Best MLB Walks Matchups — Tuesday, July 21, 2026
Top walks spot: James Wood
James Wood (WSH) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Michael Lorenzen. The lefty is working counts at .200 BB/PA against righties this year — and .333 over the last two weeks, an elite bat that turns into a walk in about 17% of his trips. And Michael Lorenzen has been handing out free passes to righties lately — .143 walks per batter faced. One catch: the bullpen behind him has been stingy to that side late. 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 Michael Lorenzen, but that's a tiny sample and the matchup says regression. It all sets up in a hitter's park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Yordan Alvarez (HOU) (99) vs RHP Tyler Phillips: an elite bat at .160 into an arm prone to walking the same side (.095), hot bat.
- Juan Soto (NYM) (77) vs RHP Brandon Sproat: an elite bat at .174 into an arm tough to walk against the same side (.000).
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD) (73) vs RHP Zack Wheeler: an elite bat at .155 into an arm fairly stingy with walks against the same side (.077).
- Ben Rice (NYY) (64) vs RHP Bubba Chandler: an excellent bat at .127 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.143), hot bat.
- Munetaka Murakami (CWS) (56) vs RHP Kumar Rocker: an excellent bat at .149 into an arm prone to walking the same side (.095).
- Kyle Schwarber (PHI) (49) vs LHP Justin Wrobleski: an excellent bat at .121 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.111), due to bounce back.
- Bryce Eldridge (SF) (47) vs RHP Luinder Avila: an excellent bat at .124 into an arm tough to walk against the same side (.033).
Platoon edges to target
- James Wood (WSH) — lefty bat vs RHP, .200 against righties this year.
- Yordan Alvarez (HOU) — lefty bat vs RHP, .181 against righties this year.
- Juan Soto (NYM) — lefty bat vs RHP, .197 against righties this year.
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD) — lefty bat vs RHP, .171 against righties this year.
- Ben Rice (NYY) — lefty bat vs RHP, .147 against righties this year.
Where walks come easiest today
- Coors Field is playing as a real hitter's park today (+18% walk park). Top bat there: James Wood (WSH) at 100.
- Angel Stadium is playing as hitter-friendly today (+3% walk park). Top bat there: Mike Trout (LAA) at 41.
Lineup watch
270 of today's hitters are still on projected lineups, drawn from each team's last game. Batting order drives the score, so these flip the moment official lineups post — usually about two hours before first pitch. Anyone who doesn't make the official card gets flagged "Not starting" and drops to the bottom.
How to read these walks matchups
Each score (0–100) starts with the hitter's walks 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.