Best MLB Singles Matchups — Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Top singles spot: J.P. Crawford
J.P. Crawford (SEA) tops the board at 100, facing LHP Cody Bradford. The lefty is lining singles at .160 1B/PA against lefties this year — and .222 over the last two weeks, a strong bat that turns into a single in about 16% of his trips. And Cody Bradford has been getting picked apart by lefties lately — .273 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. He's just .000 in 1 career PA against Cody Bradford, 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
- Tommy Edman (LAD) (100) vs RHP Rhett Lowder: a strong bat at .168 into an arm tough to string hits off the same side (.111), due to bounce back.
- Nick Gonzales (PIT) (100) vs RHP Davis Martin: an elite bat at .196 into an arm getting picked apart by the same side (.231).
- Yandy Díaz (TB) (100) vs RHP Reynaldo López: an excellent bat at .179 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Ezequiel Duran (TEX) (98) vs LHP Kade Anderson: an excellent bat at .183 into an arm getting picked apart by the same side (.182).
- Teoscar Hernández (LAD) (98) vs RHP Rhett Lowder: an excellent bat at .176 into an arm getting picked apart by the same side (.176), hot bat.
- Drake Baldwin (ATL) (97) vs RHP Griffin Jax: an excellent bat at .181 into an arm getting picked apart by the same side (.333).
- Bryan Torres (STL) (95) vs RHP Blade Tidwell: an excellent bat at .184 into an arm tough to string hits off the same side (.115).
Platoon edges to target
- Tommy Edman (LAD) — lefty bat vs RHP, .189 against righties this year.
- Ezequiel Duran (TEX) — righty bat vs LHP, .181 against lefties this year.
- Drake Baldwin (ATL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .184 against righties this year.
- Bryan Torres (STL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .188 against righties this year.
- Steven Kwan (CLE) — lefty bat vs RHP, .204 against righties this year.
Hot bats and bounce-back spots
Swinging hot bats: Teoscar Hernández (LAD), TJ Rumfield (COL), Dominic Canzone (SEA), Elly De La Cruz (CIN), Javier Sanoja (MIA), and Ketel Marte (AZ). Cold but due to bounce back: Tommy Edman (LAD), Kyle Stowers (MIA), Bobby Witt Jr. (KC), Ben Rice (NYY), and Griffin Conine (MIA).
How it played out
6 of the top 10 singles matchups landed at least one single. Top play J.P. Crawford 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.