Todays Matchup Details

Player match stat positives for Chicago at Houston Matchup Today

Jeremy Pena’s batting average talent is projected to be in the 93rd percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

Jeremy Pena is penciled in 5th in the lineup in today’s game.

The #5 stadium in Major League Baseball for boosting home runs to RHB, via the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Minute Maid Park.

In Major League Baseball, Minute Maid Park’s left field dimensions are the shallowest.

Hitting from the opposite that Garrett Crochet throws from, Jeremy Pena will have an edge in today’s matchup.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Alex Bregman in the 94th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive talent.

Alex Bregman is projected to bat 2nd on the lineup card in today’s game.

Alex Bregman will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Garrett Crochet in today’s game.

Alex Bregman will hold the home field advantage today, which figures to bolster all of his stats.

The #5 field in the majors for boosting home runs to left-handed hitters, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Minute Maid Park.

In the last week, Riley Baldwin’s Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 5.9% up to 12.5%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jake Meyers in the 75th percentile as it relates to his BABIP talent.

Hitting from the opposite that Garrett Crochet throws from, Jake Meyers will have an advantage in today’s game.

Home field advantage typically improves batter metrics across the board, and Jake Meyers will hold that advantage in today’s game.

Mauricio Dubon will have the handedness advantage over Garrett Crochet in today’s matchup.

Home field advantage generally bolsters batter stats in all categories, and Mauricio Dubon will hold that advantage in today’s matchup.

Jake Meyers’s ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has increased lately, going from 18.5% on the season to 25% in the last week.

As it relates to his overall offensive skill, Andrew Vaughn ranks in the 88th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

Andrew Vaughn is projected to bat 4th in the lineup today.

Andrew Vaughn has made significant improvements with his Barrel% in recent games, bettering his 10.4% seasonal rate to 16.7% in the last 7 days.

Compared to his seasonal average of 16.8°, Andrew Vaughn has significantly improved his launch angle recently, posting a 23.8° figure over the past 14 days.

Gavin Sheets is projected to bat 5th on the lineup card today.

Long-balls are generally more common at venues with shallow fences, and Minute Maid Park has the 2nd-shallowest among all stadiums.

Gavin Sheets will have the handedness advantage against Spencer Arrighetti today.

Over the last 7 days, Gavin Sheets’s 80% rate of hitting balls at a BABIP-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 45%.

When it comes to his batting average talent, 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 4th in the batting order in today’s game.

Yainer Diaz will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Garrett Crochet in today’s matchup.

Home field advantage generally improves hitter metrics in all categories, and Yainer Diaz will hold that advantage today.

Nicky Lopez has primarily hit in the back-half of the batting order this season (61% of the time), but he is projected to bat 1st in the lineup in this matchup.

Nicky Lopez will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Spencer Arrighetti today.

Nicky Lopez has a 100th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (44.3%) and sets up very well considering he’ll be hitting them out towards the league’s 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today’s matchup.

Batters such as Nicky Lopez with extreme groundball tendencies are usually more effective when facing pitchers like Spencer Arrighetti who skew towards the flyball end of the spectrum.

Nicky Lopez has seen a big gain in his exit velocity on flyballs in recent games; just compare his 93.7-mph average in the last 14 days to his seasonal EV of 87.7-mph.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Yordan Alvarez ranks as the 2nd-best hitter in baseball.

Yordan Alvarez is penciled in 3rd on the lineup card today.

Yordan Alvarez will possess the home field advantage in today’s game, which figures to boost all of his stats.

Yordan Alvarez has made notable strides with his Barrel% of late, upping his 14.5% seasonal rate to 23.1% in the past week.

Batting from the opposite that Spencer Arrighetti throws from, Dominic Fletcher will have an edge in today’s game.

Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Expected HR per 600 plate appearances (10.2) may lead us to conclude that Dominic Fletcher has had bad variance on his side since the start of last season with his 5.6 actual HR/600.

Dominic Fletcher has posted a .338 BABIP since the start of last season, ranking in the 88th percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Andrew Benintendi in the 89th percentile as it relates to his batting average ability.

Andrew Benintendi is projected to bat 3rd on the lineup card in today’s game.

Batting from the opposite that Spencer Arrighetti throws from, Andrew Benintendi will have an edge in today’s matchup.

Andrew Benintendi’s average launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls this season (18.1°) is considerably better than his 13.4° mark last year.

Chas McCormick’s BABIP talent is projected in the 81st percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

Batting from the opposite that Garrett Crochet throws from, Chas McCormick will have the upper hand in today’s matchup.

Home field advantage typically improves batter metrics across the board, and Chas McCormick will hold that advantage today.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Chas McCormick’s true offensive skill to be a .310, suggesting that he has experienced some negative variance this year given the .063 difference between that mark and his actual .247 wOBA.

Andrew Vaughn’s ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has increased from last season to this one, going from 13.9% to 18.9%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Luis Robert in the 94th percentile when it comes to his BABIP ability.

Luis Robert is projected to hit 2nd on the lineup card in this matchup.

Luis Robert has made notable improvements with his Barrel% of late, bettering his 13.8% seasonal rate to 25% in the past 7 days.

Home field advantage generally improves hitter metrics in all categories, and Jeremy Pena will hold that advantage in today’s game.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Miguel Vargas in the 80th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive talent.

As it relates to his batting average, Miguel Vargas has had some very poor luck since the start of last season. His .195 rate falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .216.

With a 1.76 K/BB rate since the start of last season, Miguel Vargas has demonstrated favorable plate discipline, placing in the 87th percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jose Altuve in the 92nd percentile as it relates to his batting average ability.

Jose Altuve is projected to bat 1st on the lineup card in this game.

Jose Altuve will have the handedness advantage over Garrett Crochet today.

Jose Altuve pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (41.5% — 99th percentile) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards the game’s 2nd-shallowest LF fences today.

Home field advantage typically boosts batter stats across the board, and Jose Altuve will hold that advantage in today’s matchup.

Yordan Alvarez has seen a notable increase in his exit velocity on flyballs of late; just compare his 102.6-mph average in the past 7 days to his seasonal EV of 93.9-mph.

In the last 7 days, Korey Lee’s exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 91.2-mph over the course of the season to 108.4-mph in recent games.

Korey Lee has had bad variance on his side thus far when it comes to his wOBA this year; his .266 mark is a good deal lower than his .284 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s interpretation of Statcast data.

Korey Lee’s ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has improved lately, rising from 40.4% on the season to 66.7% over the last 7 days.

Korey Lee has had bad variance on his side thus far when it comes to his batting average this year; his .217 figure is significantly deflated relative to his .238 Expected Batting Average, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s interpretation of Statcast data.

In the past two weeks’ worth of games, Andrew Benintendi has significantly improved the launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls: 24.7° compared to his seasonal mark of 18.1°.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Mauricio Dubon in the 83rd percentile when estimating his batting average talent.

When it comes to his strikeout talent, the leading projection system (THE BAT) forecasts Spencer Arrighetti in the 89th percentile among all SPs in baseball.

Recording 91.4 adjusted pitches per start this year on average, Spencer Arrighetti places him the 75th percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects Minute Maid Park as the 10th-best park in the majors for strikeouts.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Luis Robert in the 93rd percentile when it comes to his home run skill.

Compared to his seasonal mark of 20.4°, Riley Baldwin’s average launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls has dropped significantly recently (0.5° in the past 14 days).

Dominic Fletcher has had bad variance on his side thus far when it comes to his wOBA this year; his .251 rate is deflated compared to his .282 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s interpretation of Statcast data.

Miguel Vargas has been unlucky this year, compiling a .278 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .321 — a .043 difference.

When estimating his overall offensive skill, Andrew Benintendi ranks in the 78th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

It may be sensible to expect improved performance for the Chicago White Sox offense in the future, given that the leading projection system (THE BAT X) views them as the 2nd-unluckiest offense in Major League Baseball this year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Minute Maid Park as the 9th-best field in baseball for walks.

Spencer Arrighetti is an extreme flyball pitcher (36.1% FB% via the leading projection system, THE BAT) and has the misfortune of pitching in the #10 HR venue among all major league parks in this matchup.

Garrett Crochet projects as the 3rd-best pitcher in MLB currently when it comes to his strikeout ability, per the leading projection system (THE BAT).

In the last two weeks’ worth of games, Chas McCormick has significantly improved the launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls: 21.2° compared to his seasonal mark of 14.8°.

In the past two weeks’ worth of games, Gavin Sheets has significantly improved the launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls: 23.6° compared to his seasonal mark of 9.3°.

When estimating his overall offensive skill, Jose Altuve ranks in the 86th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

Over the last 7 days, Alex Bregman’s Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 5.8% up to 21.1%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Yainer Diaz in the 85th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive talent.

Luis Robert has been hot in recent games, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 90.7-mph to 99.9-mph in the last 7 days.

Mauricio Dubon’s launch angle this season (13.9°) is significantly better than his 9.7° angle last season.

Compared to last season, Jake Meyers has improved his ability to hit the ball at a launch angle ideal for base hits, increasing his percentage of balls hit between -4° and 26° from 40% to 46.9% this season.

In the past week’s worth of games, Yainer Diaz’s exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 92.6-mph over the course of the season to 102.3-mph of late.

Friday player match stat slumps with White Sox vs Astros Matchup

Minute Maid Park has the 3rd-highest fence height (on average) among all stadiums.

The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making conditions in this match-up -11° colder than the average outdoor game on the slate today — favorable for pitching.

Jeremy Pena has been cold recently, with his seasonal exit velocity of 87.8-mph dropping to 84.6-mph in the past two weeks’ worth of games.

Compared to his seasonal figure of 7.8°, Jeremy Pena has produced a noticeably lower launch angle (1.6°) over the past 14 days.

In terms of the ability to lift the ball for power, Jeremy Pena ranks in just the 12th percentile with a 7.8° launch angle, which is among the lowest angles in the game.

Minute Maid Park’s altitude is near sea-level, one of the lowest among all major league stadiums, which often leads to worse offense.

In today’s game, Alex Bregman is at a disadvantage facing the league’s 8th-deepest CF center field fences given that he hits his flyballs towards center field at a 38.5% rate (85th percentile).

Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Expected HR per 600 plate appearances (18.4) may lead us to conclude that Alex Bregman has been very fortunate this year with his 22.4 actual HR/600.

Riley Baldwin is projected to hit 9th on the lineup card today.

The switch-hitting Riley Baldwin will be at a disadvantage batting from his bad side (0) today against Spencer Arrighetti, Jake Meyers is projected to hit 6th on the lineup card in this matchup.

Jake Meyers has been cold of late, with his seasonal exit velocity of 89-mph dropping to 84.1-mph in the past week’s worth of games.

As it relates to his home run ability, Mauricio Dubon ranks in the 15th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

Mauricio Dubon is projected to bat 8th in the batting order today.

Mauricio Dubon has been pulled from the game early 15% of the time when starting against a left-handed starter this year.

Jake Meyers’s average launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls this year (12.9°) is quite a bit worse than his 16.1° figure last season.

Spencer Arrighetti will hold the platoon advantage against Andrew Vaughn in today’s matchup.

In today’s game, Andrew Vaughn is at a disadvantage facing the league’s 8th-deepest CF center field fences given that he hits his flyballs towards center field at a 38.6% rate (87th percentile).

Gavin Sheets’s BABIP talent is projected in the 15th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

Gavin Sheets has been pinch hit for 15% of the time when starting against a right-handed starter this year.

Among all the teams today, the strongest infield defense is that of the Houston Astros.

Yainer Diaz has an 80th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (34.4%) and has the misfortune of hitting them towards baseball’s 9th-deepest RF fences today.

Yainer Diaz’s launch angle lately (3.9° in the past two weeks) is significantly lower than his 8.8° seasonal mark.

As it relates to his overall offensive skill, Nicky Lopez ranks in the 11th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

This year, Nicky Lopez has been lifted for a pinch-hitter in 10% of his appearances when starting against northpaw.

The #10 field in baseball for suppressing base hits to LHB, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Minute Maid Park.

Batting from the same side that Garrett Crochet throws from, Yordan Alvarez will be at a disadvantage in today’s matchup.

Yordan Alvarez hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (38.8% — 90th percentile) and has the misfortune of hitting them towards MLB’s 8th-deepest CF fences today.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Dominic Fletcher in the 15th percentile when it comes to his home run skill.

Dominic Fletcher is penciled in 7th on the lineup card in this matchup.

This year, Dominic Fletcher has been pinch hit for in 21% of his appearances when starting against righty hurler.

Andrew Benintendi hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (38.7% — 88th percentile) and will have to hit them out towards baseball’s 8th-deepest CF fences in today’s game.

Chas McCormick is projected to bat 7th on the lineup card in this matchup.

When starting against a lefty hurler this year, Chas McCormick has been pinch hit for 20% of the time.

The #10 stadium in MLB for suppressing BABIP to right-handed batters, via the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Minute Maid Park.

Hitting from the same side that Spencer Arrighetti throws from, Luis Robert will not have the upper hand in today’s game.

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

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Nicky Lopez in the 0th percentile when it comes to his home run ability.

Miguel Vargas is projected to hit 6th in the lineup today.

Hitting from the same side that Spencer Arrighetti throws from, Miguel Vargas will have a tough matchup in today’s matchup.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jeremy Pena in the 20th percentile as it relates to his home run skill.

Jose Altuve’s average exit velocity has decreased lately; his 86.3-mph seasonal average has dropped off to 83.5-mph in the past 14 days.

Jose Altuve’s exit velocity on flyballs has dropped off this season; his 92.9-mph EV last season has dropped off to 90.4-mph.

When it comes to his overall offensive talent, Korey Lee ranks in the 5th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

Korey Lee is projected to hit 8th in the batting order in this matchup.

Hitting from the same side that Spencer Arrighetti throws from, Korey Lee encounters a tough challenge in today’s game.

Yainer Diaz, the Astros’s expected catcher today, grades out as a weak pitch framer according to the leading projection system (THE BAT).

With a 1.11 disparity between Spencer Arrighetti’s 11.06 K/9 and his 9.94 estimated true talent K/9 (via the leading projection system, THE BAT), it’s safe to say he’s been one of the most fortunate pitchers in MLB this year in terms of strikeouts and ought to negatively regress the rest of the season.

Using Statcast metrics, Luis Robert grades out in the 17th percentile for offensive skills per the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Expected wOBA (xwOBA) this year at .284.

When it comes to his overall offensive skill, Dominic Fletcher ranks in the 19th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

Andrew Benintendi will be at a disadvantage playing on the road in today’s game.

The 4th-worst projected lineup on the slate in terms of overall offensive ability is that of the the Chicago White Sox.

Spencer Arrighetti will possess the home field advantage in today’s matchup, which figures to improve all of his metrics in all categories.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Garrett Crochet to throw 85 pitches in this matchup (12th-least of all pitchers on the slate), considering both his underlying tendencies and the matchup.

The Houston Astros (19.7 K% (according to the leading projection system, THE BAT X) are forecasted to have the 5th-least strikeout-heavy lineup of the day.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT), Korey Lee (the White Sox’s expected catcher today) is considered to be a weak pitch framer.

The Houston Astros have 8 batters in the projected lineup that will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Garrett Crochet today.

Playing on the road generally lessens pitcher stats across the board due to the lack of home field advantage, which ought to be the case for Garrett Crochet today.

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

In the last 7 days, Gavin Sheets’s Barrel% has experienced a negative regression, plummeting from his seasonal rate of 5.8% down to 0%.