Best MLB Hits Matchups — Sunday, July 26, 2026
Top hits spot: Paul Goldschmidt
Paul Goldschmidt (NYY) tops the board at 100, facing LHP Cristopher Sánchez. The righty is hitting .293 H/PA against lefties this year — and .200 over the last two weeks, a strong bat that turns into a hit in about 26% of his trips. And Cristopher Sánchez has been getting tattooed by lefties lately — .417 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 Cristopher Sánchez too — .333 across 3 career trips. It all sets up in a neutral park, weather helping.
The rest of the top of the board
- Jeremy Peña (HOU) (100) vs RHP Erick Fedde: an excellent bat at .299 into an arm mostly holding up against the same side (.235), hot bat.
- Luis Arraez (SF) (94) vs RHP José Soriano: a strong bat at .269 into an arm tough on the same side (.160).
- Jackson Chourio (MIL) (93) vs LHP Kyle Freeland: a strong bat at .259 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.310).
- Elly De La Cruz (CIN) (87) vs RHP Kyle Leahy: a solid bat at .250 into an arm giving up plenty to the same side (.250).
- Gabriel Moreno (AZ) (86) vs RHP Miles Mikolas: a strong bat at .269 into an arm tough on the same side (.167), hot bat.
- Byron Buxton (MIN) (83) vs LHP Jeffrey Springs: a solid bat at .237 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.300), due to bounce back.
- Zach Neto (LAA) (82) vs LHP Carson Whisenhunt: a solid bat at .235 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
Pitchers getting tattooed today
- LHP Cristopher Sánchez has been getting tattooed by lefties — .290 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Paul Goldschmidt (NYY), Jasson Domínguez (NYY), and Amed Rosario (NYY).
- LHP Kyle Freeland has been vulnerable to lefties — .279 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Jackson Chourio (MIL), Andrew Vaughn (MIL), and Brice Turang (MIL).
Platoon edges to target
- Paul Goldschmidt (NYY) — righty bat vs LHP, .293 against lefties this year.
- Luis Arraez (SF) — lefty bat vs RHP, .296 against righties this year.
- Jackson Chourio (MIL) — righty bat vs LHP, .279 against lefties this year.
- Elly De La Cruz (CIN) — lefty bat vs RHP, .231 against righties this year.
- Byron Buxton (MIN) — righty bat vs LHP, .242 against lefties this year.
Hot bats and bounce-back spots
Swinging hot bats: Jeremy Peña (HOU), Gabriel Moreno (AZ), Jasson Domínguez (NYY), Tyler Soderstrom (ATH), Nick Loftin (KC), and Nick Gonzales (PIT). Cold but due to bounce back: Byron Buxton (MIN), Jacob Wilson (ATH), Nick Kurtz (ATH), Amed Rosario (NYY), and JJ Wetherholt (STL).
How it played out
8 of the top 10 hits matchups landed at least one hit. Top play Paul Goldschmidt 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.
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