Best MLB Hits Matchups — Monday, September 7, 2026
Top hits spot: Elly De La Cruz
Elly De La Cruz (CIN) tops the board at 100, facing RHP the starter. The righty is hitting .245 H/PA against righties this year — and .407 over the last two weeks, a solid bat that turns into a hit in about 25% of his trips. And the starter 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 4.5 trips, so the volume's there. No real history against the starter. It all sets up in a park that leans hitter.
The rest of the top of the board
- Bryan Torres (STL) (100) vs RHP Logan Webb: a solid bat at .244 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.368).
- Alec Burleson (STL) (98) vs RHP Logan Webb: a strong bat at .262 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.368).
- Freddie Freeman (LAD) (97) vs RHP Chase Burns: a strong bat at .259 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.379).
- Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD) (96) vs RHP Jake Irvin: a solid bat at .247 into an arm mostly holding up against the same side (.231).
- Jackson Chourio (MIL) (95) vs LHP Matthew Boyd: an excellent bat at .272 into an arm giving up plenty to the same side (.258).
- Roman Anthony (BOS) (94) vs RHP Grayson Rodriguez: a solid bat at .233 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.333), due to bounce back.
- Bobby Witt Jr. (KC) (94) vs RHP the starter: a strong bat at .254 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
Pitchers getting tattooed today
- RHP Grayson Rodriguez has been vulnerable to righties — .267 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Roman Anthony (BOS), Mickey Gasper (BOS), and Trevor Story (BOS).
- LHP Robert Gasser has been giving up plenty to lefties — .256 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Seiya Suzuki (CHC), Nico Hoerner (CHC), and Alex Bregman (CHC).
Platoon edges to target
- Bryan Torres (STL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .242 against righties this year.
- Alec Burleson (STL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .278 against righties this year.
- Freddie Freeman (LAD) — lefty bat vs RHP, .272 against righties this year.
- Jackson Chourio (MIL) — righty bat vs LHP, .269 against lefties this year.
- Roman Anthony (BOS) — lefty bat vs RHP, .197 against righties this year.
Hot bats and bounce-back spots
Swinging hot bats: Elly De La Cruz (CIN), Leo Bernal (STL), Brett Bateman (TOR), Ketel Marte (AZ), Coby Mayo (BAL), and Trevor Story (BOS). Cold but due to bounce back: Roman Anthony (BOS), Hao-Yu Lee (DET), Mickey Gasper (BOS), Alex Bregman (CHC), and Jo Adell (CLE).
Lineup watch
198 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