Best MLB Total Bases Matchups — Friday, September 25, 2026
Top total bases spot: Jose Altuve
Jose Altuve (HOU) tops the board at 100, facing LHP Jacob Lopez. The righty is racking up bases at .391 TB/PA against lefties this year — and .857 over the last two weeks, a strong bat that turns into a total base in about 43% of his trips. And Jacob Lopez has been getting squared up by lefties lately — .917 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 .182 in 11 career PA against Jacob Lopez, 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
- Isaac Paredes (HOU) (90) vs LHP Jacob Lopez: a strong bat at .423 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.917).
- Miguel Vargas (CWS) (88) vs RHP Tomoyuki Sugano: a solid bat at .399 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.593), hot bat.
- Yainer Diaz (HOU) (87) vs LHP Jacob Lopez: a strong bat at .437 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.917).
- Mookie Betts (LAD) (84) vs RHP Yunior Marte: a strong bat at .429 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.652).
- Nathan Lukes (TOR) (82) vs LHP Nick Lodolo: a league-average bat at .352 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.563).
- Randy Arozarena (SEA) (81) vs LHP Reid Detmers: an excellent bat at .495 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.606).
- Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD) (79) vs RHP Brandon Pfaadt: a strong bat at .442 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.600), hot bat.
Arms giving up extra bases today
- LHP Jacob Lopez has been getting squared up by lefties — .473 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Jose Altuve (HOU), Isaac Paredes (HOU), and Yainer Diaz (HOU).
- RHP Brendan Beck has been getting squared up by righties — .441 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Pete Alonso (BAL), Christian Encarnacion-Strand (BAL), and Coby Mayo (BAL).
- RHP Yunior Marte has been getting squared up by righties — .428 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Mookie Betts (LAD), Will Smith (LAD), and Teoscar Hernández (LAD).
- LHP Cristopher Sánchez has been getting squared up by lefties — .428 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Yandy Díaz (TB), Junior Caminero (TB), and Jonny DeLuca (TB).
Platoon edges to target
- Jose Altuve (HOU) — righty bat vs LHP, .391 against lefties this year.
- Isaac Paredes (HOU) — righty bat vs LHP, .390 against lefties this year.
- Yainer Diaz (HOU) — righty bat vs LHP, .402 against lefties this year.
- Randy Arozarena (SEA) — righty bat vs LHP, .500 against lefties this year.
- Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC) — lefty bat vs RHP, .523 against righties this year.
Lineup watch
306 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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