Best MLB Total Bases Matchups — Monday, September 7, 2026
Top total bases spot: Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani (LAD) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Chase Burns. The lefty is racking up bases at .427 TB/PA against righties this year — and .214 over the last two weeks, a league-average bat that turns into a total base in about 36% of his trips. And Chase Burns has been getting squared up by righties lately — .759 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 4.7 trips, so the volume's there. He's owned Chase Burns too — .333 across 3 career trips. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- George Springer (TOR) (100) vs LHP Jacob Lopez: a solid bat at .380 into an arm giving up bases to the same side (.361).
- Rafael Devers (SF) (95) vs RHP Michael McGreevy: an excellent bat at .547 into an arm giving up bases to the same side (.353).
- Freddie Freeman (LAD) (93) vs RHP Chase Burns: a league-average bat at .359 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.759).
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR) (93) vs LHP Jacob Lopez: a solid bat at .386 into an arm giving up bases to the same side (.361).
- Tommy Edman (LAD) (92) vs RHP Chase Burns: a solid bat at .383 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.759).
- Jackson Chourio (MIL) (87) vs LHP Matthew Boyd: a strong bat at .429 into an arm vulnerable to the same side (.387).
- Héctor Rodríguez (CIN) (86) vs RHP Emmet Sheehan: a strong bat at .460 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
Arms giving up extra bases today
- RHP Chase Burns has been getting squared up by righties — .441 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Shohei Ohtani (LAD), Freddie Freeman (LAD), and Tommy Edman (LAD).
- RHP Emmet Sheehan has been getting squared up by righties — .431 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Héctor Rodríguez (CIN), Elly De La Cruz (CIN), and Sal Stewart (CIN).
- RHP Grayson Rodriguez has been getting squared up by righties — .423 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Mickey Gasper (BOS), Roman Anthony (BOS), and Adley Rutschman (BOS).
- RHP Joe Ryan has been vulnerable to righties — .395 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Colt Keith (DET), Kevin McGonigle (DET), and Riley Greene (DET).
Platoon edges to target
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD) — lefty bat vs RHP, .427 against righties this year.
- George Springer (TOR) — righty bat vs LHP, .326 against lefties this year.
- Rafael Devers (SF) — lefty bat vs RHP, .540 against righties this year.
- Freddie Freeman (LAD) — lefty bat vs RHP, .425 against righties this year.
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR) — righty bat vs LHP, .341 against lefties this year.
How it played out
6 of the top 10 total bases matchups landed at least one total base. Top play Shohei Ohtani 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.
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