Best MLB Hits Matchups — Saturday, September 12, 2026
Top hits spot: Brett Bateman
Brett Bateman (TOR) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Kyle Bradish. 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 Kyle Bradish has been giving up plenty to righties lately — .241 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 Kyle Bradish. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Yandy Díaz (TB) (100) vs RHP Peter Lambert: an excellent bat at .274 into an arm tough on the same side (.167).
- Paul Goldschmidt (NYY) (100) vs LHP Zac Thornton: an excellent bat at .276 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Dane Myers (CIN) (100) vs LHP Shane Drohan: a strong bat at .264 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Henry Bolte (ATH) (100) vs RHP Bryan Woo: a solid bat at .241 into an arm tough on the same side (.080), hot bat.
- Elly De La Cruz (CIN) (99) vs LHP Shane Drohan: a strong bat at .270 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Chase DeLauter (CLE) (98) vs LHP Connor Prielipp: an excellent bat at .275 into an arm vulnerable to the same side (.286).
- Cody Bellinger (NYY) (96) vs LHP Zac Thornton: an excellent bat at .280 into an arm with little track record against the same side, hot bat.
Pitchers getting tattooed today
- RHP Tanner Gordon has been vulnerable to righties — .272 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Kevin McGonigle (DET), Hao-Yu Lee (DET), and Riley Greene (DET).
- RHP Kyle Leahy has been vulnerable to righties — .267 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Kyle Teel (CWS), Sam Antonacci (CWS), and Tristan Peters (CWS).
Platoon edges to target
- Brett Bateman (TOR) — lefty bat vs RHP, .296 against righties this year.
- Paul Goldschmidt (NYY) — righty bat vs LHP, .269 against lefties this year.
- Dane Myers (CIN) — righty bat vs LHP, .265 against lefties this year.
- Elly De La Cruz (CIN) — righty bat vs LHP, .307 against lefties this year.
- Kyle Teel (CWS) — lefty bat vs RHP, .191 against righties this year.
Hot bats and bounce-back spots
Swinging hot bats: Henry Bolte (ATH), Cody Bellinger (NYY), Bo Bichette (NYM), Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC), Shea Langeliers (ATH), and Ketel Marte (AZ). Cold but due to bounce back: Luke Keaschall (MIN), José Ramírez (CLE), Trea Turner (PHI), Freddie Freeman (LAD), and Tristan Peters (CWS).
How it played out
8 of the top 10 hits matchups landed at least one hit. Top play Brett Bateman finished with 1 hit. 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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