Best MLB Total Bases Matchups — Sunday, September 20, 2026
Top total bases spot: Pete Crow-Armstrong
Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Rhett Lowder. The lefty is racking up bases at .525 TB/PA against righties this year — and .805 over the last two weeks, an excellent bat that turns into a total base in about 52% of his trips. And Rhett Lowder has been vulnerable to righties lately — .419 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 .143 in 7 career PA against Rhett Lowder, 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
- Dustin Harris (SD) (89) vs RHP Sandy Alcantara: a solid bat at .397 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.788), hot bat.
- Randy Arozarena (SEA) (89) vs RHP Tomoyuki Sugano: a league-average bat at .340 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.696), hot bat.
- Jackson Merrill (SD) (86) vs RHP Sandy Alcantara: a strong bat at .463 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.788), hot bat.
- Elly De La Cruz (CIN) (86) vs RHP the starter: an excellent bat at .526 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Alex Bregman (CHC) (84) vs RHP Rhett Lowder: a solid bat at .414 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.667), due to bounce back.
- J.P. Crawford (SEA) (82) vs RHP Tomoyuki Sugano: a league-average bat at .348 into an arm vulnerable to the same side (.400).
- Garrett Mitchell (MIL) (82) vs RHP Brandon Young: a strong bat at .463 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.543), due to bounce back.
Arms giving up extra bases today
- RHP Sandy Alcantara has been getting squared up by righties — .457 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Dustin Harris (SD), Jackson Merrill (SD), and Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD).
- RHP Tomoyuki Sugano has been getting squared up by righties — .438 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Randy Arozarena (SEA), J.P. Crawford (SEA), and Dominic Canzone (SEA).
- LHP Cristopher Sánchez has been getting squared up by lefties — .425 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Francisco Lindor (NYM), Bo Bichette (NYM), and Marcus Semien (NYM).
- LHP Matt Wilkinson has been vulnerable to lefties — .414 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Mookie Betts (LAD), Teoscar Hernández (LAD), and Will Smith (LAD).
Platoon edges to target
- Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC) — lefty bat vs RHP, .525 against righties this year.
- Dustin Harris (SD) — lefty bat vs RHP, .376 against righties this year.
- Jackson Merrill (SD) — lefty bat vs RHP, .410 against righties this year.
- J.P. Crawford (SEA) — lefty bat vs RHP, .322 against righties this year.
- Garrett Mitchell (MIL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .403 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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