Best MLB Hits Matchups — Thursday, July 23, 2026
Top hits spot: Yandy Díaz
Yandy Díaz (TB) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Shane Bieber. The righty is hitting .274 H/PA against righties this year — and .225 over the last two weeks, a strong bat that turns into a hit in about 25% of his trips. And Shane Bieber has been getting tattooed by righties lately — .318 hits per batter faced. The bullpen behind him is roughly average to that side. He's hitting in a spot worth about 4.7 trips, so the volume's there. He's just .143 in 7 career PA against Shane Bieber, but that's a tiny sample and the matchup says regression. It all sets up in a neutral park, weather helping.
The rest of the top of the board
- Jordan Walker (STL) (100) vs RHP Brandon Pfaadt: a strong bat at .252 into an arm giving up plenty to the same side (.250).
- Gleyber Torres (DET) (100) vs RHP Randy Dobnak: a strong bat at .257 into an arm mostly holding up against the same side (.210).
- Alec Burleson (STL) (99) vs RHP Brandon Pfaadt: a strong bat at .263 into an arm vulnerable to the same side (.280).
- Gabriel Moreno (AZ) (97) vs RHP Michael McGreevy: an excellent bat at .274 into an arm tough on the same side (.191).
- Kevin McGonigle (DET) (96) vs RHP Randy Dobnak: a solid bat at .235 into an arm tough on the same side (.120), hot bat.
- Junior Caminero (TB) (94) vs RHP Shane Bieber: a solid bat at .248 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.318), hot bat.
- JJ Wetherholt (STL) (85) vs RHP Brandon Pfaadt: a league-average bat at .223 into an arm vulnerable to the same side (.280).
Pitchers getting tattooed today
- RHP Shane Bieber has been vulnerable to righties — .286 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Yandy Díaz (TB), Junior Caminero (TB), and Ben Williamson (TB).
- RHP Casey Legumina has been vulnerable to righties — .264 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Ernie Clement (TOR), Yohendrick Piñango (TOR), and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR).
Platoon edges to target
- Alec Burleson (STL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .280 against righties this year.
- Kevin McGonigle (DET) — lefty bat vs RHP, .238 against righties this year.
- JJ Wetherholt (STL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .223 against righties this year.
- Colt Keith (DET) — lefty bat vs RHP, .243 against righties this year.
- Steven Kwan (CLE) — lefty bat vs RHP, .228 against righties this year.
Hot bats and bounce-back spots
Swinging hot bats: Kevin McGonigle (DET), Junior Caminero (TB), Chase DeLauter (CLE), Brooks Lee (MIN), Chandler Simpson (TB), and Ildemaro Vargas (AZ). Cold but due to bounce back: Colt Keith (DET), José Fermín (STL), Nathan Church (STL), Luis Urías (TOR), and Kazuma Okamoto (TOR).
How it played out
8 of the top 10 hits matchups landed at least one hit. Top play Yandy Díaz finished with 1 hit. We post the result next to every projection so you can grade the board yourself — and so the model gets re-tuned against what actually happened.
How to read these hits matchups
Each score (0–100) starts with the hitter's hits per plate appearance against the hand he's facing — weighted toward the last two weeks, then the season, then a two-year baseline. Then it layers in the bullpen, his spot in the order, and park and weather. Higher means more of it points his way. It's context, not a lock — a great spot still goes 0-for-4 sometimes, and a tough one runs into one. The edge is in stacking the odds, and since we grade every board, you can see how often the top of the list delivers.
What the hits board is
The Hits board projects the chance a hitter records at least one hit, matchup-adjusted. One statistical model scores every matchup on the slate the same way — a star and a backup judged on the matchup in front of them, not their name — and every number is graded against the real box score once the games go final.
How the model gets its number
It isn't a gut call or a name game. The projection is built from a few things:
- The hitter's contact rate vs this pitcher's hand.
- The starter's hit-suppression and the park.
- Recent form, without over-reacting to a hot or cold week.
Those pieces combine into one number, and the model re-tunes itself weekly against how its past calls actually landed.
Is there a betting edge here?
Hits is an efficient market — the book prices a 1+ hit line about as well as we do, so we publish the WizLine as graded transparency, not a play. Our projection is sharp (the ranking is well-calibrated); the book just isn't leaving room on it.
How to use it
Use it to see who the model likes to square one up, and how that squares with the price — but there's no systematic edge here, so treat it as research, not a lean.
Everything here is a research signal from the model, graded in public — not betting advice, and no outcome is guaranteed.
Learn more: How the model works · The picks story · Today's plays