Best MLB Hits Matchups — Friday, September 25, 2026
Top hits spot: Chase DeLauter
Chase DeLauter (CLE) tops the board at 100, facing LHP Noah Cameron. The lefty is hitting .304 H/PA against lefties this year — and .294 over the last two weeks, an excellent bat that turns into a hit in about 28% of his trips. And Noah Cameron has been vulnerable to lefties lately — .267 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 4.5 trips, so the volume's there. No real history against Noah Cameron. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Nick Sogard (BOS) (91) vs LHP David Peterson: an excellent bat at .271 into an arm tough on the same side (.059).
- Dustin Harris (SD) (89) vs RHP Brandon Pfaadt: a strong bat at .252 into an arm tough on the same side (.125), due to bounce back.
- Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD) (88) vs RHP Brandon Pfaadt: a solid bat at .250 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.440), hot bat.
- Gabriel Moreno (AZ) (86) vs RHP the starter: a strong bat at .264 into an arm with little track record against the same side, hot bat.
- Otto Lopez (MIA) (85) vs RHP the starter: a strong bat at .259 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Jo Adell (CLE) (83) vs LHP Noah Cameron: an excellent bat at .270 into an arm tough on the same side (.206), due to bounce back.
- Luis Arraez (PHI) (82) vs RHP Freddy Peralta: an excellent bat at .270 into an arm tough on the same side (.130), due to bounce back.
Pitchers getting tattooed today
- RHP Brandon Young has been vulnerable to righties — .261 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Paul Goldschmidt (NYY), Amed Rosario (NYY), and Cody Bellinger (NYY).
- RHP Yunior Marte has been vulnerable to righties — .261 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Mookie Betts (LAD), Will Smith (LAD), and Freddie Freeman (LAD).
Platoon edges to target
- Nick Sogard (BOS) — righty bat vs LHP, .266 against lefties this year.
- Dustin Harris (SD) — lefty bat vs RHP, .266 against righties this year.
- Jo Adell (CLE) — righty bat vs LHP, .289 against lefties this year.
- Luis Arraez (PHI) — lefty bat vs RHP, .279 against righties this year.
- Jose Altuve (HOU) — righty bat vs LHP, .256 against lefties this year.
Hot bats and bounce-back spots
Swinging hot bats: Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD), Gabriel Moreno (AZ), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR), Bobby Witt Jr. (KC), Yordan Alvarez (HOU), and Seiya Suzuki (CHC). Cold but due to bounce back: Chase DeLauter (CLE), Dustin Harris (SD), Jo Adell (CLE), Luis Arraez (PHI), and Jonah Cox (SF).
Lineup watch
306 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