Best MLB Hits Matchups — Monday, September 14, 2026
Top hits spot: Fernando Tatis Jr.
Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Tomoyuki Sugano. The righty is hitting .251 H/PA against righties this year — and .243 over the last two weeks, a solid bat that turns into a hit in about 25% of his trips. And Tomoyuki Sugano has been getting tattooed by righties lately — .350 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 6 career PA against Tomoyuki Sugano, but that's a tiny sample and the matchup says regression. It all sets up in a hitter's park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Jake McCarthy (COL) (93) vs RHP Casey Mize: a solid bat at .245 into an arm vulnerable to the same side (.261), hitter's park.
- TJ Rumfield (COL) (90) vs RHP Casey Mize: a strong bat at .262 into an arm vulnerable to the same side (.261), hitter's park.
- Dane Myers (CIN) (87) vs LHP Tarik Skubal: a strong bat at .268 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.318).
- Dustin Harris (SD) (86) vs RHP Tomoyuki Sugano: a solid bat at .238 into an arm tough on the same side (.097), hitter's park.
- Chase DeLauter (CLE) (85) vs LHP Sean Newcomb: a strong bat at .267 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.333).
- Elly De La Cruz (CIN) (85) vs LHP Tarik Skubal: an excellent bat at .272 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.318).
- Manny Machado (SD) (83) vs RHP Tomoyuki Sugano: a solid bat at .235 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.350), hitter's park.
Pitchers getting tattooed today
- RHP Tomoyuki Sugano has been vulnerable to righties — .267 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD), Dustin Harris (SD), and Manny Machado (SD).
- LHP Nick Lodolo has been vulnerable to lefties — .265 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Freddie Freeman (LAD), Mookie Betts (LAD), and Josue De Paula (LAD).
- RHP Brandon Young has been vulnerable to righties — .261 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Bo Bichette (NYM), Francisco Lindor (NYM), and Carson Benge (NYM).
- RHP Jonah Tong has been giving up plenty to righties — .258 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Pete Alonso (BAL), Gunnar Henderson (BAL), and Dylan Beavers (BAL).
Platoon edges to target
- Jake McCarthy (COL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .263 against righties this year.
- TJ Rumfield (COL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .263 against righties this year.
- Dane Myers (CIN) — righty bat vs LHP, .266 against lefties this year.
- Dustin Harris (SD) — lefty bat vs RHP, .240 against righties this year.
- Elly De La Cruz (CIN) — righty bat vs LHP, .309 against lefties 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: Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD) at 100.
Hot bats and bounce-back spots
Swinging hot bats: Otto Lopez (MIA), Adael Amador (COL), Steven Kwan (CLE), Angel Martínez (CLE), Drake Baldwin (ATL), and Kody Clemens (MIN). Cold but due to bounce back: Freddie Freeman (LAD), Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC), Aaron Judge (NYY), Cole Carrigg (COL), and Iván Herrera (STL).
Lineup watch
180 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