Best MLB Strikeout Pitcher Matchups — Friday, June 26, 2026
Top strikeout spot: Trevor McDonald
Trevor McDonald (SF) is the best strikeout matchup on the board at 100, projected for about 4.4 K against ATL. He's missing bats at a 20% clip — strikeouts per batter faced — and ATL has been around league average, going down 21% of the time. He's lined up for about 23 batters, so the volume's there for a big number.
The rest of the top of the board
- Paul Skenes (PIT) (100) — about 7.4 K vs CIN: a 30% K/BF arm into a lineup that whiffs 25% of the time.
- Jacob Misiorowski (MIL) (100) — about 7.1 K vs CHC: a 35% K/BF arm into a lineup that whiffs 21% of the time.
- J.T. Ginn (ATH) (100) — about 5.6 K vs LAA: a 21% K/BF arm into a lineup that whiffs 23% of the time.
- Max Meyer (MIA) (93) — about 5.5 K vs STL: a 26% K/BF arm into a lineup that whiffs 20% of the time.
- Taj Bradley (MIN) (82) — about 5.4 K vs COL: a 23% K/BF arm into a lineup that whiffs 22% of the time.
Whiffiest lineups to attack today
- CIN is striking out 25% of the time in this spot — Paul Skenes is the arm to exploit it (100).
- BAL is striking out 24% of the time in this spot — Andrew Alvarez is the arm to exploit it (46).
- DET is striking out 24% of the time in this spot — Spencer Arrighetti is the arm to exploit it (50).
- PIT is striking out 23% of the time in this spot — Andrew Abbott is the arm to exploit it (15).
How it played out
The top 10 starts averaged 5.6 strikeouts. Top play Trevor McDonald punched out 3. We grade every projection against the box score so you can see how the board held up.
How to read these strikeout matchups
Each starter's score (0–100) weighs his strikeout ability against every hitter in the lineup, hand by hand, then factors in how deep he tends to pitch and his command. Higher means more whiffs point his way. The exact weighting is our own — we project a strikeout count and grade every start against what actually happened.