# MLB Batter vs Pitcher Matchups: July 18, 2026 > Who owns their matchup tonight? 15 games analyzed through career H2H batting average, OPS, and strikeout rate. Jonah Heim tops the board. Updated daily. **Date:** 2026-07-18 **Author:** HeatCheck HQ **Tags:** MLB, Batter vs Pitcher, H2H Matchups, MLB Props, Daily Picks, Player Props **Full article:** https://heatcheckhq.io/blog/mlb-h2h-matchups-jul-18-2026 **Live picks & dashboards:** https://heatcheckhq.io --- **Today's best MLB batter vs pitcher matchup picks for Saturday, July 18, 2026** are Jonah Heim (Score: 81, 0.667 AVG, 1.714 OPS in 6 career AB vs Zack Littell), Alex Bregman (Score: 79, 0.333 AVG, 1.762 OPS in 6 career AB vs Taj Bradley), Gunnar Henderson (Score: 77, 0.500 AVG, 1.667 OPS in 6 career AB vs Spencer Arrighetti). Rankings are generated by HeatCheck HQ's five factor career H2H scoring model, updated daily. # MLB Batter vs Pitcher Matchups: July 18, 2026 Every qualified batter pitcher matchup scored across 5 factors. 70 matchups, 15 games. Here are the plays. ## Hitters to Watch Today - **Jonah Heim**: .667 AVG & 1.714 OPS with 0 HR in 6 AB vs. Zack Littell - **Alex Bregman**: .333 AVG & 1.762 OPS with 2 HR in 6 AB vs. Taj Bradley - **Gunnar Henderson**: .500 AVG & 1.667 OPS with 1 HR in 6 AB vs. Spencer Arrighetti - **Bo Bichette**: .600 AVG & 1.800 OPS with 1 HR in 5 AB vs. Jesús Luzardo - **Nick Fortes**: .400 AVG & 1.600 OPS with 1 HR in 5 AB vs. Patrick Sandoval - **Heliot Ramos**: .500 AVG & 1.500 OPS with 1 HR in 6 AB vs. Bryan Woo > **Yesterday's H2H matchups:** [MLB H2H Matchups: July 17](/blog/mlb-h2h-matchups-jul-17-2026) ## Tonight's Slate | Matchup | Pitchers | Time | |---------|----------|------| | Minnesota Twins at Chicago Cubs | Taj Bradley vs Matthew Boyd | 2:20 PM ET | | Chicago White Sox at Toronto Blue Jays | Davis Martin vs Shane Bieber | 3:07 PM ET | | Cincinnati Reds at Colorado Rockies | Rhett Lowder vs TBD | 3:10 PM ET | | New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies | Sean Manaea vs Jesús Luzardo | 4:05 PM ET | | Baltimore Orioles at Houston Astros | Trevor Rogers vs Spencer Arrighetti | 4:10 PM ET | | Pittsburgh Pirates at Cleveland Guardians | Braxton Ashcraft vs Joey Cantillo | 4:10 PM ET | | San Diego Padres at Kansas City Royals | Griffin Canning vs TBD | 4:10 PM ET | | St. Louis Cardinals at Arizona Diamondbacks | TBD vs Brandon Pfaadt | 4:10 PM ET | | Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox | Ian Seymour vs Patrick Sandoval | 4:10 PM ET | | Texas Rangers at Atlanta Braves | MacKenzie Gore vs Owen Murphy | 4:10 PM ET | | Miami Marlins at Milwaukee Brewers | Max Meyer vs Shane Drohan | 4:10 PM ET | | San Francisco Giants at Seattle Mariners | Logan Webb vs Bryan Woo | 8:08 PM ET | | Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Yankees | Emmet Sheehan vs Ryan Weathers | 8:08 PM ET | | Washington Nationals at Athletics | Zack Littell vs J.T. Ginn | 10:05 PM ET | | Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels | Tarik Skubal vs Grayson Rodriguez | 10:07 PM ET | ## 1. Jonah Heim (ATH) vs Zack Littell (RHP) 0.667 AVG, 1.714 OPS in 6 career AB | Sutter Health Park *Career: 4-for-6 · .667 · 2 XBH · 1.714 OPS · 1 BB* Heim's slash line against Littell translates to a 1.714 OPS over 6 AB. That is the kind of split that turns a prop into a play. Small sample, but the dominance is notable. Bottom line: Heim owns this matchup against Littell. I want him in my lineup tonight. ## 2. Alex Bregman (CHC) vs Taj Bradley (RHP) 0.333 AVG, 1.762 OPS in 6 career AB | Wrigley Field *Career: 2-for-6 · .333 · 2 HR · 2 XBH · 1.762 OPS · 1 K · 1 BB* When OPS hits 1.762 in a career H2H sample, you take it seriously. Bregman is 2-for-6 against Bradley with the kind of contact that drives runs. Small sample, but the dominance is notable. A home run every 3 at bats in this matchup is well above league pace. Played at Wrigley Field, where wind conditions can boost offense. Bottom line: Bregman owns this matchup against Bradley. I want him in my lineup tonight. ## 3. Gunnar Henderson (BAL) vs Spencer Arrighetti (RHP) 0.500 AVG, 1.667 OPS in 6 career AB | Daikin Park *Career: 3-for-6 · .500 · 1 HR · 2 XBH · 1.667 OPS · 1 K* A 1.667 career OPS against a single pitcher is rare, and Henderson owns it against Arrighetti across 6 at bats. That is run producing dominance, not noise. Small sample, but the dominance is notable. A home run every 6 at bats in this matchup is well above league pace. Bottom line: Henderson owns this matchup against Arrighetti. I want him in my lineup tonight. > Look up any pitcher vs batter career history on the [Hitter vs Pitcher dashboard](/mlb/hitting-stats). ## 4. Bo Bichette (NYM) vs Jesús Luzardo (LHP) 0.600 AVG, 1.800 OPS in 5 career AB | Citizens Bank Park *Career: 3-for-5 · .600 · 1 HR · 1 XBH · 1.800 OPS · 2 K* Career batting average against Luzardo: .600 in 5 AB. Bichette has the kind of pitch recognition on this arm that does not show up against the rest of the league. Tiny sample, so treat it as directional, not definitive. A home run every 5 at bats in this matchup is well above league pace. Played at Citizens Bank Park, a plus environment for hitters. The take is simple. History sides hard with Bichette here. I want him in my lineup tonight. ## 5. Nick Fortes (TB) vs Patrick Sandoval (LHP) 0.400 AVG, 1.600 OPS in 5 career AB | Fenway Park *Career: 2-for-5 · .400 · 1 HR · 2 XBH · 1.600 OPS · 1 K* Career batting average against Sandoval: .400 in 5 AB. Fortes has the kind of pitch recognition on this arm that does not show up against the rest of the league. Tiny sample, so treat it as directional, not definitive. A home run every 5 at bats in this matchup is well above league pace. Played at Fenway Park, where the Green Monster inflates extra base hit rates. Verdict: give me Fortes every time he steps in against Sandoval. I want him in my lineup tonight. ## 6. Heliot Ramos (SF) vs Bryan Woo (RHP) 0.500 AVG, 1.500 OPS in 6 career AB | T-Mobile Park *Career: 3-for-6 · .500 · 1 HR · 1 XBH · 1.500 OPS* Ramos's slash line against Woo translates to a 1.500 OPS over 6 AB. That is the kind of split that turns a prop into a play. Small sample, but the dominance is notable. A home run every 6 at bats in this matchup is well above league pace. Bottom line: Ramos owns this matchup against Woo. I want him in my lineup tonight. ## 7. Jorge Soler (LAA) vs Tarik Skubal (LHP) 0.286 AVG, 1.643 OPS in 7 career AB | Angel Stadium *Career: 2-for-7 · .286 · 2 HR · 2 XBH · 1.643 OPS · 2 K · 2 BB* A 1.643 career OPS against a single pitcher is rare, and Soler owns it against Skubal across 7 at bats. That is run producing dominance, not noise. Small sample, but the dominance is notable. A home run every 4 at bats in this matchup is well above league pace. When the sample says this much, you trust it. Soler has Skubal's number. I want him in my lineup tonight. ## 8. Andrew Benintendi (CWS) vs Shane Bieber (RHP) 0.524 AVG, 1.402 OPS in 21 career AB | Rogers Centre *Career: 11-for-21 · .524 · 1 HR · 5 XBH · 1.402 OPS · 1 K · 1 BB* When OPS hits 1.402 in a career H2H sample, you take it seriously. Benintendi is 11-for-21 against Bieber with the kind of contact that drives runs. Solid sample size, and this is a reliable edge. Only 1 strikeout in 21 AB shows the eye is dialed in here. 5 extra base hits in 21 AB. When he connects, the ball gets out of the infield in a hurry. When the sample says this much, you trust it. Benintendi has Bieber's number. I want him in my lineup tonight. ## Related Guides - [Hitter vs Pitcher Matchup Guide](/blog/hitter-vs-pitcher-matchup-guide) - [Finding Undervalued HR Hitters](/blog/finding-undervalued-home-run-hitters) - [MLB Stats Explained](/blog/mlb-stats-explained) ## Find More Matchups These are today's top career advantages, but every game has matchups worth looking into. Check out the [Hitter vs Pitcher dashboard](/mlb/hitting-stats) to search any batter vs pitcher career history, view full lineup matchups, and explore Statcast data for every game on the slate. Always confirm lineups and starting pitchers before placing any bets. A different arm on the mound changes the entire matchup profile, and career sample size matters. Matchups with 10 or more at bats carry significantly more weight than those with only five or six. [Dinger of the Day Picks](/blog/mlb-dinger-of-the-day-jul-18-2026) | [NRFI Picks](/blog/mlb-nrfi-picks-jul-18-2026) | [Top Plays](/top-plays) *Updated as lineups confirm. Full slate at [heatcheckhq.io](https://heatcheckhq.io).* ## Related Resources - Parent hub: [MLB Props Hub](/blog/topic/mlb-props) - Daily stream: [MLB H2H Matchup Previews](/blog/stream/mlb-h2h-matchups) - Author: [HeatCheck HQ](/blog/author/heatcheck-hq) - Browse all posts: [Sports Betting Insights & Guides](/blog) --- *Data powered by HeatCheck HQ — sports analytics platform. Free tools at https://heatcheckhq.io*