Best MLB Hits Matchups — Friday, September 4, 2026
Top hits spot: Jake McCarthy
Jake McCarthy (COL) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Andre Pallante. The lefty is hitting .261 H/PA against righties this year — and .256 over the last two weeks, a solid bat that turns into a hit in about 24% of his trips. And Andre Pallante has been thin against righties lately. 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 Andre Pallante too — .500 across 2 career trips. It all sets up in a hitter's park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Bryan Torres (STL) (96) vs RHP Ryan Feltner: a solid bat at .248 into an arm vulnerable to the same side (.276), hitter's park.
- Alec Burleson (STL) (91) vs RHP Ryan Feltner: a strong bat at .260 into an arm vulnerable to the same side (.276), hitter's park, due to bounce back.
- TJ Rumfield (COL) (89) vs RHP Andre Pallante: a strong bat at .252 into an arm with little track record against the same side, hitter's park, hot bat.
- Iván Herrera (STL) (88) vs RHP Ryan Feltner: a solid bat at .228 into an arm tough on the same side (.167), hitter's park.
- Chandler Simpson (TB) (87) vs RHP Trevor Williams: an excellent bat at .279 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.364).
- Hunter Goodman (COL) (83) vs RHP Andre Pallante: a solid bat at .241 into an arm with little track record against the same side, hitter's park.
- Connor Norby (COL) (81) vs RHP Andre Pallante: a solid bat at .245 into an arm with little track record against the same side, hitter's park, due to bounce back.
Pitchers getting tattooed today
- RHP Trevor Williams has been getting tattooed by righties — .297 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Chandler Simpson (TB), Yandy Díaz (TB), and Jonathan Aranda (TB).
- RHP Kade Morris has been vulnerable to righties — .287 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Dominic Canzone (SEA), Josh Naylor (SEA), and Julio Rodríguez (SEA).
- RHP Janson Junk has been vulnerable to righties — .266 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC), Seiya Suzuki (CHC), and Michael Busch (CHC).
- LHP Matt Wilkinson has been vulnerable to lefties — .260 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Bo Bichette (NYM), Francisco Lindor (NYM), and Carson Benge (NYM).
Platoon edges to target
- Jake McCarthy (COL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .261 against righties this year.
- Bryan Torres (STL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .246 against righties this year.
- Alec Burleson (STL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .280 against righties this year.
- TJ Rumfield (COL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .257 against righties this year.
- Chandler Simpson (TB) — lefty bat vs RHP, .298 against righties this year.
Best parks to hit in today
Coors Field is playing as a real hitter's park today (+9% hits park). Top bat there: Jake McCarthy (COL) at 100.
Hot bats and bounce-back spots
Swinging hot bats: Jake McCarthy (COL), TJ Rumfield (COL), Luke Keaschall (MIN), Nick Gonzales (PIT), Coby Mayo (BAL), and Roman Anthony (BOS). Cold but due to bounce back: Alec Burleson (STL), Connor Norby (COL), Jordan Beck (COL), Brice Turang (MIL), and Junior Caminero (TB).
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