Best MLB Hits Matchups — Sunday, September 13, 2026
Top hits spot: Drake Baldwin
Drake Baldwin (ATL) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Andrew Painter. The lefty is hitting .262 H/PA against righties this year — and .333 over the last two weeks, a strong bat that turns into a hit in about 26% of his trips. And Andrew Painter has been tough on righties lately — .207 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 just .000 in 5 career PA against Andrew Painter, but that's a tiny sample and the matchup says regression. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Yandy Díaz (TB) (100) vs RHP Hayden Wesneski: an excellent bat at .274 into an arm tough on the same side (.077), due to bounce back.
- Dane Myers (CIN) (98) vs LHP Robert Gasser: a strong bat at .264 into an arm tough on the same side (.194).
- Elly De La Cruz (CIN) (97) vs LHP Robert Gasser: a strong bat at .270 into an arm tough on the same side (.194).
- Jackson Chourio (MIL) (92) vs RHP Chase Burns: a strong bat at .253 into an arm tough on the same side (.154), hot bat.
- Chase DeLauter (CLE) (91) vs RHP the starter: a strong bat at .269 into an arm with little track record against the same side, due to bounce back.
- Steven Kwan (CLE) (89) vs RHP the starter: a solid bat at .243 into an arm with little track record against the same side, hot bat.
- Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD) (89) vs RHP Logan Webb: a solid bat at .250 into an arm vulnerable to the same side (.278).
Pitchers getting tattooed today
- RHP Grayson Rodriguez has been vulnerable to righties — .263 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: CJ Abrams (WSH), James Wood (WSH), and Daylen Lile (WSH).
- RHP Andrew Painter has been giving up plenty to righties — .257 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Drake Baldwin (ATL), Ronald Acuña Jr. (ATL), and Michael Harris II (ATL).
Platoon edges to target
- Drake Baldwin (ATL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .262 against righties 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.
- Nick Sogard (BOS) — righty bat vs LHP, .289 against lefties this year.
- Jake McCarthy (COL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .265 against righties this year.
Hot bats and bounce-back spots
Swinging hot bats: Drake Baldwin (ATL), Jackson Chourio (MIL), Steven Kwan (CLE), Jake McCarthy (COL), Henry Bolte (ATH), and Francisco Lindor (NYM). Cold but due to bounce back: Yandy Díaz (TB), Chase DeLauter (CLE), Freddie Freeman (LAD), Iván Herrera (STL), and Manny Machado (SD).
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 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.
Learn more: How the model works · The picks story · Today's plays