Best MLB Total Bases Matchups — Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Top total bases spot: Pete Crow-Armstrong
Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Ryan Gusto. The lefty is racking up bases at .527 TB/PA against righties this year — and .861 over the last two weeks, an excellent bat that turns into a total base in about 53% of his trips. And Ryan Gusto has been getting squared up by righties lately — .448 total bases per batter faced. The bullpen behind him is roughly average to that side. He's hitting in a spot worth about 4.7 trips, so the volume's there. He's just .200 in 5 career PA against Ryan Gusto, 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
- Matt Olson (ATL) (82) vs LHP Andrew Abbott: a solid bat at .388 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (1.000).
- Yordan Alvarez (HOU) (82) vs RHP George Kirby: a strong bat at .431 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.591), hot bat.
- Drake Baldwin (ATL) (80) vs LHP Andrew Abbott: a league-average bat at .343 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (1.000).
- Jonathan Aranda (TB) (79) vs RHP Gerrit Cole: a solid bat at .415 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.650).
- Konnor Griffin (PIT) (78) vs LHP Matthew Liberatore: a solid bat at .403 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.581).
- Javier Sanoja (MIA) (78) vs RHP Kevin Gausman: a strong bat at .454 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.773).
- Jake McCarthy (COL) (77) vs RHP Merrill Kelly: a solid bat at .405 into an arm vulnerable to the same side (.391).
Arms giving up extra bases today
- LHP Jeffrey Springs has been getting squared up by lefties — .452 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Wade Meckler (LAA), Zach Neto (LAA), and Moisés Ballesteros (LAA).
- RHP Kevin Gausman has been getting squared up by righties — .439 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Javier Sanoja (MIA), Heriberto Hernández (MIA), and Otto Lopez (MIA).
- RHP Gerrit Cole has been getting squared up by righties — .437 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Jonathan Aranda (TB), Junior Caminero (TB), and Yandy Díaz (TB).
- LHP Andrew Abbott has been getting squared up by lefties — .424 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Matt Olson (ATL), Drake Baldwin (ATL), and Michael Harris II (ATL).
Platoon edges to target
- Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC) — lefty bat vs RHP, .527 against righties this year.
- Yordan Alvarez (HOU) — lefty bat vs RHP, .506 against righties this year.
- Jonathan Aranda (TB) — lefty bat vs RHP, .415 against righties this year.
- Konnor Griffin (PIT) — righty bat vs LHP, .422 against lefties this year.
- Jake McCarthy (COL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .429 against righties this year.
Lineup watch
288 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.
Learn more: How the model works · The picks story · Today's plays