Best MLB Total Bases Matchups — Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Top total bases spot: Fernando Tatis Jr.
Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD) tops the board at 100, facing LHP Nick Lodolo. The righty is racking up bases at .500 TB/PA against lefties this year — and 1.143 over the last two weeks, a strong bat that turns into a total base in about 47% of his trips. And Nick Lodolo has been getting squared up by lefties lately — .440 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 just .125 in 8 career PA against Nick Lodolo, but that's a tiny sample and the matchup says regression. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Mickey Gasper (BOS) (96) vs RHP Bryan Woo: a strong bat at .479 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.684).
- Brooks Lee (MIN) (91) vs RHP Troy Melton: a strong bat at .471 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.531).
- Jake Cronenworth (SD) (90) vs LHP Nick Lodolo: a league-average bat at .366 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.750), due to bounce back.
- Jake McCarthy (COL) (90) vs RHP Kyle Bradish: a league-average bat at .367 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.719).
- George Springer (TOR) (89) vs RHP Gavin Williams: a strong bat at .443 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (1.133), hot bat.
- Alejandro Kirk (TOR) (88) vs RHP Gavin Williams: a solid bat at .411 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (1.133).
- Pete Alonso (BAL) (85) vs RHP Gabriel Hughes: a strong bat at .454 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
Arms giving up extra bases today
- RHP Gavin Williams has been getting squared up by righties — .464 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: George Springer (TOR), Alejandro Kirk (TOR), and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR).
- RHP Kyle Bradish has been getting squared up by righties — .439 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Jake McCarthy (COL), Hunter Goodman (COL), and TJ Rumfield (COL).
- LHP Sean Manaea has been getting squared up by lefties — .429 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Yandy Díaz (TB), Junior Caminero (TB), and Jonathan Aranda (TB).
- LHP Eric Lauer has been getting squared up by lefties — .420 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Jordan Walker (STL), Bryan Torres (STL), and Alec Burleson (STL).
Platoon edges to target
- Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD) — righty bat vs LHP, .500 against lefties this year.
- Mickey Gasper (BOS) — lefty bat vs RHP, .440 against righties this year.
- Brooks Lee (MIN) — lefty bat vs RHP, .466 against righties this year.
- Jake McCarthy (COL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .425 against righties this year.
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD) — lefty bat vs RHP, .432 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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