Best MLB Hits Matchups — Friday, July 24, 2026
Top hits spot: Luis Arraez
Luis Arraez (SF) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Grayson Rodriguez. The lefty is hitting .290 H/PA against righties this year — and .258 over the last two weeks, a strong bat that turns into a hit in about 27% of his trips. And Grayson Rodriguez has been getting tattooed by righties lately — .333 hits per batter faced. One catch: the bullpen behind him has been stingy to that side late. He's hitting in a spot worth about 4.7 trips, so the volume's there. He's owned Grayson Rodriguez too — .333 across 3 career trips. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Jacob Wilson (ATH) (100) vs RHP Zebby Matthews: an excellent bat at .296 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.333), hot bat.
- Ketel Marte (AZ) (86) vs LHP Carson Palmquist: a strong bat at .264 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.333).
- Jake McCarthy (COL) (82) vs LHP Shane Drohan: a strong bat at .266 into an arm with little track record against the same side, hot bat.
- Yordan Alvarez (HOU) (79) vs RHP Davis Martin: an elite bat at .304 into an arm tough on the same side (.111), hot bat.
- Paul Goldschmidt (NYY) (78) vs LHP Jesús Luzardo: a strong bat at .266 into an arm tough on the same side (.088), due to bounce back.
- Jeremy Peña (HOU) (78) vs RHP Davis Martin: an excellent bat at .276 into an arm mostly holding up against the same side (.214), hot bat.
- Curtis Mead (WSH) (78) vs LHP Eduardo Rodriguez: a strong bat at .265 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.360).
Pitchers getting tattooed today
- RHP Grayson Rodriguez has been vulnerable to righties — .281 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Luis Arraez (SF), Bryce Eldridge (SF), and Heliot Ramos (SF).
- RHP Rhett Lowder has been vulnerable to righties — .280 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Alec Burleson (STL), JJ Wetherholt (STL), and Jordan Walker (STL).
- LHP Carson Palmquist has been vulnerable to lefties — .263 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Ketel Marte (AZ), Corbin Carroll (AZ), and Geraldo Perdomo (AZ).
- RHP Zebby Matthews has been vulnerable to righties — .260 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Jacob Wilson (ATH), Tyler Soderstrom (ATH), and Carlos Cortes (ATH).
Platoon edges to target
- Luis Arraez (SF) — lefty bat vs RHP, .290 against righties this year.
- Ketel Marte (AZ) — righty bat vs LHP, .278 against lefties this year.
- Yordan Alvarez (HOU) — lefty bat vs RHP, .284 against righties this year.
- Paul Goldschmidt (NYY) — righty bat vs LHP, .294 against lefties this year.
- Curtis Mead (WSH) — righty bat vs LHP, .252 against lefties this year.
Hot bats and bounce-back spots
Swinging hot bats: Jacob Wilson (ATH), Jake McCarthy (COL), Yordan Alvarez (HOU), Jeremy Peña (HOU), Tyler Soderstrom (ATH), and Byron Buxton (MIN). Cold but due to bounce back: Luis Arraez (SF), Paul Goldschmidt (NYY), Garrett Mitchell (MIL), Geraldo Perdomo (AZ), and Esmerlyn Valdez (PIT).
How it played out
7 of the top 10 hits matchups landed at least one hit. Top play Luis Arraez finished with 3 hits. 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.
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