Best MLB Hits Matchups — Friday, September 11, 2026
Top hits spot: Brett Bateman
Brett Bateman (TOR) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Chris Bassitt. The lefty is hitting .296 H/PA against righties this year — and .364 over the last two weeks, an excellent bat that turns into a hit in about 28% of his trips. And Chris Bassitt has been tough on righties lately — .185 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 Chris Bassitt. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Bryce Eldridge (SF) (100) vs LHP Robbie Ray: a strong bat at .261 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.417), hot bat.
- Jackson Chourio (MIL) (100) vs LHP Andrew Abbott: an excellent bat at .286 into an arm vulnerable to the same side (.269).
- Henry Bolte (ATH) (99) vs RHP George Kirby: a solid bat at .241 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.375), hot bat.
- Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD) (99) vs RHP Anthony Molina: a strong bat at .250 into an arm tough on the same side (.200).
- Jonah Cox (SF) (93) vs LHP Robbie Ray: a strong bat at .253 into an arm tough on the same side (.115).
- Kaelen Culpepper (MIN) (92) vs LHP Parker Messick: an excellent bat at .271 into an arm tough on the same side (.194), due to bounce back.
- Ketel Marte (AZ) (91) vs LHP MacKenzie Gore: a strong bat at .254 into an arm mostly holding up against the same side (.219), hot bat.
Pitchers getting tattooed today
- RHP Aaron Nola has been vulnerable to righties — .270 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Ronald Acuña Jr. (ATL), Drake Baldwin (ATL), and Michael Harris II (ATL).
- RHP Seth Lugo has been vulnerable to righties — .263 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Roman Anthony (BOS), Trevor Story (BOS), and Mickey Gasper (BOS).
- RHP George Kirby has been giving up plenty to righties — .257 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Henry Bolte (ATH), Jeff McNeil (ATH), and Max Muncy (ATH).
- RHP Anthony Molina has been giving up plenty to righties — .256 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD), Manny Machado (SD), and Luis Campusano (SD).
Platoon edges to target
- Brett Bateman (TOR) — lefty bat vs RHP, .296 against righties this year.
- Jackson Chourio (MIL) — righty bat vs LHP, .276 against lefties this year.
- Jonah Cox (SF) — righty bat vs LHP, .259 against lefties this year.
- Kaelen Culpepper (MIN) — righty bat vs LHP, .300 against lefties this year.
- Ketel Marte (AZ) — righty bat vs LHP, .269 against lefties this year.
Hot bats and bounce-back spots
Swinging hot bats: Bryce Eldridge (SF), Henry Bolte (ATH), Ketel Marte (AZ), Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC), Jake McCarthy (COL), and Elly De La Cruz (CIN). Cold but due to bounce back: Kaelen Culpepper (MIN), Jordan Walker (STL), George Springer (TOR), Héctor Rodríguez (CIN), and Jonathan Aranda (TB).
How it played out
9 of the top 10 hits matchups landed at least one hit. Top play Brett Bateman finished with 3 hits. 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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