Best MLB Hits Matchups — Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Top hits spot: Ketel Marte
Ketel Marte (AZ) tops the board at 100, facing LHP Kyle Freeland. The righty is hitting .272 H/PA against lefties this year — and .267 over the last two weeks, a strong bat that turns into a hit in about 25% of his trips. And Kyle Freeland has been getting tattooed by lefties lately — .375 hits per batter faced. The bullpen behind him is roughly average to that side. He's hitting in a spot worth about 4.5 trips, so the volume's there. He's a fine .293 in 58 career PA against Kyle Freeland. It all sets up in a hitter's park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Jake McCarthy (COL) (91) vs RHP Michael Soroka: a solid bat at .246 into an arm with little track record against the same side, hitter's park.
- Geraldo Perdomo (AZ) (89) vs LHP Kyle Freeland: a solid bat at .245 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.375), hitter's park, hot bat.
- TJ Rumfield (COL) (88) vs RHP Michael Soroka: a strong bat at .266 into an arm with little track record against the same side, hitter's park.
- Zach Neto (LAA) (88) vs LHP Brady Basso: a solid bat at .245 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.360), due to bounce back.
- Gabriel Moreno (AZ) (87) vs LHP Kyle Freeland: a solid bat at .242 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.375), hitter's park.
- Connor Norby (COL) (86) vs RHP Michael Soroka: a solid bat at .245 into an arm with little track record against the same side, hitter's park.
- Walker Jenkins (MIN) (83) vs RHP Anthony Molina: a solid bat at .241 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.368), hot bat.
Pitchers getting tattooed today
- RHP Anthony Molina has been vulnerable to righties — .285 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Walker Jenkins (MIN), Brooks Lee (MIN), and Kody Clemens (MIN).
- LHP Kyle Freeland has been vulnerable to lefties — .279 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Ketel Marte (AZ), Geraldo Perdomo (AZ), and Gabriel Moreno (AZ).
- LHP Brady Basso has been vulnerable to lefties — .277 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Zach Neto (LAA), Moisés Ballesteros (LAA), and Wade Meckler (LAA).
- RHP Janson Junk has been vulnerable to righties — .265 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC), Seiya Suzuki (CHC), and Ian Happ (CHC).
Platoon edges to target
- Ketel Marte (AZ) — righty bat vs LHP, .272 against lefties this year.
- Jake McCarthy (COL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .262 against righties this year.
- Geraldo Perdomo (AZ) — righty bat vs LHP, .215 against lefties this year.
- TJ Rumfield (COL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .268 against righties this year.
- Gabriel Moreno (AZ) — righty bat vs LHP, .236 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: Ketel Marte (AZ) at 100.
Hot bats and bounce-back spots
Swinging hot bats: Geraldo Perdomo (AZ), Walker Jenkins (MIN), Nolan Arenado (AZ), Hunter Goodman (COL), Brandon Lowe (PIT), and Brooks Lee (MIN). Cold but due to bounce back: Zach Neto (LAA), Maikel Garcia (KC), Yandy Díaz (TB), Jesús Sánchez (AZ), and Mickey Gasper (BOS).
Lineup watch
288 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