Best MLB Total Bases Matchups — Friday, August 28, 2026
Top total bases spot: Drake Baldwin
Drake Baldwin (ATL) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Tomoyuki Sugano. The lefty is racking up bases at .407 TB/PA against righties this year — and .324 over the last two weeks, a solid bat that turns into a total base in about 37% of his trips. And Tomoyuki Sugano has been getting squared up by righties lately — .658 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. No real history against Tomoyuki Sugano. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Matt Olson (ATL) (94) vs RHP Tomoyuki Sugano: a solid bat at .389 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.658).
- Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD) (93) vs LHP Shane McClanahan: an excellent bat at .486 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.480).
- Ozzie Albies (ATL) (93) vs RHP Tomoyuki Sugano: a league-average bat at .353 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.658), hot bat.
- Luke Keaschall (MIN) (89) vs RHP Luis Castillo: a solid bat at .391 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.714), due to bounce back.
- Pete Alonso (BAL) (89) vs RHP the starter: an excellent bat at .520 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Michael Harris II (ATL) (88) vs RHP Tomoyuki Sugano: a strong bat at .429 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.658).
- Seiya Suzuki (CHC) (85) vs RHP Rhett Lowder: a strong bat at .426 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.618).
Arms giving up extra bases today
- RHP Michael Wacha has been getting squared up by righties — .477 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Jo Adell (CLE), Steven Kwan (CLE), and Travis Bazzana (CLE).
- RHP Tomoyuki Sugano has been getting squared up by righties — .476 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Drake Baldwin (ATL), Matt Olson (ATL), and Ozzie Albies (ATL).
- RHP Brandon Young has been getting squared up by righties — .448 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Henry Bolte (ATH), Zack Gelof (ATH), and Tommy White (ATH).
- RHP Luis Castillo has been getting squared up by righties — .430 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Luke Keaschall (MIN), Ryan Jeffers (MIN), and Brooks Lee (MIN).
Platoon edges to target
- Drake Baldwin (ATL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .407 against righties this year.
- Matt Olson (ATL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .482 against righties this year.
- Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD) — righty bat vs LHP, .512 against lefties this year.
- Ozzie Albies (ATL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .338 against righties this year.
- Michael Harris II (ATL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .482 against righties 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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