will hold that advantage in today’s matchup.

Bryan Reynolds has made notable improvements with his Barrel% recently, improving his 11.1% seasonal rate to 16.7% over the last week.

Rowdy Tellez is projected to hit 5th on the lineup card in this game.

Rowdy Tellez will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Andre Pallante in today’s game.

Home field advantage generally boosts batter metrics in all categories, and Rowdy Tellez will hold that advantage today.

Rowdy Tellez’s average launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls recently (30° in the past two weeks’ worth of games) is considerably higher than his 8.7° seasonal figure.

Masyn Winn is projected to hit 1st in the lineup in this matchup.

When assessing his overall offensive skill, Lars Nootbaar ranks in the 93rd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

Batting from the opposite that Mitch Keller throws from, Lars Nootbaar will have an edge in today’s game.

Lars Nootbaar has seen a substantial increase in his exit velocity this year; just compare his 91.6-mph average to last year’s 89.1-mph EV.

When assessing his home run talent, Jack Suwinski ranks in the 94th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

Jack Suwinski will hold the platoon advantage over Andre Pallante today.

Jack Suwinski has strong power (94th percentile) if he makes contact, but that’s never a sure thing (31.1% K%). Today, however, opposing pitcher Andre Pallante has a pitch-to-contact profile (9th percentile K%) — great news for Suwinski.

Home field advantage generally bolsters batter metrics across the board, and Jack Suwinski will hold that advantage in today’s matchup.

As it relates to his overall offensive talent, Andrew McCutchen ranks in the 85th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

Andrew McCutchen is projected to bat 1st on the lineup card today.

Andrew McCutchen will benefit from the home field advantage in today’s game, which figures to bolster all of his stats.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Rowdy Tellez in the 90th percentile when assessing his home run skill.

As it relates to his overall offensive ability, Paul Goldschmidt ranks in the 89th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

In the past week’s worth of games, Paul Goldschmidt’s Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 10.1% up to 50%.

Paul Goldschmidt has been hot of late, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 91.6-mph to 104.6-mph in the last 7 days.

PNC Park ranks as the #25 ballpark in the game for walks, via the leading projection system (THE BAT).

Among all parks, PNC Park’s LF dimensions are the 9th-deepest.

Because groundball pitchers have a substantial advantage over groundball hitters, Andre Pallante and his 59.4% underlying GB% (per the leading projection system, THE BAT) finds himself in a strong position in today’s game matching up with 2 opposing GB hitters.

Posting a .342 BABIP this year, Masyn Winn grades out in the 90th percentile.

As it relates to his home run talent, Joey Bart ranks in the 77th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

In terms of temperature and humidity, the weather report predicts for the 3rd-best hitting conditions of all games on the slate today.

Joey Bart has big-time power (77th percentile) if he makes contact, but that’s never a guarantee (30.3% K%). Today, however, opposing pitcher Andre Pallante is a pitch-to-contact type (11th percentile K%) — great news for Bart.

Recording 95.6 adjusted pitches per GS this year on average, Mitch Keller ranks in the 92nd percentile.

Projected catcher Yasmani Grandal projects as a good pitch framer, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT).

Nolan Arenado is projected to bat 5th in the batting order in this game.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Nick Gonzales in the 94th percentile when assessing his BABIP ability.

Nick Gonzales is projected to bat 4th in the lineup in today’s game.

Home field advantage typically bolsters hitter metrics across the board, and Nick Gonzales will hold that advantage in today’s game.

Nick Gonzales has been unlucky in regards to his home runs this year; his 12.1 HR per 600 plate appearances mark is deflated compared to his 22.2 Expected HR/600, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s interpretation of Statcast data.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Ke’Bryan Hayes in the 80th percentile when estimating his batting average talent.

Ke’Bryan Hayes will benefit from the home field advantage in today’s game, which figures to improve all of his stats.

Ke’Bryan Hayes’s ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has improved in recent games, rising from 46.2% on the season to 75.9% over the past 14 days.

Ke’Bryan Hayes has been unlucky this year, notching a .269 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .301 — a .032 discrepancy.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) ranks Oneil Cruz as the majors’s 13th-best home run hitter.

Oneil Cruz is projected to hit 3rd in the lineup in this matchup.

Oneil Cruz will hold the platoon advantage over Andre Pallante in today’s matchup.

Oneil Cruz has a ton of pop (98th percentile) if he makes contact, but that’s always far from assured (30.8% K%). Today, however, opposing pitcher Andre Pallante has a pitch-to-contact profile (10th percentile K%) — great news for Cruz.

Home field advantage generally improves batter stats across the board, and Oneil Cruz will hold that advantage today.

Home field advantage typically improves pitcher stats across the board, and Mitch Keller will hold that advantage in today’s matchup.

Out of all SPs, Mitch Keller’s fastball spin rate of 2408 rpm grades out in the 78th percentile this year.

Grading out in the 97th percentile, Willson Contreras sits with a .381 Isolated Power rate (ISO) this year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Brendan Donovan in the 86th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive ability.

Brendan Donovan has taken a step back with his Barrel% recently; his 5% seasonal rate has lowered to 0% in the past week.

Mike Siani will have the handedness advantage against Mitch Keller in today’s matchup.

By putting up a 1.77 K/BB rate this year, Lars Nootbaar has demonstrated strong plate discipline, checking in at the 87th percentile.

In terms of his batting average, Jack Suwinski has had bad variance on his side this year. His .177 BA falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .225.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) ranks Nolan Gorman as the majors’s 11th-best home run hitter.

Nolan Gorman will hold the platoon advantage against Mitch Keller in today’s matchup.

Nolan Gorman has made notable strides with his Barrel% of late, upping his 16.9% seasonal rate to 25% in the past two weeks’ worth of games.

Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Expected wOBA (.328) implies that Nick Gonzales has had bad variance on his side this year with his .300 actual wOBA.

Andre Pallante has posted a 2.11 K/BB rate this year, checking in at the 13th percentile.

Jack Suwinski has been unlucky this year, putting up a .255 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .312 — a .057 discrepancy.

In the last two weeks’ worth of games, Nolan Gorman’s exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 94.5-mph over the course of the season to 99.1-mph of late.

Nolan Gorman’s average launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls this year (25.9°) is considerably better than his 21.5° angle last season.

Josh Palacios has been unlucky in regards to his wOBA since the start of last season; his .304 rate is quite a bit lower than his .322 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s interpretation of Statcast data.

Since the start of last season, Josh Palacios has an average exit velocity of 91 mph, which is one of the best in the majors at the 85th percentile.

Checking in at the 79th percentile for power, Josh Palacios has averaged 24.3 long-balls per 600 plate appearances since the start of last season.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Alec Burleson in the 77th percentile when estimating his overall offensive skill.

In the last 14 days, Alec Burleson’s exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 93.4-mph over the course of the season to 95.6-mph of late.

In the past two weeks’ worth of games, Alec Burleson has significantly improved the launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls: 19.4° compared to his seasonal mark of 12.9°.

Andrew McCutchen has made substantial gains with his Barrel%, upping his 6.8% rate last season to 12.3% this year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Paul Goldschmidt’s true offensive talent to be a .332, suggesting that he has been unlucky this year given the .045 disparity between that figure and his actual .287 wOBA.

Home field advantage generally bolsters batter stats across the board, and Joey Bart will hold that advantage in today’s game.

Oneil Cruz’s BABIP skill is projected in the 94th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

In the last two weeks, Joey Bart has significantly improved the launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls: 30° compared to his seasonal mark of 12.7°.

Since the start of last season, Joey Bart’s flyball exit velocity (a reliable stat to assess power) grades out in the 75th percentile at 93.7 mph.

Monday player match stat slumps with Cardinals vs Pirates Matchup

Josh Palacios is projected to hit 7th on the lineup card in this game.

Since the start of last season, Josh Palacios has been pinch hit for in 15% of his appearances when starting against northpaw.

PNC Park has the 6th-highest average fence height among all major league stadiums.

PNC Park has the 8th-largest outfield among all stadiums — generally bad for homers.

Typically, bats like Josh Palacios who hit a lot of flyballs tend to be less successful when facing pitchers who also induce a lot of flyballs such as Andre Pallante.

Batting from the same side that Mitch Keller throws from, Willson Contreras will be in a tough position today.

Playing on the road typically weakens batter stats in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which ought to be the case for Willson Contreras in today’s game.

In the past week’s worth of games, Willson Contreras’s Barrel% has experienced a negative regression, plummeting from his seasonal rate of 12.6% down to 0%.

In today’s game, Brendan Donovan is at a disadvantage facing the league’s 9th-deepest LF fences given that he hits his flyballs to the opposite field at a 35.8% rate (87th percentile).

Playing on the road typically lowers hitter metrics in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which should be the case for Brendan Donovan today.

Brendan Donovan’s average launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls this year (8.4°) is significantly worse than his 12.3° figure last year.

When starting against a righty on the mound this year, Alec Burleson has been lifted for a pinch-hitter 10% of the time.

Playing on the road generally lessens hitter metrics across the board due to the lack of home field advantage, which ought to be the case for Alec Burleson today.

Alec Burleson has negatively regressed with his Barrel% of late; his 7.5% seasonal rate has lowered to 0% in the past week.

PNC Park projects as the #23 park in the majors for lefty home runs, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT).

Bryan Reynolds’s ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has fallen off of late, going from 17% on the season to 0% over the last week.

Bryan Reynolds has been lucky this year, posting a .361 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .343 — a .018 disparity.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Rowdy Tellez in the 3rd percentile when it comes to his BABIP talent.

When starting against a righty on the mound this year, Rowdy Tellez has been pulled from the game early 23% of the time.

Among every team on the slate today, the 3rd-strongest infield defense is that of the St. Louis Cardinals.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Masyn Winn in the 15th percentile when it comes to his home run talent.

PNC Park grades out as the #23 field in Major League Baseball for right-handed home runs, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT).

Batting from the same side that Mitch Keller throws from, Masyn Winn will be at a disadvantage in today’s matchup.

Lars Nootbaar is projected to hit 6th in the lineup in today’s game.

Lars Nootbaar will be at a disadvantage playing as a visiting player in today’s game.

Over the past 7 days, Lars Nootbaar’s Barrel% has experienced a negative regression, plummeting from his seasonal rate of 9.6% down to 0%.

Lars Nootbaar’s ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has increased of late, going from 14.7% on the season to 66.7% in the last week’s worth of games.

Jack Suwinski is penciled in 8th in the lineup in today’s game.

This year, Jack Suwinski has been replaced by a pinch-hitter in 11% of his appearances when starting against right-handed starter.

Andre Pallante will hold the platoon advantage over Andrew McCutchen in today’s matchup.

Andrew McCutchen pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (33.5% — 77th percentile) and will be challenged by baseball’s 9th-deepest LF fences today.

Rowdy Tellez’s average exit velocity has decreased recently; his 89.3-mph seasonal mark has fallen off to 86.4-mph in the last 14 days.

Paul Goldschmidt is penciled in 7th in the lineup in today’s game, which would be a downgrade from his 99% rate of hitting in the top-half of the lineup this season.

Mitch Keller will have the handedness advantage against Paul Goldschmidt in today’s game.

Paul Goldschmidt will be at a disadvantage playing on the visting team in today’s matchup.

Over the past 7 days, Paul Goldschmidt’s 50% rate of hitting balls at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 12.9%.

It may be wise to expect better numbers for the Pittsburgh Pirates offense going forward, considering that the leading projection system (THE BAT X) sees them as the 4th-unluckiest offense in the majors this year.

Willson Contreras, the Cardinals’s expected catcher in today’s game, profiles as a weak pitch framer according to the leading projection system (THE BAT).

Andre Pallante will be at a disadvantage playing as a visiting player today.

It may come as a surprise, but fastballs are typically a pitcher’s least effective pitch. Andre Pallante has relied on his fastball a lot this year, though: 69.2% of the time, placing in the 100th percentile.

Checking in at the 13th percentile, Andre Pallante notched a 7.7% Swinging Strike percentage this year.

Masyn Winn will be at a disadvantage playing away from home in today’s game.

Joey Bart is projected to bat 8th in the batting order in this game.

Hitting from the same side that Andre Pallante throws from, Joey Bart has a tough challenge today.

Joey Bart pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (33.5% — 77th percentile) and will have to hit them out towards the game’s 9th-deepest LF fences today.

When estimating his strikeout skill, the leading projection system (THE BAT) forecasts Andre Pallante in the 8th percentile among all starting pitchers in Major League Baseball.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects PNC Park as the 5th-worst stadium in the majors for strikeouts.

Mitch Keller’s cut-fastball usage has decreased by 6.3% from last year to this one (24.3% to 18%) .

Mitch Keller has been lucky this year, putting up a 3.46 ERA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT) estimating his true talent level to be 4.38 — a 0.92 disparity.

Collectively, St. Louis Cardinals batters have excelled as far as hitting balls in the launch angle range that tends to optimize base hits (between -4° and 26°), ranking 3rd-best in baseball.

From last season to this one, Willson Contreras’s ability to hit the ball at a launch angle that optimizes home runs (23° to 34°) has decreased substantially, plummeting from 14.7% to 11%.

Nolan Arenado’s BABIP ability is projected in the 6th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

Mitch Keller will have the handedness advantage over Nolan Arenado in today’s game.

In today’s game, Nolan Arenado is at a disadvantage facing the league’s 9th-deepest LF fences given that he hits his flyballs to the pull field at a 42.1% rate (100th percentile).

Playing on the road typically weakens hitter stats in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which ought to be the case for Nolan Arenado today.

There has been a decrease in Nolan Arenado’s average exit velocity this season, from 88.8 mph last year to 85 mph now, Batting from the same side that Andre Pallante throws from, Nick Gonzales will not have the upper hand in today’s matchup.

Nick Gonzales has negatively regressed with his Barrel% of late; his 9.8% seasonal rate has dropped to 2.9% in the last 14 days.

Ke’Bryan Hayes has primarily hit in the top-half of the lineup this year (73% of the time), but he is projected to bat 6th in the lineup in this matchup.

Batting from the same side that Andre Pallante throws from, Ke’Bryan Hayes faces a tough challenge in today’s game.

When assessing his home run ability, Ke’Bryan Hayes ranks in the 25th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

Extreme flyball batters like Oneil Cruz usually hit worse against extreme flyball pitchers like Andre Pallante.

Compared to his seasonal figure of 11.1°, Oneil Cruz has produced a noticeably lower launch angle (4.1°) over the past two weeks.

Ke’Bryan Hayes has taken a step back with his Barrel%; his 7.5% rate last year has fallen to 2.2% this season.

When assessing his overall offensive skill, Mike Siani ranks in the 5th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

Mike Siani is projected to bat 9th in the batting order in this game.

This year, Mike Siani has been pinch hit for in 37% of his appearances when starting against righty on the mound.

Mike Siani has a 93rd percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (37.9%) and has the misfortune of hitting them towards baseball’s 9th-deepest LF fences in today’s game.

Despite posting a .349 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Alec Burleson has experienced some positive variance given the .032 difference between that mark and his estimated true talent wOBA of .317.

Masyn Winn has been cold of late, with his seasonal exit velocity of 85.6-mph dropping to 80.7-mph in the past 14 days.

Masyn Winn’s exit velocity on flyballs has fallen off this season; his 89.7-mph EV last season has decreased to 86.2-mph.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jack Suwinski in the 13th percentile when assessing his batting average skill.

Nolan Gorman is projected to hit 8th on the lineup card in this game.

Playing on the road generally lowers batter stats across the board due to the lack of home field advantage, which should be the case for Nolan Gorman in today’s game.

Nolan Gorman has recorded a .205 Expected Batting Average this year, ranking in the 5th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s interpretation of Statcast data.

Nick Gonzales has been cold in recent games, with his seasonal exit velocity of 88.1-mph dropping to 85.6-mph over the past two weeks.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Nolan Gorman in the 16th percentile as it relates to his batting average skill.

Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Expected wOBA (.299) implies that Joey Bart has had some very good luck this year with his .346 actual wOBA.

When it comes to plate discipline, Oneil Cruz’s talent is quite bad, posting a 4.74 K/BB rate this year while checking in at in the 10th percentile.

Mike Siani will be at a disadvantage playing on the visting team in today’s game.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Joey Bart in the 23rd percentile when assessing his batting average skill.