Best MLB Singles Matchups — Saturday, September 5, 2026
Top singles spot: Henry Bolte
Henry Bolte (ATH) tops the board at 100, facing RHP George Kirby. The righty is lining singles at .198 1B/PA against righties this year — and .213 over the last two weeks, an excellent bat that turns into a single in about 18% of his trips. And George Kirby has been getting picked apart by righties lately — .188 singles per batter faced. 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 George Kirby. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Brett Bateman (TOR) (100) vs RHP Seth Lugo: an elite bat at .195 into an arm getting picked apart by the same side (.207).
- Blaze Alexander (BAL) (91) vs RHP Sonny Gray: an excellent bat at .175 into an arm getting picked apart by the same side (.313).
- Yandy Díaz (TB) (88) vs RHP Jacob deGrom: an excellent bat at .184 into an arm prone to base hits from the same side (.158).
- William Contreras (MIL) (86) vs LHP Andrew Abbott: an elite bat at .191 into an arm getting picked apart by the same side (.189).
- Cody Bellinger (NYY) (85) vs LHP Robbie Ray: an excellent bat at .184 into an arm getting picked apart by the same side (.167).
- Bryan Torres (STL) (84) vs RHP Mason Adams: an excellent bat at .180 into an arm with little track record against the same side, due to bounce back.
- Jake McCarthy (COL) (84) vs LHP Matthew Liberatore: a strong bat at .167 into an arm prone to base hits from the same side (.158).
Platoon edges to target
- Brett Bateman (TOR) — lefty bat vs RHP, .224 against righties this year.
- William Contreras (MIL) — righty bat vs LHP, .181 against lefties this year.
- Bryan Torres (STL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .184 against righties this year.
- Wade Meckler (LAA) — lefty bat vs RHP, .218 against righties this year.
- Carson Benge (NYM) — lefty bat vs RHP, .187 against righties this year.
Hot bats and bounce-back spots
Swinging hot bats: Bo Bichette (NYM), TJ Rumfield (COL), Trevor Story (BOS), Edmundo Sosa (PHI), Thomas Saggese (STL), and Teoscar Hernández (LAD). Cold but due to bounce back: Bryan Torres (STL), Otto Lopez (MIA), Oneil Cruz (PIT), Jackson Holliday (BAL), and Angel Martínez (CLE).
How it played out
4 of the top 10 singles matchups landed at least one single. Top play Henry Bolte 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.