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 .478 TB/PA against righties this year — and .413 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
- Alec Burleson (STL) (100) vs RHP Kyle Bradish: a strong bat at .441 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.657), hot bat.
- Henry Bolte (ATH) (100) vs LHP Connor Prielipp: a solid bat at .409 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.543).
- Ildemaro Vargas (AZ) (100) vs LHP Matthew Boyd: a solid bat at .392 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.676).
- CJ Abrams (WSH) (99) vs RHP Tanner Gordon: a league-average bat at .362 into an arm giving up bases to the same side (.364).
- Jonah Cox (SF) (98) vs LHP Nick Lodolo: a solid bat at .401 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.604).
- Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC) (97) vs LHP Eduardo Rodriguez: a strong bat at .430 into an arm tough on the same side (.308), due to bounce back.
- Randal Grichuk (CWS) (97) vs LHP MacKenzie Gore: an excellent bat at .532 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.421).
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: Ildemaro Vargas (AZ), Geraldo Perdomo (AZ), and Nolan Arenado (AZ).
- LHP Nick Lodolo has been getting squared up by lefties — .436 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Jonah Cox (SF), Osleivis Basabe (SF), and Buddy Kennedy (SF).
- 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 Nathan Church (STL).
- RHP Troy Melton has been vulnerable to righties — .416 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Liam Hicks (TB), Jonathan Aranda (TB), and Yandy Díaz (TB).
Platoon edges to target
- Abimelec Ortiz (WSH) — lefty bat vs RHP, .478 against righties this year.
- Alec Burleson (STL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .505 against righties this year.
- Henry Bolte (ATH) — righty bat vs LHP, .403 against lefties this year.
- Ildemaro Vargas (AZ) — righty bat vs LHP, .507 against lefties this year.
- CJ Abrams (WSH) — lefty bat vs RHP, .484 against righties this year.
How it played out
5 of the top 10 total bases matchups landed at least one total base. Top play Abimelec Ortiz finished with 0 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.
Learn more: How the model works · The picks story · Today's plays