Royals @ Cardinals Matchup Details

Positives for the Kansas City Royals Game Today

The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Busch Stadium as the 10th-best park in baseball for right-handed batting average.

,Hot weather is strongly correlated with more offense (and fewer strikeouts), and the weather report calls for the 3rd-highest temperatures of all games on the slate today at 81°.

,Pedro Pages will hold the home field advantage in today’s game, which figures to boost all of his stats.

,As it relates to his overall offensive ability, JJ Wetherholt ranks in the 88th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

,JJ Wetherholt is penciled in 1st in the lineup today.

,Among all major league stadiums, Busch Stadium has the 8th-lowest average fence height.

,Batting from the opposite that Michael Wacha throws from, JJ Wetherholt will have an advantage today.

,The #10 venue in the league for boosting batting average to LHB, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Busch Stadium.

,Kyle Isbel will have the handedness advantage against Dustin May in today’s matchup… and the cherry on top, May has a large platoon split.

,Kyle Isbel’s launch angle recently (24.3° in the last 7 days) is significantly better than his 11.7° seasonal figure.

,Nathan Church will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Michael Wacha today.

,Extreme flyball hitters like Nathan Church tend to perform better against extreme groundball pitchers like Michael Wacha.

,Home field advantage typically bolsters hitter metrics in all categories, and Nathan Church will hold that advantage in today’s game.

,The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jordan Walker in the 93rd percentile when estimating his home run talent.

,Jordan Walker is projected to hit 4th in the batting order in this matchup.

,Jordan Walker hits many of his flyballs to center field (39.7% — 97th percentile) and is fortunate to face the league’s 7th-shallowest CF fences today.

,Masyn Winn hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (37.9% — 75th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he’ll be hitting towards MLB’s 7th-shallowest CF fences in today’s game.

,Home field advantage generally bolsters batter metrics in all categories, and Masyn Winn will hold that advantage in today’s game.

,Over the last 7 days, Masyn Winn’s 20% rate of hitting balls at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 11.3%.

,Isaac Collins has made notable gains with his Barrel% recently, upping his 9.3% seasonal rate to 20% over the last 7 days.

,In terms of plate discipline, Isaac Collins’s talent is quite impressive, posting a 1.71 K/BB rate since the start of last season while grading out in in the 83rd percentile.

,Ranking in the 87th percentile, Isaac Collins sits with a .325 BABIP since the start of last season.

,As it relates to his home run ability, Nolan Gorman ranks in the 94th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

,Nolan Gorman is projected to bat 5th on the lineup card in this matchup.

,Batting from the opposite that Michael Wacha throws from, Nolan Gorman will have the upper hand in today’s game.

,The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Bobby Witt Jr. as the 2nd-best batter in MLB when assessing his batting average ability.

,Bobby Witt Jr. is projected to hit 2nd in the lineup in this matchup.

,Bobby Witt Jr.’s ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved of late, going from 16.1% on the season to 23.1% in the past two weeks’ worth of games.

,The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Alec Burleson in the 93rd percentile when it comes to his batting average talent.

,Alec Burleson is projected to bat 3rd on the lineup card in today’s game.

,Hitting from the opposite that Michael Wacha throws from, Alec Burleson will have an advantage in today’s game.

,As it relates to his home run ability, Carter Jensen ranks in the 78th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

,Carter Jensen is penciled in 5th in the lineup today.

,Considering Dustin May’s large platoon split, Carter Jensen will have an enormous advantage batting from the opposite side of the plate in this game.

,Given that groundball hitters hold a sizeable edge over flyball pitchers, Michael Wacha and his 38.6% underlying GB% (via the leading projection system, THE BAT) finds himself in a tough spot in today’s matchup going up against 3 opposing GB bats.

,Playing on the road generally lowers pitcher stats in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which ought to be the case for Michael Wacha in today’s matchup.

,Michael Wacha has gone to his slider 5% less often this season (6.9%) than he did last year (11.9%).

,Because of Dustin May’s large platoon split, Michael Massey will have a massive advantage hitting from the opposite side of the dish in this game.

,Michael Massey has made big gains with his Barrel% recently, improving his 11.7% seasonal rate to 19% in the past two weeks.

,Michael Massey has been hot lately, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 90.9-mph to 93-mph over the last two weeks.

,Vinnie Pasquantino is penciled in 3rd in the batting order today.

,Considering Dustin May’s large platoon split, Vinnie Pasquantino will have an enormous advantage hitting from the opposite side of the plate in this game.

,Vinnie Pasquantino has made big improvements with his Barrel% in recent games, upping his 10.1% seasonal rate to 15.8% in the last two weeks.

,Salvador Perez is penciled in 4th in the lineup in today’s game.

,Salvador Perez has been hot of late, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 88.1-mph to 90.4-mph in the last two weeks.

,Salvador Perez has been unlucky this year, posting a .244 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .317 — a .073 disparity.

,When it comes to his home run skill, Jac Caglianone ranks in the 80th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

,Jac Caglianone will hold the platoon advantage against Dustin May in today’s game… and the cherry on top, May has a large platoon split.

,Jac Caglianone hits many of his flyballs to center field (39.2% — 95th percentile) and will have a big advantage facing MLB’s 7th-shallowest CF fences in today’s game.

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

,Ivan Herrera is projected to bat 2nd on the lineup card in today’s game.

,Batters such as Ivan Herrera with extreme groundball tendencies are usually more effective when facing pitchers like Michael Wacha who skew towards the flyball end of the spectrum.

,Compared to his seasonal average of 19.3°, Carter Jensen has significantly improved his launch angle of late, posting a 27.3° figure in the past 14 days.

,Victor Scott II will hold the platoon advantage over Michael Wacha in today’s game.

,Extreme flyball bats like Victor Scott II tend to perform better against extreme groundball pitchers like Michael Wacha.

,Home field advantage typically improves hitter stats in all categories, and Victor Scott II will hold that advantage in today’s matchup.

,The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Maikel Garcia in the 96th percentile when assessing his batting average skill.

,Maikel Garcia is projected to bat 1st on the lineup card in today’s game.

,Maikel Garcia hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (38.8% — 91st percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he’ll be hitting towards the league’s 7th-shallowest CF fences today.

,The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Alec Burleson in the 88th percentile when estimating his overall offensive talent.

,Tallying 93.8 adjusted pitches per game per started this year on average, Michael Wacha falls in the 79th percentile.

,The St. Louis Cardinals have 3 batters in their projected lineup today with a high (i.e. over 27%) underlying K% (per the leading projection system, THE BAT X) (Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman, Pedro Pages).

,In his previous start, Michael Wacha was on point and notched 7 strikeouts.

,Bobby Witt Jr. projects as the 5th-best batter in MLB, via the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

,Jac Caglianone has seen a sizeable increase in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 93.4-mph average to last season’s 89.4-mph average.

,When assessing his overall offensive skill, Vinnie Pasquantino ranks in the 80th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

,Dustin May has averaged 94.1 adjusted pitches per game per started this year, ranking in the 82nd percentile.

,Pedro Pages, the Cardinals’s expected catcher in today’s matchup, grades out as a good pitch framer according to the leading projection system (THE BAT).

,Dustin May will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today’s matchup, which figures to bolster all of his stats across the board.

,Dustin May has utilized his cutter 10.9% more often this season (20.1%) than he did last season (9.2%).

,Dustin May has suffered from bad luck when it comes to his strikeouts this year, putting up a 6.75 K/9 despite the leading projection system (THE BAT) estimating his true talent level to be 7.75 — a 1 K/9 discrepancy.

,As it relates to his home run talent, Salvador Perez ranks in the 91st percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

,Utilizing Statcast data, Maikel Garcia is in the 80th percentile for hitting ability according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Expected wOBA (xwOBA) since the start of last season at .346.

,Nolan Gorman will benefit from the home field advantage today, which should improve all of his stats.

,When assessing his overall offensive talent, Jordan Walker ranks in the 88th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

Negatives with the St. Louis Cardinals Game Today

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Pedro Pages in the 10th percentile when estimating his overall offensive skill.

,Pedro Pages is penciled in 8th on the lineup card today.

,Hitting from the same side that Michael Wacha throws from, Pedro Pages has a tough challenge in today’s matchup.

,Pedro Pages has a 79th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (33.5%) but may find it hard to clear baseball’s 2nd-deepest RF fences in today’s matchup.

,Among every team on the slate today, the strongest infield defense belongs to the Kansas City Royals.

,The leading projection system (THE BAT) profiles Busch Stadium as the worst stadium in the majors for LHB home runs.

,JJ Wetherholt has taken a step back with his Barrel% lately; his 8% seasonal rate has dropped to 0% in the last week.

,As it relates to his overall offensive skill, Kyle Isbel ranks in the 7th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

,Kyle Isbel is penciled in 9th on the lineup card in today’s game.

,Among all major league parks, Busch Stadium’s RF fences are the 2nd-deepest.

,The St. Louis Cardinals outfield defense profiles as the 5th-strongest among every team today.

,Kyle Isbel will be at a disadvantage playing on the road in today’s game.

,Nathan Church is projected to bat 7th in the batting order today.

,Nathan Church has struggled with his Barrel% recently; his 11% seasonal rate has dropped to 0% in the last week.

,Nathan Church’s average exit velocity has decreased lately; his 86.2-mph seasonal average has dropped to 81.2-mph over the past week.

,The leading projection system (THE BAT) profiles Busch Stadium as the worst park in the game for right-handed home runs.

,Hitting from the same side that Michael Wacha throws from, Jordan Walker faces a tough challenge in today’s matchup.

,The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Jordan Walker’s true offensive skill to be a .332, providing some evidence that he has had some very good luck this year given the .061 disparity between that mark and his actual .393 wOBA.

,Based on Statcast data, Jordan Walker ranks in the 8th percentile for offensive ability per the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Expected wOBA (xwOBA) since the start of last season at .273.

,As it relates to his home run talent, Masyn Winn ranks in the 22nd percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

,Masyn Winn is penciled in 6th in the lineup today.

,Michael Wacha will have the handedness advantage over Masyn Winn in today’s matchup.

,From last season to this one, Masyn Winn’s flyball exit velocity has decreased from an average of 89.6 mph to 84.3 mph.

,Isaac Collins is projected to bat 7th on the lineup card in this game.

,As a switch-hitter who performs worse from the 0 side of the dish, Isaac Collins will face a mismatch against Dustin May and his large platoon split in this game.

,Isaac Collins pulls a lot of his flyballs (34% — 75th percentile) and will have to hit them out towards baseball’s 2nd-deepest RF fences in today’s matchup.

,In today’s matchup, Nolan Gorman is at a disadvantage facing the league’s 2nd-deepest RF fences given that he hits his flyballs to the pull field at a 36.1% rate (87th percentile).

,Typically, bats like Nolan Gorman who hit a lot of flyballs generally hit worse when facing pitchers who also induce a lot of flyballs such as Michael Wacha.

,Nolan Gorman’s ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has dropped off lately, decreasing from 13% on the season to 0% in the past week.

,Masyn Winn’s ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has decreased from last year to this one, going from 14.8% to 11.3%.

,Given Dustin May’s large platoon split, Bobby Witt Jr. will be at a massive disadvantage batting from the same side of the plate in today’s matchup.

,In today’s game, Bobby Witt Jr. is at a disadvantage facing the league’s 2nd-deepest RF fences given that he hits his flyballs to the opposite field at a 36% rate (92nd percentile).

,Bobby Witt Jr. will be at a disadvantage playing as a visiting player today.

,Alec Burleson’s launch angle this season (7.8°) is quite a bit lower than his 15.2° figure last season.

,Alec Burleson’s ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has dropped off recently, decreasing from 16% on the season to 0% over the past week.

,Sporting a .208 Expected Batting Average (an advanced metric created by the leading projection system (THE BAT X) utilizing Statcast data) since the start of last season , Jordan Walker is ranked in the 7th percentile.

,Carter Jensen pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (34.2% — 78th percentile) and has the misfortune of hitting them in the direction of the game’s 2nd-deepest RF fences in today’s game.

,Carter Jensen will be at a disadvantage playing away from home today.

,Carter Jensen has been cold in recent games, with his seasonal exit velocity of 90.4-mph dropping to 82.3-mph in the last week’s worth of games.

,The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects Michael Wacha in the 80th percentile when it comes to his overall pitching abilities.

,It may be sensible to expect weaker performance for the St. Louis Cardinals offense the rest of the season, given that the leading projection system (THE BAT X) sees them as the 10th-luckiest offense in the majors this year.

,Busch Stadium profiles as the #30 field in baseball for home runs, via the leading projection system (THE BAT).

,Michael Wacha is an extreme flyball pitcher (38.6% FB% per the leading projection system, THE BAT) and should be helped pitching in the #30 HR venue in Major League Baseball today.

,Michael Massey’s BABIP talent is projected in the 7th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

,Michael Massey is projected to hit 8th in the batting order in this matchup.

,Michael Massey pulls a lot of his flyballs (37.7% — 93rd percentile) and has the misfortune of hitting them towards the league’s 2nd-deepest RF fences in today’s matchup.

,Michael Massey will be at a disadvantage playing on the visting team in today’s matchup.

,Isaac Collins will be at a disadvantage playing away from home today.

,The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Vinnie Pasquantino in the 4th percentile when estimating his BABIP ability.

,In today’s matchup, Vinnie Pasquantino is at a disadvantage facing the league’s 2nd-deepest RF fences given that he hits his flyballs to the pull field at a 38% rate (93rd percentile).

,Playing on the road generally lessens hitter metrics in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which ought to be the case for Vinnie Pasquantino in today’s game.

,With a .258 BABIP since the start of last season, Vinnie Pasquantino finds himself in the 11th percentile.

,Nolan Gorman has notched a .288 Expected wOBA (xwOBA) since the start of last season, checking in at the 16th percentile for offensive ability according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s interpretation of Statcast data.

,Salvador Perez’s BABIP ability is projected in the 8th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

,Considering Dustin May’s large platoon split, Salvador Perez will be at a gigantic disadvantage batting from the same side of the plate in today’s game.

,Salvador Perez pulls a lot of his flyballs (36.3% — 88th percentile) and will have to hit them out towards the game’s 7th-deepest LF fences in today’s game.

,Jac Caglianone is projected to hit 6th in the batting order today.

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

,Jac Caglianone has been cold recently, with his seasonal exit velocity of 93.4-mph dropping to 90.1-mph in the last 14 days.

,By putting up a .262 wOBA (a leading indicator of offensive ability) since the start of last season, Jac Caglianone is ranked in the 5th percentile.

,Michael Wacha will have the handedness advantage over Ivan Herrera today.

,Today, Ivan Herrera is at a disadvantage facing the league’s 2nd-deepest RF fences given that he hits his flyballs to the opposite field at a 33.9% rate (82nd percentile).

,In the past 14 days, Ivan Herrera’s Barrel% has experienced a negative regression, plummeting from his seasonal rate of 6.8% down to 0%.

,As it relates to his overall offensive skill, Victor Scott II ranks in the 8th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

,Victor Scott II is penciled in 9th in the batting order in this matchup.

,Victor Scott II has a 91st percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (35.7%) and will be challenged by MLB’s 7th-deepest LF fences today.

,Given Dustin May’s large platoon split, Maikel Garcia will be at a tremendous disadvantage hitting from the same side of the plate in today’s game.

,Maikel Garcia will be at a disadvantage playing away from home in today’s game.

,In the past 7 days, Maikel Garcia’s Barrel% has experienced a negative regression, plummeting from his seasonal rate of 6.2% down to 0%.

,Victor Scott II’s average exit velocity has declined in recent games; his 87.1-mph seasonal average has fallen off to 75.4-mph over the last week.

,Busch Stadium grades out as the #29 stadium in MLB for strikeouts, per the leading projection system (THE BAT).

,Bobby Witt Jr.’s exit velocity on flyballs has fallen off this year; his 94.5-mph figure last year has decreased to 92.5-mph.

,Utilizing Statcast metrics, Michael Massey is in the 12th percentile for offensive skills according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Expected wOBA (xwOBA) since the start of last season at .232.

,Salvador Perez will be at a disadvantage playing on the visting team in today’s matchup.

,Compared to his seasonal angle of 7.6°, Ivan Herrera has produced a noticeably lower launch angle (-0.6°) over the past 14 days.

,The Kansas City Royals have 6 hitters in the projected lineup that will hold the platoon advantage over Dustin May in this game, which is especially precarious given his large platoon split.

,Dustin May has compiled a 7.7% Swinging Strike% this year, grading out in the 10th percentile.

,Salvador Perez has negatively regressed with his Barrel% in recent games; his 9% seasonal rate has decreased to 3.3% over the last two weeks.

,As it relates to his home run talent, Maikel Garcia ranks in the 19th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

,In his last start, Dustin May allowed a colossal 6 earned runs.

,JJ Wetherholt’s ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has fallen off in recent games, decreasing from 16.7% on the season to 11.1% over the last two weeks.

,The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Nolan Gorman in the 6th percentile when estimating his batting average talent.

,Maikel Garcia’s exit velocity on flyballs has declined recently; his 89.6-mph seasonal EV has lowered to 87.6-mph in the past 7 days.

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