Best MLB Runs Matchups — Tuesday, August 4, 2026
Top runs spot: Jeremy Peña
Jeremy Peña (HOU) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Trey Yesavage. The righty is scoring at .216 R/PA against righties this year — and .348 over the last two weeks, an excellent bat that turns into a run in about 17% of his trips. And Trey Yesavage has been vulnerable to righties lately — .125 runs 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 3 career PA against Trey Yesavage, but that's a tiny sample and the matchup says regression. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Yandy Díaz (TB) (100) vs RHP Gabriel Hughes: a league-average bat at .116 into an arm with little track record against the same side, due to bounce back.
- Corbin Carroll (AZ) (100) vs RHP Randy Vásquez: a strong bat at .145 into an arm stingy with runs against the same side (.042), due to bounce back.
- Dylan Beavers (BAL) (96) vs RHP Grayson Rodriguez: a solid bat at .117 into an arm letting runs score against the same side (.118).
- Kyle Schwarber (PHI) (94) vs LHP Carson Palmquist: a solid bat at .124 into an arm getting lit up by the same side (.286), due to bounce back.
- Gunnar Henderson (BAL) (90) vs RHP Grayson Rodriguez: a solid bat at .125 into an arm letting runs score against the same side (.118).
- Jonathan Aranda (TB) (89) vs RHP Gabriel Hughes: a league-average bat at .112 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Joc Pederson (TEX) (88) vs RHP Blade Tidwell: a strong bat at .133 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
Platoon edges to target
- Corbin Carroll (AZ) — lefty bat vs RHP, .148 against righties this year.
- Gunnar Henderson (BAL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .137 against righties this year.
- Jonathan Aranda (TB) — lefty bat vs RHP, .113 against righties this year.
- Joc Pederson (TEX) — lefty bat vs RHP, .140 against righties this year.
- Drake Baldwin (ATL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .162 against righties this year.
How it played out
3 of the top 10 runs matchups landed at least one run. Top play Jeremy Peña finished with 0 runs. We post the result next to every projection so you can grade the board yourself — and so the model gets re-tuned against what actually happened.
How to read these runs matchups
Each score (0–100) starts with the hitter's runs scored 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 runs board is
The Runs board projects the chance a hitter scores a run. 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:
- His on-base ability at the top of the order.
- The bats due up behind him.
- The opposing run-prevention.
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?
Like RBIs, runs is a lumpy market that grades efficient once you model the clustering honestly. Transparency board — the WizLine set beside the line, graded.
How to use it
Useful context for top-of-the-order run creation, 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