Best MLB Singles Matchups — Thursday, July 2, 2026
Top singles spot: Jake McCarthy
Jake McCarthy (COL) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Ryan Gusto. The lefty is lining singles at — 1B/PA against righties this year, a solid bat that turns into a single in about 14% of his trips. And Ryan Gusto has been thin against righties lately. The bullpen behind him is roughly average to that side. He's hitting in a spot worth about 4.7 trips, so the volume's there. No real history against Ryan Gusto. It all sets up in a hitter's park, weather helping.
The rest of the top of the board
- Liam Hicks (MIA) (100) vs RHP Michael Lorenzen: a solid bat at .145 into an arm with little track record against the same side, hitter's park, hot bat.
- Otto Lopez (MIA) (99) vs RHP Michael Lorenzen: a solid bat at .145 into an arm with little track record against the same side, hitter's park.
- Mickey Moniak (COL) (92) vs RHP Ryan Gusto: a solid bat at .145 into an arm with little track record against the same side, hitter's park.
- Jake Mangum (PIT) (85) vs RHP Alan Rangel: a solid bat at .145 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Kyle Stowers (MIA) (83) vs RHP Michael Lorenzen: a solid bat at .145 into an arm with little track record against the same side, hitter's park.
- TJ Rumfield (COL) (83) vs RHP Ryan Gusto: a solid bat at .145 into an arm with little track record against the same side, hitter's park.
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD) (78) vs RHP Randy Vásquez: a solid bat at .145 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
Where singles fall in today
Coors Field is playing as a real hitter's park today (+6% single park). Top bat there: Jake McCarthy (COL) at 100.
Hot bats and bounce-back spots
Swinging hot bats: Liam Hicks (MIA), Sam Antonacci (CWS), Chase DeLauter (CLE), Julio Rodríguez (SEA), Sal Stewart (CIN), and Junior Caminero (TB). Cold but due to bounce back: Jake McCarthy (COL), Travis Bazzana (CLE), JJ Wetherholt (STL), J.P. Crawford (SEA), and Christian Yelich (MIL).
How it played out
10 of the top 10 singles matchups landed at least one single. Top play Jake McCarthy finished with 2 singles. 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 singles matchups
Each score (0–100) starts with the hitter's singles 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.