Best MLB Total Bases Matchups — Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Top total bases spot: Abimelec Ortiz
Abimelec Ortiz (WSH) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Tanner Gordon. The lefty is racking up bases at .500 TB/PA against righties this year — and .436 over the last two weeks, a solid bat that turns into a total base in about 40% of his trips. And Tanner Gordon has been giving up bases to righties lately — .364 total bases per batter faced. The bullpen behind him hasn't been any better to that side, so there's no relief late. He's hitting in a spot worth about 4.5 trips, so the volume's there. No real history against Tanner Gordon. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- CJ Abrams (WSH) (98) vs RHP Tanner Gordon: a league-average bat at .365 into an arm giving up bases to the same side (.364).
- Randy Arozarena (SEA) (98) vs LHP Jesús Luzardo: a strong bat at .446 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.532), due to bounce back.
- Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC) (94) vs LHP Eduardo Rodriguez: a strong bat at .430 into an arm tough on the same side (.308), due to bounce back.
- Alec Burleson (STL) (93) vs RHP Kyle Bradish: a strong bat at .448 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.657), hot bat.
- Henry Bolte (ATH) (90) vs LHP Connor Prielipp: a solid bat at .409 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.543).
- Gabriel Moreno (AZ) (90) vs LHP Matthew Boyd: a solid bat at .383 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.676).
- Hao-Yu Lee (DET) (88) vs RHP Freddy Peralta: a strong bat at .422 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.458).
Arms giving up extra bases today
- LHP Matthew Boyd has been getting squared up by lefties — .438 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Gabriel Moreno (AZ), Geraldo Perdomo (AZ), and Nolan Arenado (AZ).
- RHP Kyle Bradish has been getting squared up by righties — .427 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Alec Burleson (STL), JJ Wetherholt (STL), and Jordan Walker (STL).
- RHP Ryan Gusto has been vulnerable to righties — .416 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Ceddanne Rafaela (BOS), Willson Contreras (BOS), and Wilyer Abreu (BOS).
- RHP Troy Melton has been vulnerable to righties — .416 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Jonathan Aranda (TB), Liam Hicks (TB), and Yandy Díaz (TB).
Platoon edges to target
- Abimelec Ortiz (WSH) — lefty bat vs RHP, .500 against righties this year.
- CJ Abrams (WSH) — lefty bat vs RHP, .488 against righties this year.
- Randy Arozarena (SEA) — righty bat vs LHP, .430 against lefties this year.
- Alec Burleson (STL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .507 against righties this year.
- Henry Bolte (ATH) — righty bat vs LHP, .403 against lefties this year.
Lineup watch
270 of today's hitters are still on projected lineups, drawn from each team's last game. Batting order drives the score, so these flip the moment official lineups post — usually about two hours before first pitch. Anyone who doesn't make the official card gets flagged "Not starting" and drops to the bottom.
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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