Best MLB Singles Matchups — Sunday, September 20, 2026
Top singles spot: Jake McCarthy
Jake McCarthy (COL) tops the board at 100, facing LHP Kade Anderson. The lefty is lining singles at .196 1B/PA against lefties this year — and .259 over the last two weeks, an excellent bat that turns into a single in about 18% of his trips. And Kade Anderson has been getting picked apart by lefties lately — .500 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 Kade Anderson. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Joey Ortiz (MIL) (100) vs RHP Brandon Young: an elite bat at .201 into an arm getting picked apart by the same side (.273), hot bat.
- Brett Bateman (TOR) (91) vs RHP Jacob deGrom: an elite bat at .215 into an arm tough to string hits off the same side (.089).
- Jackson Chourio (MIL) (90) vs RHP Brandon Young: a strong bat at .160 into an arm getting picked apart by the same side (.273).
- Dustin Harris (SD) (87) vs RHP Sandy Alcantara: an excellent bat at .186 into an arm tough to string hits off the same side (.121), hot bat.
- Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD) (87) vs RHP Sandy Alcantara: a strong bat at .162 into an arm prone to base hits from the same side (.150).
- Chandler Simpson (TB) (85) vs LHP Patrick Sandoval: an elite bat at .192 into an arm getting picked apart by the same side (.429).
- Otto Lopez (MIA) (85) vs RHP Walker Buehler: an excellent bat at .186 into an arm getting picked apart by the same side (.250).
Platoon edges to target
- Brett Bateman (TOR) — lefty bat vs RHP, .255 against righties this year.
- Dustin Harris (SD) — lefty bat vs RHP, .216 against righties this year.
- Steven Kwan (CLE) — lefty bat vs RHP, .203 against righties this year.
- Brooks Lee (MIN) — lefty bat vs RHP, .156 against righties this year.
- Jeremy Peña (HOU) — righty bat vs LHP, .178 against lefties this year.
Hot bats and bounce-back spots
Swinging hot bats: Joey Ortiz (MIL), Dustin Harris (SD), William Contreras (MIL), TJ Rumfield (COL), Mauricio Dubón (ATL), and Riley Greene (DET). Cold but due to bounce back: Nathan Lukes (TOR), Yandy Díaz (TB), Lars Nootbaar (AZ), Sam Antonacci (CWS), and Jonny DeLuca (TB).
How it played out
5 of the top 10 singles matchups landed at least one single. Top play Jake McCarthy 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.