Best MLB Total Bases Matchups — Friday, July 31, 2026
Top total bases spot: Cole Young
Cole Young (SEA) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Zebby Matthews. The lefty is racking up bases at .399 TB/PA against righties this year — and .563 over the last two weeks, a solid bat that turns into a total base in about 41% of his trips. And Zebby Matthews has been giving up bases to righties lately — .364 total bases 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. No real history against Zebby Matthews. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Brice Turang (MIL) (100) vs RHP Ryan Johnson: a solid bat at .394 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.591).
- Carter Jensen (KC) (100) vs RHP Tomoyuki Sugano: a solid bat at .391 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.652).
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD) (96) vs LHP Ranger Suarez: a solid bat at .381 into an arm vulnerable to the same side (.400).
- Jeremy Peña (HOU) (96) vs RHP Nathan Eovaldi: an excellent bat at .535 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.667), hot bat.
- Randy Arozarena (SEA) (94) vs RHP Zebby Matthews: a solid bat at .390 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.591).
- Ryan Jeffers (MIN) (94) vs RHP Bryce Miller: a solid bat at .390 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.524), hot bat.
- Trevor Larnach (MIN) (93) vs RHP Bryce Miller: a solid bat at .370 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.429), due to bounce back.
Arms giving up extra bases today
- RHP Andrew Painter has been getting squared up by righties — .454 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Dylan Beavers (BAL), Pete Alonso (BAL), and Gunnar Henderson (BAL).
- LHP Mitch Bratt has been getting squared up by lefties — .448 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Chase DeLauter (CLE), José Ramírez (CLE), and Angel Martínez (CLE).
- RHP Tomoyuki Sugano has been getting squared up by righties — .447 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Carter Jensen (KC), Jac Caglianone (KC), and Lane Thomas (KC).
- RHP Hunter Greene has been getting squared up by righties — .430 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Esmerlyn Valdez (PIT), Brandon Lowe (PIT), and Nick Gonzales (PIT).
Platoon edges to target
- Cole Young (SEA) — lefty bat vs RHP, .399 against righties this year.
- Brice Turang (MIL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .448 against righties this year.
- Carter Jensen (KC) — lefty bat vs RHP, .375 against righties this year.
- Jac Caglianone (KC) — lefty bat vs RHP, .423 against righties this year.
- Dillon Dingler (DET) — righty bat vs LHP, .372 against lefties this year.
How it played out
6 of the top 10 total bases matchups landed at least one total base. Top play Cole Young finished with 4 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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