Todays Game 2 Matchup Details

Player match stat positives for Pittsburgh at Texas Game 2 Matchup Today

Bryan Reynolds’s BABIP ability is projected in the 95th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

Bryan Reynolds is projected to hit 2nd on the lineup card today.

Sporting a .345 Expected wOBA (or xwOBA, an advanced metric created by the leading projection system (THE BAT X) using Statcast data) this year, Bryan Reynolds has performed in the 84th percentile for offensive skills.

Bryan Reynolds has posted a .270 Expected Batting Average this year, ranking in the 81st percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s interpretation of Statcast data.

Grading out in the 83rd percentile, Bryan Reynolds has put up a .346 wOBA (widely regarded as the top indicator of overall offense) this year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Joey Bart in the 84th percentile when it comes to his home run ability.

Joey Bart is projected to bat 4th in the lineup in today’s game, which would be an upgrade from his 68% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the lineup this season.

On average, the fence height at Globe Life Field is the 6th-shortest among all major league baseball stadiums.

Joey Bart will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Cody Bradford in today’s game.

Joey Bart has struggled with his Barrel% lately; his 11.3% seasonal rate has fallen off to 0% over the past 7 days.

When it comes to his home run ability, Adolis Garcia ranks in the 94th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

Adolis Garcia is projected to hit 4th in the batting order in this matchup.

Adolis Garcia will benefit from the home field advantage today, which should boost all of his stats.

Adolis Garcia has made big gains with his Barrel% recently, bettering his 12.1% seasonal rate to 22.2% in the past week’s worth of games.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jared Triolo in the 91st percentile as it relates to his BABIP ability.

Hitting from the opposite that Cody Bradford throws from, Jared Triolo will have an advantage in today’s matchup.

Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Expected wOBA (.301) may lead us to conclude that Jared Triolo has experienced some negative variance this year with his .258 actual wOBA.

When estimating his overall offensive talent, Adolis Garcia ranks in the 86th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

Adolis Garcia has been hot lately, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 91.4-mph to 94-mph in the last 7 days.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Nathaniel Lowe in the 89th percentile when assessing his BABIP ability.

Nathaniel Lowe is penciled in 5th on the lineup card in this game.

Batting from the opposite that Mitch Keller throws from, Nathaniel Lowe will have an advantage in today’s game.

Nathaniel Lowe will possess the home field advantage in today’s game, which ought to boost all of his stats.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Corey Seager ranks as the 8th-best hitter in Major League Baseball.

Corey Seager is projected to hit 2nd on the lineup card in today’s game.

Hitting from the opposite that Mitch Keller throws from, Corey Seager will have the upper hand today.

Home field advantage generally bolsters batter stats across the board, and Corey Seager will hold that advantage in today’s matchup.

Recording 95.6 adjusted pitches per start this year on average, Mitch Keller ranks in the 91st percentile.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT), Yasmani Grandal (the Pirates’s expected catcher in today’s matchup) is considered to be a good pitch framer.

Globe Life Field ranks as the #7 venue in MLB for strikeouts, per the leading projection system (THE BAT).

Out of all starting pitchers, Mitch Keller’s fastball spin rate of 2410 rpm ranks in the 79th percentile this year.

Michael A. Taylor will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Cody Bradford today.

Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Expected HR per 600 plate appearances (19.1) may lead us to conclude that Michael A. Taylor has had bad variance on his side this year with his 9.0 actual HR/600.

When estimating his home run skill, Josh Jung ranks in the 80th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

The #7 venue in baseball for boosting home runs to RHB, via the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Globe Life Field.

Home field advantage generally improves hitter stats across the board, and Josh Jung will hold that advantage in today’s game.

Josh Jung’s launch angle lately (20.8° in the past 7 days) is quite a bit higher than his 15° seasonal figure.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Leody Taveras in the 77th percentile when it comes to his batting average skill.

Home field advantage generally boosts batter stats in all categories, and Leody Taveras will hold that advantage today.

In the past two weeks, Leody Taveras’s 58.6% rate of hitting balls at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 44.1%.

Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Expected Batting Average (.271) provides evidence that Leody Taveras has suffered from bad luck this year with his .234 actual batting average.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Michael A. Taylor in the 77th percentile when estimating his home run talent.

Joey Bart has been hot in recent games, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 89.8-mph to 97.1-mph over the last 7 days.

Ranking in the 95th percentile, Joey Bart has posted a .382 wOBA (widely regarded as the top indicator of overall offense) this year.

Connor Joe is projected to bat 3rd in the lineup in this game.

Batting from the opposite that Cody Bradford throws from, Connor Joe will have the upper hand in today’s game.

Corey Seager has seen a substantial increase in his exit velocity on flyballs of late; just compare his 96.9-mph average in the past 14 days to his seasonal mark of 94.8-mph.

Alika Williams is projected to hit 5th on the lineup card in this game, which would be an upgrade from his 100% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the batting order this season.

Batting from the opposite that Cody Bradford throws from, Alika Williams will have an advantage in today’s game.

When it comes to his batting average, Alika Williams has had bad variance on his side since the start of last season. His .207 mark falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .241.

Alika Williams ranks in the 94th percentile when it comes to hitting balls between -4° and 26°, the launch angle range that tends to best-produce base hits (50.4% rate since the start of last season).

When it comes to his overall offensive skill, Bryan Reynolds ranks in the 93rd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

When estimating his overall offensive skill, Wyatt Langford ranks in the 90th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

Home field advantage generally boosts batter metrics in all categories, and Wyatt Langford will hold that advantage in today’s matchup.

Wyatt Langford has made substantial strides with his Barrel% of late, improving his 7.8% seasonal rate to 22.2% over the last week.

Wyatt Langford has seen a substantial gain in his exit velocity on flyballs recently; just compare his 98.9-mph average in the last two weeks’ worth of games to his seasonal figure of 91.5-mph.

It may be smart to expect positive regression for the Pittsburgh Pirates offense the rest of the season, considering that the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes they are the 5th-unluckiest offense in MLB this year.

Cody Bradford is an extreme flyball pitcher (39.4% FB% according to the leading projection system, THE BAT) and is stuck pitching in the #6 HR venue among all major league parks in today’s game.

Cody Bradford’s 89.7-mph fastball velocity this year ranks in the 8th percentile out of all SPs.

The switch-hitting Yasmani Grandal will get to bat from his better side (0) today against Cody Bradford.

Yasmani Grandal has seen a big improvement in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 91.1-mph average to last season’s 87.9-mph average.

Last year, Yasmani Grandal had an average launch angle of 9° on his highest exit velocity balls, while this season it has significantly increased to 12.5°.

Josh Smith is penciled in 3rd in the batting order in today’s game.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Globe Life Field as the 7th-best venue in the majors for left-handed home runs.

Batting from the opposite that Mitch Keller throws from, Josh Smith will have the upper hand in today’s matchup.

Home field advantage generally boosts batter stats across the board, and Josh Smith will hold that advantage today.

Sporting a .340 wOBA (a leading indicator of offensive ability) this year, Josh Smith is ranked in the 80th percentile.

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

Despite posting a .247 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Michael A. Taylor has suffered from bad luck given the .040 difference between that mark and his estimated true talent wOBA of .287.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Bryan De La Cruz in the 90th percentile when assessing his BABIP skill.

Bryan De La Cruz will have the handedness advantage over Cody Bradford in today’s matchup.

Bryan De La Cruz has seen a substantial improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs this season; just compare his 94.4-mph average to last year’s 92.4-mph figure.

Bryan De La Cruz’s average launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls this year (17.6°) is significantly higher than his 12.3° mark last season.

As it relates to his wOBA and overall offense, Wyatt Langford has suffered from bad luck this year. His .295 figure falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Statcast-based Expected wOBA (xwOBA) at .341.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Marcus Semien in the 90th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive ability.

Marcus Semien is projected to bat 1st on the lineup card in this game.

Home field advantage typically bolsters batter metrics in all categories, and Marcus Semien will hold that advantage in today’s matchup.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa has primarily hit in the back-half of the batting order this year (82% of the time), but he is projected to hit 1st on the lineup card in this game.

Batting from the opposite that Cody Bradford throws from, Isiah Kiner-Falefa will have an advantage in today’s game.

Extreme flyball batters like Isiah Kiner-Falefa tend to perform better against extreme groundball pitchers like Cody Bradford.

Placing in the 80th percentile, Josh Smith has posted a .269 batting average this year.

As it relates to his wOBA and overall offense, Leody Taveras has experienced some negative variance this year. His .284 rate falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Statcast-based Expected wOBA (xwOBA) at .322.

When it comes to his BABIP talent, Josh Jung is projected as the 18th-best hitter in the game by the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

Josh Jung’s average launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls this season (18.9°) is a considerable increase over his 14.8° mark last season.

Josh Jung’s ability to hit the ball at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased recently, rising from 53.7% on the season to 61.5% over the past week.

Using Statcast data, Josh Jung ranks in the 79th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Expected Batting Average since the start of last season at .266.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the 91st percentile as it relates to his batting average skill.

Over the past two weeks, Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 87.7-mph over the course of the season to 94.6-mph lately.

As it relates to his wOBA and overall offense, Alika Williams has been unlucky since the start of last season. His .243 rate falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Statcast-based Expected wOBA (xwOBA) at .272.

Cody Bradford has averaged 95.9 adjusted pitches per game per started this year, grading out in the 93rd percentile.

Cody Bradford will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today’s matchup, which figures to improve all of his stats across the board.

In the past week, Marcus Semien’s 58.3% rate of hitting balls at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 46.8%.

Marcus Semien has been unlucky in regards to his batting average this year; his .245 mark is deflated compared to his .278 Expected Batting Average, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s interpretation of Statcast data.

Over the last two weeks, Bryan De La Cruz has significantly improved the launch angle on his hardest-hit balls: 21.4° compared to his seasonal mark of 17.6°.

In the past two weeks, Nathaniel Lowe’s 48.3% rate of hitting balls at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 41.3%.

Tuesday Game 2 player match stat slumps with Pirates vs Rangers Matchup

The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects Globe Life Field as the 2nd-worst stadium in the majors for right-handed BABIP.

Among all major league stadiums, Globe Life Field’s centerfield fences are the 6th-deepest.

The switch-hitting Bryan Reynolds will be less advantaged while batting from his weak side (0) today against Cody Bradford, The Texas Rangers infield defense grades out as the 3rd-strongest out of all the teams playing today.

Bryan Reynolds will be at a disadvantage playing on the road today.

Joey Bart will be at a disadvantage playing away from home in today’s game.

Over the past 14 days, Joey Bart’s average launch angle on his hardest-hit balls (7.8°) has significantly dropped compared to his seasonal mark of 12.1°.

Mitch Keller will have the handedness advantage over Adolis Garcia in today’s matchup.

Checking in at the 23rd percentile, Adolis Garcia sits with a .270 BABIP this year.

Jared Triolo is projected to hit 9th in the batting order in today’s game.

Playing on the road typically diminishes hitter stats across the board due to the lack of home field advantage, which figures to be the case for Jared Triolo today.

The #2 field in MLB for suppressing base hits to left-handed hitters, per the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Globe Life Field.

Nathaniel Lowe’s exit velocity on flyballs has declined this season; his 92.5-mph figure last year has decreased to 89.6-mph.

Over the past 7 days, Nathaniel Lowe’s exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 89.8-mph over the course of the season to 93-mph recently.

When it comes to his home runs, Nathaniel Lowe has experienced some positive variance this year. His 14.3 HR per 600 plate appearances figure has been a fair amount higher than the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Statcast-based Expected HR/600 at 8.7.

Corey Seager hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (38.1% — 77th percentile) and has the misfortune of hitting them in the direction of baseball’s 6th-deepest CF fences in today’s game.

It is likely that we will see a Huge Hitters Umpire (Ramon De Jesus) in charge of the strike zone in today’s game.

Playing on the road generally weakens pitcher stats across the board due to the lack of home field advantage, which figures to be the case for Mitch Keller in today’s game.

In his last start, Mitch Keller struggled when it came to striking batters out and was only able to tally 2 Ks.

Mitch Keller’s cutter usage has dropped by 7.8% from last year to this one (24.3% to 16.5%) .

Grading out in the 21st percentile, Mitch Keller notched an 8.9% Swinging Strike% this year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Michael A. Taylor in the 19th percentile when it comes to his batting average ability.

Michael A. Taylor is projected to bat 7th on the lineup card in today’s game.

Michael A. Taylor hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (40.4% — 99th percentile) and will be challenged by the game’s 6th-deepest CF fences in today’s matchup.

Josh Jung is projected to bat 6th in the lineup in today’s game.

Mitch Keller will hold the platoon advantage against Josh Jung in today’s game.

Josh Jung hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (40% — 99th percentile) and has the misfortune of hitting them towards baseball’s 6th-deepest CF fences today.

Josh Jung’s average exit velocity has decreased this season; his 91.7-mph mark last year has fallen off to 87.1-mph.

When it comes to his home runs, Josh Jung has been very fortunate since the start of last season. His 26.9 HR per 600 plate appearances mark has been significantly inflated relative to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Statcast-based Expected HR/600 at 23.3.

Leody Taveras is penciled in 9th in the batting order in this game.

Over the last 14 days, Leody Taveras’s exit velocity on flyballs has lowered from his seasonal EV of 89.5 mph to 85.4 mph.

Leody Taveras’s footspeed has fallen off this year. His 29.17 ft/sec Statcast Sprint Speed last season sits at 28.66 ft/sec now.

Playing on the road typically lessens batter metrics across the board due to the lack of home field advantage, which figures to be the case for Michael A. Taylor in today’s game.

Over the last 7 days, Michael A. Taylor’s Barrel% has experienced a negative regression, plummeting from his seasonal rate of 12.4% down to 0%.

In the last 14 days, Michael A. Taylor’s exit velocity on flyballs has lowered from his seasonal mark of 93.6 mph to 88.2 mph.

Connor Joe hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (38.5% — 85th percentile) and will have to hit them out towards baseball’s 6th-deepest CF fences today.

Playing on the road typically lowers batter metrics across the board due to the lack of home field advantage, which should be the case for Connor Joe today.

Connor Joe’s average exit velocity has fallen off this season; his 88.9-mph figure last season has dropped to 85-mph.

As it relates to his home run talent, Alika Williams ranks in the 11th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

Alika Williams will be at a disadvantage playing as a visiting player today.

Bryan Reynolds has negatively regressed with his Barrel% of late; his 9.9% seasonal rate has dropped to 0% in the past two weeks.

In the past two weeks’ worth of games, Bryan Reynolds’s exit velocity on flyballs has lowered from his seasonal EV of 93.7 mph to 83.3 mph.

Wyatt Langford is projected to bat 7th in the lineup today, which would be a downgrade from his 61% rate of hitting in the top-half of the batting order this season.

Mitch Keller will have the handedness advantage over Wyatt Langford today.

In the past two weeks, Wyatt Langford’s average launch angle on his hardest-hit balls (6°) has significantly dropped compared to his seasonal mark of 10.1°.

The Pittsburgh Pirates projected batting order ranks as the 5th-worst of the day in terms of overall batting ability.

The #3 ballpark in Major League Baseball for suppressing base hits, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Globe Life Field.

Cody Bradford has a large reverse platoon split and has the benefit of facing 9 opposite-handed batters in today’s game.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Yasmani Grandal in the 5th percentile when estimating his BABIP talent.

Yasmani Grandal is penciled in 8th on the lineup card in this game.

In today’s game, Josh Smith is at a disadvantage facing the league’s 6th-deepest CF center field fences given that he hits his flyballs towards center field at a 39.2% rate (94th percentile).

Josh Smith has taken a step back with his Barrel%; his 10.7% rate last season has dropped off to 3.6% this season.

From last season to this one, Josh Smith’s flyball exit velocity has decreased from an average of 93.8 mph to 89.9 mph.

Josh Smith has had positive variance on his side thus far when it comes to with his wOBA this year; his .342 rate is quite a bit higher than his .306 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s interpretation of Statcast data.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Alika Williams in the 14th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive talent.

Josh Smith’s ability to hit the ball at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has decreased of late, going from 42.6% on the season to 19% over the last week.

Nathaniel Lowe’s ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has decreased in recent games, falling from 14.5% on the season to 11.1% over the past 7 days.

Bryan De La Cruz is projected to bat 6th on the lineup card in this game, which would be a downgrade from his 91% rate of hitting in the top-half of the batting order this year.

Playing on the road typically reduces batter metrics in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which ought to be the case for Bryan De La Cruz in today’s game.

Last season, Connor Joe had a launch angle of 10.1° on his highest exit velocity balls, but this season he experienced a significant decline to just 7°.

Connor Joe has been very fortunate when it comes to with his wOBA this year; his .300 rate is a fair amount higher than his .284 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s interpretation of Statcast data.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jared Triolo in the 22nd percentile when assessing his home run skill.

Jared Triolo’s average launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls this season (5.1°) is significantly worse than his 12.4° angle last year.

The 5th-best projected lineup of the day in terms of overall offensive skill belongs to the Texas Rangers.

The Texas Rangers have been the 3rd-unluckiest offense in Major League Baseball this year, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), and are likely to hit better in the future, Batting from the same side that Mitch Keller throws from, Marcus Semien will not have the upper hand in today’s game.

Marcus Semien’s average exit velocity has fallen off in recent games; his 87.3-mph seasonal EV has fallen to 84.7-mph over the last 14 days.

Marcus Semien’s ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has decreased from last season to this one, decreasing from 21.1% to 16.2%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the 5th percentile when it comes to his home run skill.

Playing on the road typically lowers batter stats in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which figures to be the case for Isiah Kiner-Falefa in today’s matchup.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s average exit velocity has decreased this year; his 88.8-mph EV last year has decreased to 85.4-mph.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s launch angle recently (3° in the past two weeks) is significantly lower than his 8.9° seasonal mark.

When it comes to power, Wyatt Langford has performed in the 14th percentile, having paced 9.4 HRs per 600 plate appearances this year.

Leody Taveras’s ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has declined lately, going from 14.6% on the season to 5.9% over the last week.

Utilizing Statcast data, Leody Taveras ranks in the 23rd percentile for power according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Expected Home Runs per 600 plate appearances this year at 12.600.

Joey Bart has been very fortunate when it comes to his home runs this year; his 37.1 HR per 600 plate appearances mark is a good deal higher than his 28.2 Expected HR/600, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s interpretation of Statcast data.

Playing on the road typically diminishes batter metrics across the board due to the lack of home field advantage, which should be the case for Yasmani Grandal today.

Sporting a .251 wOBA (a leading indicator of offensive ability) this year, Yasmani Grandal finds himself in the 24th percentile.

Since the start of last season, Alika Williams’s 2.7% Barrel%, an advanced standard for measuring power, places him in the 19th percentile among his peers.

Ranked in the 8th percentile, Alika Williams’s average exit velocity of 84.5 mph ranks among the lowest in Major League Baseball since the start of last season.

In his last game started, Cody Bradford didn’t have his best stuff when it came to striking hitters out and was only able to tally 2 Ks.

Among all starting pitchers, Cody Bradford’s fastball spin rate of 2125 rpm is in the 19th percentile this year.

Bryan De La Cruz has recorded a .293 wOBA (the best measure of overall offense) this year, checking in at the 25th percentile.

Sporting a 4.98 K/BB rate this year, Bryan De La Cruz has displayed weak plate discipline, placing in the 7th percentile.

Texas’s 91.1-mph exit velocity on flyballs grades them out as the #28 club in baseball this year by this metric.

Nathaniel Lowe has been very fortunate when it comes to with his wOBA this year; his .326 rate is a good deal higher than his .310 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s interpretation of Statcast data.