Best MLB Hits Matchups — Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Top hits spot: Alec Burleson
Alec Burleson (STL) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Chris Bassitt. The lefty is hitting .289 H/PA against righties this year — and .300 over the last two weeks, an excellent bat that turns into a hit in about 27% of his trips. And Chris Bassitt has been getting tattooed by righties lately — .324 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 4.3 trips, so the volume's there. He's owned Chris Bassitt too — .600 across 5 career trips. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Yandy Díaz (TB) (95) vs RHP Jackson Jobe: an excellent bat at .271 into an arm vulnerable to the same side (.286).
- Trea Turner (PHI) (94) vs RHP George Kirby: a strong bat at .252 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.409), due to bounce back.
- Nick Sogard (BOS) (91) vs RHP the starter: a solid bat at .242 into an arm with little track record against the same side, hot bat.
- Jeremy Peña (HOU) (89) vs RHP Will Warren: a strong bat at .266 into an arm mostly holding up against the same side (.214).
- Brett Bateman (TOR) (89) vs RHP Seth Lugo: a solid bat at .245 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.333).
- CJ Abrams (WSH) (89) vs RHP the starter: a solid bat at .242 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Jake McCarthy (COL) (88) vs LHP Andrew Alvarez: a strong bat at .253 into an arm tough on the same side (.133).
Pitchers getting tattooed today
- RHP Chris Bassitt has been vulnerable to righties — .270 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Alec Burleson (STL), JJ Wetherholt (STL), and Jordan Walker (STL).
- RHP Bryce Elder has been vulnerable to righties — .266 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Mookie Betts (LAD), Shohei Ohtani (LAD), and Freddie Freeman (LAD).
- RHP Aaron Nola has been vulnerable to righties — .264 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Julio Rodríguez (SEA), Randy Arozarena (SEA), and Dominic Canzone (SEA).
- RHP George Kirby has been giving up plenty to righties — .258 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Trea Turner (PHI), Brandon Marsh (PHI), and Bryce Harper (PHI).
Platoon edges to target
- Alec Burleson (STL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .289 against righties this year.
- Luke Keaschall (MIN) — righty bat vs LHP, .242 against lefties this year.
- Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC) — lefty bat vs RHP, .230 against righties this year.
- Byron Buxton (MIN) — righty bat vs LHP, .232 against lefties this year.
- JJ Wetherholt (STL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .214 against righties this year.
Hot bats and bounce-back spots
Swinging hot bats: Alec Burleson (STL), Nick Sogard (BOS), Luke Keaschall (MIN), Andrew Vaughn (MIL), Junior Caminero (TB), and Sal Stewart (CIN). Cold but due to bounce back: Trea Turner (PHI), Osleivis Basabe (SF), Gabriel Moreno (AZ), Shohei Ohtani (LAD), and Willson Contreras (BOS).
Lineup watch
270 of today's hitters are still on projected lineups, drawn from each team's last game. Batting order drives the score, so these flip the moment official lineups post — usually about two hours before first pitch. Anyone who doesn't make the official card gets flagged "Not starting" and drops to the bottom.
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 our number 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