Best MLB Total Bases Matchups — Monday, September 21, 2026
Top total bases spot: Walker Jenkins
Walker Jenkins (MIN) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Blade Tidwell. The lefty is racking up bases at .442 TB/PA against righties this year — and .533 over the last two weeks, a solid bat that turns into a total base in about 41% of his trips. And Blade Tidwell has been vulnerable to righties lately — .417 total bases per batter faced. One catch: the bullpen behind him has been stingy to that side late. He's hitting in a spot worth about 4.7 trips, so the volume's there. No real history against Blade Tidwell. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Brett Bateman (TOR) (100) vs RHP Shane Baz: a solid bat at .414 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.568).
- Drew Gilbert (SF) (94) vs RHP Zebby Matthews: a solid bat at .370 into an arm mostly containing the same side (.348), due to bounce back.
- Daylen Lile (WSH) (91) vs RHP River Ryan: a strong bat at .424 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Riley Greene (DET) (85) vs LHP DJ Herz: a strong bat at .436 into an arm with little track record against the same side, hot bat.
- Brooks Lee (MIN) (84) vs RHP Blade Tidwell: a solid bat at .405 into an arm vulnerable to the same side (.417), hot bat.
- James Wood (WSH) (81) vs RHP River Ryan: a league-average bat at .357 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Bo Davidson (SF) (79) vs RHP Zebby Matthews: a solid bat at .370 into an arm mostly containing the same side (.348).
Arms giving up extra bases today
- RHP Shane Baz has been vulnerable to righties — .414 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Brett Bateman (TOR), Nathan Lukes (TOR), and Sean Keys (TOR).
- RHP Blade Tidwell has been giving up bases to righties — .376 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Walker Jenkins (MIN), Brooks Lee (MIN), and Kody Clemens (MIN).
- RHP Zebby Matthews has been giving up bases to righties — .372 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Drew Gilbert (SF), Bo Davidson (SF), and Marcelo Mayer (SF).
- RHP River Ryan has been giving up bases to righties — .360 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Daylen Lile (WSH), James Wood (WSH), and CJ Abrams (WSH).
Platoon edges to target
- Walker Jenkins (MIN) — lefty bat vs RHP, .442 against righties this year.
- Brett Bateman (TOR) — lefty bat vs RHP, .395 against righties this year.
- Daylen Lile (WSH) — lefty bat vs RHP, .446 against righties this year.
- Brooks Lee (MIN) — lefty bat vs RHP, .451 against righties this year.
- James Wood (WSH) — lefty bat vs RHP, .421 against righties this year.
How it played out
6 of the top 10 total bases matchups landed at least one total base. Top play Walker Jenkins finished with 1 total base. 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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