Best MLB Hits Matchups — Monday, August 31, 2026
Top hits spot: Blaze Alexander
Blaze Alexander (BAL) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Tanner Gordon. The righty is hitting .294 H/PA against righties this year — and .000 over the last two weeks, a strong bat that turns into a hit in about 26% of his trips. And Tanner Gordon has been getting tattooed by righties lately — .450 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 Tanner Gordon too — .333 across 6 career trips. It all sets up in a hitter's park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Pete Alonso (BAL) (89) vs RHP Tanner Gordon: a solid bat at .240 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.450), hitter's park.
- Jake McCarthy (COL) (85) vs RHP the starter: a solid bat at .250 into an arm with little track record against the same side, hitter's park.
- Yandy Díaz (TB) (80) vs RHP Robert Stock: an excellent bat at .271 into an arm vulnerable to the same side (.278).
- TJ Rumfield (COL) (78) vs RHP the starter: a solid bat at .250 into an arm with little track record against the same side, hitter's park, hot bat.
- Drake Baldwin (ATL) (77) vs RHP Anthony Molina: a strong bat at .251 into an arm tough on the same side (.143), hot bat.
- Otto Lopez (MIA) (76) vs LHP Will Dion: a strong bat at .257 into an arm with little track record against the same side, hot bat.
- Luis Arraez (SF) (74) vs RHP Bryce Elder: an excellent bat at .286 into an arm tough on the same side (.200).
Pitchers getting tattooed today
- RHP Tanner Gordon has been vulnerable to righties — .287 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Blaze Alexander (BAL), Pete Alonso (BAL), and Gunnar Henderson (BAL).
- RHP Anthony Molina has been vulnerable to righties — .274 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Drake Baldwin (ATL), Mauricio Dubón (ATL), and Matt Olson (ATL).
- RHP Aaron Nola has been vulnerable to righties — .263 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Gabriel Moreno (AZ), Ildemaro Vargas (AZ), and Corbin Carroll (AZ).
- RHP Robert Stock has been giving up plenty to righties — .256 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Yandy Díaz (TB), Jonathan Aranda (TB), and Junior Caminero (TB).
Platoon edges to target
- Drake Baldwin (ATL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .257 against righties this year.
- Otto Lopez (MIA) — righty bat vs LHP, .314 against lefties this year.
- Luis Arraez (SF) — lefty bat vs RHP, .296 against righties this year.
- CJ Abrams (WSH) — lefty bat vs RHP, .241 against righties this year.
- Gunnar Henderson (BAL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .192 against righties this year.
Best parks to hit in today
Coors Field is playing as a real hitter's park today (+6% hits park). Top bat there: Blaze Alexander (BAL) at 100.
Hot bats and bounce-back spots
Swinging hot bats: TJ Rumfield (COL), Drake Baldwin (ATL), Otto Lopez (MIA), Junior Caminero (TB), Coby Mayo (BAL), and Elly De La Cruz (CIN). Cold but due to bounce back: CJ Abrams (WSH), Isaac Paredes (HOU), Dominic Canzone (SEA), Colt Keith (DET), and Christian Franklin (BAL).
Lineup watch
216 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