Best MLB Total Bases Matchups — Wednesday, July 29, 2026
Top total bases spot: Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani (LAD) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Emerson Hancock. The lefty is racking up bases at .429 TB/PA against righties this year — and .433 over the last two weeks, a solid bat that turns into a total base in about 41% of his trips. And Emerson Hancock has been getting squared up by righties lately — .455 total bases 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 Emerson Hancock. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Yordan Alvarez (HOU) (100) vs RHP Grayson Rodriguez: a strong bat at .477 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.600).
- Julio Rodríguez (SEA) (99) vs LHP Eric Lauer: a solid bat at .406 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.615).
- Ty France (SD) (98) vs RHP Gabriel Hughes: an excellent bat at .507 into an arm with little track record against the same side, hot bat.
- Carter Jensen (KC) (98) vs RHP Joe Ryan: a solid bat at .396 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (1.167), due to bounce back.
- Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD) (94) vs RHP Gabriel Hughes: a strong bat at .420 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Randy Arozarena (SEA) (91) vs LHP Eric Lauer: a league-average bat at .351 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.615).
- Jeremy Peña (HOU) (91) vs RHP Grayson Rodriguez: an excellent bat at .518 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.667), hot bat.
Arms giving up extra bases today
- RHP Joe Ryan has been getting squared up by righties — .481 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Carter Jensen (KC), Jac Caglianone (KC), and Lane Thomas (KC).
- LHP Patrick Sandoval has been getting squared up by lefties — .453 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Nick Kurtz (ATH), Tyler Soderstrom (ATH), and Jacob Wilson (ATH).
- RHP Grayson Rodriguez has been getting squared up by righties — .436 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Yordan Alvarez (HOU), Jeremy Peña (HOU), and Taylor Trammell (HOU).
- LHP Joey Cantillo has been vulnerable to lefties — .402 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Elly De La Cruz (CIN), Sal Stewart (CIN), and Dane Myers (CIN).
Platoon edges to target
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD) — lefty bat vs RHP, .429 against righties this year.
- Yordan Alvarez (HOU) — lefty bat vs RHP, .552 against righties this year.
- Julio Rodríguez (SEA) — righty bat vs LHP, .465 against lefties this year.
- Carter Jensen (KC) — lefty bat vs RHP, .377 against righties this year.
- Randy Arozarena (SEA) — righty bat vs LHP, .353 against lefties this year.
How it played out
7 of the top 10 total bases matchups landed at least one total base. Top play Shohei Ohtani finished with 3 total bases. 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 total bases matchups
Each score (0–100) starts with the hitter's total bases 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.
What the total bases board is
The Total Bases board projects how many bases a hitter racks up vs the posted total-bases line. One statistical model scores every matchup on the slate the same way — a star and a backup judged on the matchup in front of them, not their name — and every number is graded against the real box score once the games go final.
How the model gets its number
It isn't a gut call or a name game. The projection is built from a few things:
- His extra-base pop vs this arm.
- The park.
- Recent contact quality.
Those pieces combine into one number, and the model re-tunes itself weekly against how its past calls actually landed.
Is there a betting edge here?
Total bases grades right at break-even even when we tune it to the hilt — the book prices the marginal leans efficiently. Transparency board.
How to use it
See who the model projects for extra-base damage; no systematic edge to bet.
Everything here is a research signal from the model, graded in public — not betting advice, and no outcome is guaranteed.
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