Best MLB Total Bases Matchups — Sunday, September 13, 2026
Top total bases spot: Elly De La Cruz
Elly De La Cruz (CIN) tops the board at 100, facing LHP Robert Gasser. The righty is racking up bases at .577 TB/PA against lefties this year — and .739 over the last two weeks, a strong bat that turns into a total base in about 46% of his trips. And Robert Gasser has been vulnerable to lefties lately — .387 total bases per batter faced. The bullpen behind him is roughly average to that side. He's hitting in a spot worth about 4.5 trips, so the volume's there. He's owned Robert Gasser too — .400 across 5 career trips. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC) (96) vs RHP Bubba Chandler: an excellent bat at .511 into an arm vulnerable to the same side (.400).
- Dane Myers (CIN) (96) vs LHP Robert Gasser: a solid bat at .414 into an arm vulnerable to the same side (.387).
- Jeff McNeil (ATH) (91) vs RHP Bryce Miller: a solid bat at .382 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.591).
- Tommy Edman (LAD) (91) vs RHP Eury Pérez: a league-average bat at .355 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.615), due to bounce back.
- James Wood (WSH) (89) vs RHP Grayson Rodriguez: a league-average bat at .359 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.622).
- Rafael Devers (SF) (88) vs RHP Nick Pivetta: an excellent bat at .522 into an arm tough on the same side (.250).
- Ronald Acuña Jr. (ATL) (85) vs RHP Andrew Painter: a strong bat at .455 into an arm mostly containing the same side (.341).
Arms giving up extra bases today
- RHP Grayson Rodriguez has been getting squared up by righties — .445 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: James Wood (WSH), Abimelec Ortiz (WSH), and CJ Abrams (WSH).
- RHP Bryce Miller has been vulnerable to righties — .413 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Jeff McNeil (ATH), Lawrence Butler (ATH), and Henry Bolte (ATH).
- RHP Eury Pérez has been vulnerable to righties — .405 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Tommy Edman (LAD), Freddie Freeman (LAD), and Mookie Betts (LAD).
- RHP Emmet Sheehan has been vulnerable to righties — .403 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Kyle Stowers (MIA), Heriberto Hernández (MIA), and Griffin Conine (MIA).
Platoon edges to target
- Elly De La Cruz (CIN) — righty bat vs LHP, .577 against lefties this year.
- Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC) — lefty bat vs RHP, .506 against righties this year.
- Dane Myers (CIN) — righty bat vs LHP, .430 against lefties this year.
- Jeff McNeil (ATH) — lefty bat vs RHP, .365 against righties this year.
- Tommy Edman (LAD) — lefty bat vs RHP, .361 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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