Best MLB Hits Matchups — Saturday, September 26, 2026
Top hits spot: Steven Kwan
Steven Kwan (CLE) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Michael Wacha. The lefty is hitting .261 H/PA against righties this year — and .400 over the last two weeks, a strong bat that turns into a hit in about 26% of his trips. And Michael Wacha has been tough on righties lately — .160 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 a fine .250 in 28 career PA against Michael Wacha. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Drake Baldwin (ATL) (92) vs RHP Jack Ralston: a strong bat at .261 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD) (91) vs RHP the starter: a solid bat at .247 into an arm with little track record against the same side, hot bat.
- Jeremy Peña (HOU) (89) vs RHP Jack Perkins: a strong bat at .261 into an arm tough on the same side (.091).
- Yandy Díaz (TB) (89) vs RHP the starter: a strong bat at .254 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Gabriel Moreno (AZ) (87) vs RHP Walker Buehler: a strong bat at .268 into an arm tough on the same side (.158), hot bat.
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD) (87) vs LHP Matt Wilkinson: a strong bat at .250 into an arm vulnerable to the same side (.267).
- Yordan Alvarez (HOU) (86) vs RHP Jack Perkins: a strong bat at .255 into an arm mostly holding up against the same side (.229), hot bat.
Pitchers getting tattooed today
RHP Rhett Lowder has been giving up plenty to righties — .256 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Charles McAdoo (TOR), Alejandro Kirk (TOR), and George Springer (TOR).
Platoon edges to target
- Steven Kwan (CLE) — lefty bat vs RHP, .261 against righties this year.
- Drake Baldwin (ATL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .272 against righties this year.
- Yordan Alvarez (HOU) — lefty bat vs RHP, .265 against righties this year.
- Otto Lopez (MIA) — righty bat vs LHP, .309 against lefties this year.
- Zach Neto (LAA) — righty bat vs LHP, .259 against lefties this year.
Hot bats and bounce-back spots
Swinging hot bats: Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD), Gabriel Moreno (AZ), Yordan Alvarez (HOU), Bobby Witt Jr. (KC), Javier Sanoja (MIA), and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR). Cold but due to bounce back: Steven Kwan (CLE), Ty France (SD), Jonah Cox (SF), Samad Taylor (SD), and Matt Olson (ATL).
Lineup watch
234 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