Best MLB Total Bases Matchups — Monday, September 21, 2026
Top total bases spot: Brett Bateman
Brett Bateman (TOR) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Shane Baz. The lefty is racking up bases at — TB/PA against righties this year, a solid bat that turns into a total base in about 37% of his trips. And Shane Baz has been getting squared up by righties lately — .568 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 Shane Baz. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Walker Jenkins (MIN) (99) vs RHP Blade Tidwell: a solid bat at .414 into an arm vulnerable to the same side (.417).
- Jung Hoo Lee (SF) (95) vs RHP Zebby Matthews: a solid bat at .387 into an arm mostly containing the same side (.348).
- Riley Greene (DET) (95) vs LHP DJ Herz: an excellent bat at .499 into an arm with little track record against the same side, hot bat.
- Brooks Lee (MIN) (88) vs RHP Blade Tidwell: a solid bat at .397 into an arm vulnerable to the same side (.417), hot bat.
- Nathan Lukes (TOR) (86) vs RHP Shane Baz: a league-average bat at .364 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.568).
- Kody Clemens (MIN) (85) vs RHP Blade Tidwell: a solid bat at .411 into an arm vulnerable to the same side (.417), due to bounce back.
- James Wood (WSH) (80) vs RHP River Ryan: a league-average bat at .351 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
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: Jung Hoo Lee (SF), Jonah Cox (SF), and Victor Bericoto (SF).
- RHP River Ryan has been giving up bases to righties — .360 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: James Wood (WSH), CJ Abrams (WSH), and Andrés Chaparro (WSH).
Platoon edges to target
- Walker Jenkins (MIN) — lefty bat vs RHP, .449 against righties this year.
- Jung Hoo Lee (SF) — lefty bat vs RHP, .401 against righties this year.
- Brooks Lee (MIN) — lefty bat vs RHP, .449 against righties this year.
- Nathan Lukes (TOR) — lefty bat vs RHP, .381 against righties this year.
- Kody Clemens (MIN) — lefty bat vs RHP, .443 against righties this year.
Lineup watch
54 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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