Best MLB Hits Matchups — Sunday, September 20, 2026
Top hits spot: Jake McCarthy
Jake McCarthy (COL) tops the board at 100, facing LHP Kade Anderson. The lefty is hitting .293 H/PA against lefties this year — and .333 over the last two weeks, a strong bat that turns into a hit in about 27% of his trips. And Kade Anderson has been getting tattooed by lefties lately — .500 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 Kade Anderson. It all sets up in a hitter's park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Dominic Canzone (SEA) (86) vs RHP Tomoyuki Sugano: a strong bat at .252 into an arm giving up plenty to the same side (.240), hitter's park, hot bat.
- TJ Rumfield (COL) (85) vs LHP Kade Anderson: a solid bat at .243 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.500), hitter's park, hot bat.
- Randy Arozarena (SEA) (76) vs RHP Tomoyuki Sugano: a league-average bat at .215 into an arm vulnerable to the same side (.261), hitter's park, hot bat.
- J.P. Crawford (SEA) (73) vs RHP Tomoyuki Sugano: a league-average bat at .220 into an arm giving up plenty to the same side (.240), hitter's park.
- Jonah Cox (SF) (72) vs RHP the starter: a strong bat at .260 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Dustin Harris (SD) (71) vs RHP Sandy Alcantara: a strong bat at .257 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.333), hot bat.
- Luke Keaschall (MIN) (70) vs RHP Ryan Johnson: a solid bat at .250 into an arm tough on the same side (.130), hot bat.
Pitchers getting tattooed today
- LHP Patrick Sandoval has been getting tattooed by lefties — .294 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Jake Fraley (TB), Chandler Simpson (TB), and Jonathan Aranda (TB).
- LHP Kade Anderson has been vulnerable to lefties — .281 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Jake McCarthy (COL), TJ Rumfield (COL), and Cole Carrigg (COL).
- RHP Brandon Young has been vulnerable to righties — .264 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Jackson Chourio (MIL), William Contreras (MIL), and Garrett Mitchell (MIL).
Platoon edges to target
- Dominic Canzone (SEA) — lefty bat vs RHP, .239 against righties this year.
- J.P. Crawford (SEA) — lefty bat vs RHP, .188 against righties this year.
- Dustin Harris (SD) — lefty bat vs RHP, .280 against righties this year.
- Cole Carrigg (COL) — righty bat vs LHP, .262 against lefties this year.
- Steven Kwan (CLE) — lefty bat vs RHP, .256 against righties 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: Jake McCarthy (COL) at 100.
Hot bats and bounce-back spots
Swinging hot bats: Dominic Canzone (SEA), TJ Rumfield (COL), Randy Arozarena (SEA), Dustin Harris (SD), Luke Keaschall (MIN), and Jonathan Aranda (TB). Cold but due to bounce back: Jake Fraley (TB), Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC), Luis García Jr. (NYY), Alex Bregman (CHC), and Sam Antonacci (CWS).
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