Best MLB Total Bases Matchups — Monday, August 3, 2026
Top total bases spot: Jeremy Peña
Jeremy Peña (HOU) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Shane Bieber. The righty is racking up bases at .518 TB/PA against righties this year — and 1.044 over the last two weeks, an elite bat that turns into a total base in about 58% of his trips. And Shane Bieber has been tough on righties lately — .231 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. He's owned Shane Bieber too — .333 across 3 career trips. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Jonathan Aranda (TB) (100) vs RHP Michael Lorenzen: a league-average bat at .336 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.750).
- Jackson Merrill (SD) (100) vs RHP Brandon Pfaadt: a strong bat at .475 into an arm tough on the same side (.303).
- Cedric Mullins (TB) (99) vs RHP Michael Lorenzen: a solid bat at .393 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.750).
- CJ Abrams (WSH) (97) vs RHP Aaron Nola: an excellent bat at .521 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.719).
- Junior Caminero (TB) (90) vs RHP Michael Lorenzen: a strong bat at .441 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.467).
- Victor Mesa Jr. (TB) (87) vs RHP Michael Lorenzen: a solid bat at .370 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.750), due to bounce back.
- James Wood (WSH) (86) vs RHP Aaron Nola: a solid bat at .373 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.719), due to bounce back.
Arms giving up extra bases today
- RHP Michael Lorenzen has been getting squared up by righties — .462 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Jonathan Aranda (TB), Cedric Mullins (TB), and Junior Caminero (TB).
- RHP Aaron Nola has been getting squared up by righties — .460 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: CJ Abrams (WSH), James Wood (WSH), and Abimelec Ortiz (WSH).
- LHP Justin Wrobleski has been vulnerable to lefties — .391 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Seiya Suzuki (CHC), Alex Bregman (CHC), and Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC).
- RHP Michael McGreevy has been vulnerable to righties — .382 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Ben Rice (NYY), Luis García Jr. (NYY), and Trent Grisham (NYY).
Platoon edges to target
- Jonathan Aranda (TB) — lefty bat vs RHP, .413 against righties this year.
- Jackson Merrill (SD) — lefty bat vs RHP, .352 against righties this year.
- Cedric Mullins (TB) — lefty bat vs RHP, .352 against righties this year.
- CJ Abrams (WSH) — lefty bat vs RHP, .514 against righties this year.
- James Wood (WSH) — lefty bat vs RHP, .442 against righties this year.
How it played out
7 of the top 10 total bases matchups landed at least one total base. Top play Jeremy Peña finished with 1 total base. 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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