Best MLB Total Bases Matchups — Sunday, August 2, 2026
Top total bases spot: Trevor Larnach
Trevor Larnach (MIN) tops the board at 100, facing RHP George Kirby. The lefty is racking up bases at .400 TB/PA against righties this year — and .385 over the last two weeks, a solid bat that turns into a total base in about 38% of his trips. And George Kirby has been getting squared up by righties lately — .737 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. He's owned George Kirby too — .300 across 10 career trips. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD) (100) vs LHP Jake Bennett: a strong bat at .423 into an arm with little track record against the same side, hot bat.
- Nick Loftin (KC) (100) vs LHP Kyle Freeland: a solid bat at .375 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.686).
- Ceddanne Rafaela (BOS) (96) vs RHP Emmet Sheehan: a strong bat at .435 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.500), hot bat.
- Jeremy Peña (HOU) (92) vs RHP Kumar Rocker: an excellent bat at .542 into an arm tough on the same side (.250), hot bat.
- Ryan Jeffers (MIN) (89) vs RHP George Kirby: a solid bat at .393 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.455), hot bat.
- Salvador Perez (KC) (88) vs LHP Kyle Freeland: a league-average bat at .367 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.686).
- Kody Clemens (MIN) (82) vs RHP George Kirby: a solid bat at .381 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.737), due to bounce back.
Arms giving up extra bases today
- LHP Kyle Freeland has been getting squared up by lefties — .477 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Nick Loftin (KC), Salvador Perez (KC), and Starling Marte (KC).
- LHP Matthew Liberatore has been getting squared up by lefties — .450 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR), Luis Urías (TOR), and Kazuma Okamoto (TOR).
- RHP George Kirby has been getting squared up by righties — .424 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Trevor Larnach (MIN), Ryan Jeffers (MIN), and Kody Clemens (MIN).
- RHP Keider Montero has been vulnerable to righties — .398 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Donovan Walton (ATH), Tyler Soderstrom (ATH), and Jonah Heim (ATH).
Platoon edges to target
- Trevor Larnach (MIN) — lefty bat vs RHP, .400 against righties this year.
- Nick Loftin (KC) — righty bat vs LHP, .352 against lefties this year.
- Salvador Perez (KC) — righty bat vs LHP, .421 against lefties this year.
- Kody Clemens (MIN) — lefty bat vs RHP, .448 against righties this year.
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR) — righty bat vs LHP, .320 against lefties this year.
How it played out
8 of the top 10 total bases matchups landed at least one total base. Top play Trevor Larnach finished with 5 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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