Best MLB Hits Matchups — Monday, August 24, 2026
Top hits spot: Elly De La Cruz
Elly De La Cruz (CIN) tops the board at 100, facing LHP Carson Whisenhunt. The righty is hitting .285 H/PA against lefties this year — and .250 over the last two weeks, a strong bat that turns into a hit in about 26% of his trips. And Carson Whisenhunt has been getting tattooed by lefties lately — .297 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. No real history against Carson Whisenhunt. It all sets up in a neutral park, weather helping.
The rest of the top of the board
- Sal Stewart (CIN) (99) vs LHP Carson Whisenhunt: a solid bat at .248 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.297), hot bat.
- Dane Myers (CIN) (86) vs LHP Carson Whisenhunt: a solid bat at .248 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.297).
- Jeff McNeil (ATH) (83) vs RHP Zebby Matthews: a solid bat at .238 into an arm giving up plenty to the same side (.250).
- Steven Kwan (CLE) (83) vs RHP George Klassen: a solid bat at .241 into an arm tough on the same side (.160).
- Luke Keaschall (MIN) (81) vs LHP Jeffrey Springs: a solid bat at .232 into an arm tough on the same side (.071), hot bat.
- Otto Lopez (MIA) (80) vs LHP Ranger Suarez: a strong bat at .264 into an arm giving up plenty to the same side (.242).
- Henry Bolte (ATH) (79) vs RHP Zebby Matthews: a solid bat at .235 into an arm mostly holding up against the same side (.238).
Pitchers getting tattooed today
- RHP José Urquidy has been vulnerable to righties — .289 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Wyatt Langford (TEX), Ezequiel Duran (TEX), and Joc Pederson (TEX).
- LHP Carson Whisenhunt has been vulnerable to lefties — .267 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Elly De La Cruz (CIN), Sal Stewart (CIN), and Dane Myers (CIN).
- RHP Zebby Matthews has been giving up plenty to righties — .260 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Jeff McNeil (ATH), Henry Bolte (ATH), and Zack Gelof (ATH).
Platoon edges to target
- Elly De La Cruz (CIN) — righty bat vs LHP, .285 against lefties this year.
- Sal Stewart (CIN) — righty bat vs LHP, .250 against lefties this year.
- Dane Myers (CIN) — righty bat vs LHP, .245 against lefties this year.
- Jeff McNeil (ATH) — lefty bat vs RHP, .250 against righties this year.
- Steven Kwan (CLE) — lefty bat vs RHP, .239 against righties this year.
Hot bats and bounce-back spots
Swinging hot bats: Sal Stewart (CIN), Luke Keaschall (MIN), Zach Neto (LAA), Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD), Nick Sogard (BOS), and Junior Caminero (TB). Cold but due to bounce back: Drew Gilbert (SF), Colt Keith (DET), Zack Gelof (ATH), Abimelec Ortiz (WSH), and Nick Gonzales (PIT).
How it played out
9 of the top 10 hits matchups landed at least one hit. Top play Elly De La Cruz 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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