Best MLB Singles Matchups — Thursday, July 23, 2026
Top singles spot: Fernando Tatis Jr.
Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD) tops the board at 100, facing LHP Chris Sale. The righty is lining singles at — 1B/PA against lefties this year, a solid bat that turns into a single in about 14% of his trips. And Chris Sale has been thin against lefties 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. He's owned Chris Sale too — .333 across 12 career trips. It all sets up in a neutral park, weather helping.
The rest of the top of the board
- Yohendrick Piñango (TOR) (96) vs RHP Casey Legumina: a solid bat at .145 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Yandy Díaz (TB) (96) vs RHP Shane Bieber: a solid bat at .145 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Drake Baldwin (ATL) (91) vs LHP Kyle Hart: a solid bat at .145 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Luis Rengifo (SD) (90) vs LHP Chris Sale: a solid bat at .145 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Ozzie Albies (ATL) (90) vs LHP Kyle Hart: a solid bat at .145 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR) (86) vs RHP Casey Legumina: a solid bat at .145 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Jonathan Aranda (TB) (86) vs RHP Shane Bieber: a solid bat at .145 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
Hot bats and bounce-back spots
Swinging hot bats: Kevin McGonigle (DET), Brooks Lee (MIN), Junior Caminero (TB), Chase DeLauter (CLE), Josh Bell (MIN), and Chandler Simpson (TB). Cold but due to bounce back: Colt Keith (DET), Kazuma Okamoto (TOR), Davis Schneider (TOR), José Fermín (STL), and Richie Palacios (TB).
How it played out
9 of the top 10 singles matchups landed at least one single. Top play Fernando Tatis Jr. finished with 1 single. 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.