Best MLB Total Bases Matchups — Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Top total bases spot: Jackson Chourio
Jackson Chourio (MIL) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Kevin Gausman. The righty is racking up bases at .423 TB/PA against righties this year — and .472 over the last two weeks, a solid bat that turns into a total base in about 41% of his trips. And Kevin Gausman has been getting squared up by righties lately — .471 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 just .167 in 6 career PA against Kevin Gausman, 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
- Carter Jensen (KC) (99) vs RHP Zac Gallen: an excellent bat at .499 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Rafael Devers (SF) (99) vs RHP Andre Pallante: an elite bat at .558 into an arm tough on the same side (.188).
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD) (96) vs RHP Rhett Lowder: a league-average bat at .366 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.518), due to bounce back.
- Randy Arozarena (SEA) (96) vs LHP Cody Bradford: a solid bat at .392 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.720).
- Ben Rice (NYY) (94) vs RHP Tomoyuki Sugano: a strong bat at .432 into an arm giving up bases to the same side (.357), due to bounce back.
- Tommy Edman (LAD) (89) vs RHP Rhett Lowder: a solid bat at .390 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.518), due to bounce back.
- Aaron Judge (NYY) (88) vs RHP Tomoyuki Sugano: a strong bat at .454 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.591).
Arms giving up extra bases today
- LHP Cody Bradford has been getting squared up by lefties — .441 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Randy Arozarena (SEA), Julio Rodríguez (SEA), and Cal Raleigh (SEA).
- RHP Zac Gallen has been vulnerable to righties — .412 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Carter Jensen (KC), Bobby Witt Jr. (KC), and Vinnie Pasquantino (KC).
- RHP Keider Montero has been vulnerable to righties — .400 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Brooks Lee (MIN), Luke Keaschall (MIN), and Kody Clemens (MIN).
- RHP Rhett Lowder has been vulnerable to righties — .399 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Shohei Ohtani (LAD), Tommy Edman (LAD), and Freddie Freeman (LAD).
Platoon edges to target
- Carter Jensen (KC) — lefty bat vs RHP, .411 against righties this year.
- Rafael Devers (SF) — lefty bat vs RHP, .544 against righties this year.
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD) — lefty bat vs RHP, .425 against righties this year.
- Randy Arozarena (SEA) — righty bat vs LHP, .431 against lefties this year.
- Ben Rice (NYY) — lefty bat vs RHP, .477 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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