Best MLB Singles Matchups — Wednesday, August 5, 2026
Top singles spot: Jake Mangum
Jake Mangum (PIT) tops the board at 100, facing LHP Kyle Harrison. The righty is lining singles at .259 1B/PA against lefties this year — and .357 over the last two weeks, an elite bat that turns into a single in about 20% of his trips. And Kyle Harrison 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 Kyle Harrison too — .333 across 6 career trips. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Jackson Merrill (SD) (100) vs LHP Mitch Bratt: an elite bat at .201 into an arm fairly stingy against the same side (.125).
- Kevin McGonigle (DET) (100) vs RHP Bryan Woo: an excellent bat at .189 into an arm tough to string hits off the same side (.067), due to bounce back.
- Mike Trout (LAA) (96) vs LHP Trevor Rogers: an elite bat at .192 into an arm getting picked apart by the same side (.184).
- Steven Kwan (CLE) (96) vs RHP Christian Scott: an elite bat at .199 into an arm getting picked apart by the same side (.208), hot bat.
- Gleyber Torres (DET) (91) vs RHP Bryan Woo: a strong bat at .164 into an arm getting picked apart by the same side (.294).
- Chandler Simpson (TB) (90) vs RHP Tomoyuki Sugano: an elite bat at .235 into an arm tough to string hits off the same side (.061), hot bat.
- Cole Young (SEA) (88) vs RHP Drew Anderson: a strong bat at .155 into an arm getting picked apart by the same side (.357).
Platoon edges to target
- Jake Mangum (PIT) — righty bat vs LHP, .259 against lefties this year.
- Kevin McGonigle (DET) — lefty bat vs RHP, .170 against righties this year.
- Mike Trout (LAA) — righty bat vs LHP, .170 against lefties this year.
- Steven Kwan (CLE) — lefty bat vs RHP, .195 against righties this year.
- Chandler Simpson (TB) — lefty bat vs RHP, .254 against righties this year.
Hot bats and bounce-back spots
Swinging hot bats: Steven Kwan (CLE), Chandler Simpson (TB), Alec Burleson (STL), Freddie Freeman (LAD), Ceddanne Rafaela (BOS), and Jacob Wilson (ATH). Cold but due to bounce back: Kevin McGonigle (DET), Nick Gonzales (PIT), Sam Antonacci (CWS), Drake Baldwin (ATL), and Nathan Lukes (TOR).
How it played out
3 of the top 10 singles matchups landed at least one single. Top play Jake Mangum finished with 0 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.