Best MLB Total Bases Matchups — Tuesday, September 29, 2026
Top total bases spot: Pete Crow-Armstrong
Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Michael King. The lefty is racking up bases at .523 TB/PA against righties this year — and .682 over the last two weeks, an excellent bat that turns into a total base in about 49% of his trips. And Michael King has been giving up bases to righties lately — .362 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. No real history against Michael King. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Alex Bregman (CHC) (87) vs RHP Michael King: a strong bat at .437 into an arm vulnerable to the same side (.417).
- Mauricio Dubón (ATL) (86) vs LHP Jesús Luzardo: a solid bat at .373 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Matt Olson (ATL) (76) vs LHP Jesús Luzardo: a strong bat at .429 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Ozzie Albies (ATL) (74) vs LHP Jesús Luzardo: a league-average bat at .344 into an arm with little track record against the same side, due to bounce back.
- Ben Rice (NYY) (74) vs LHP Payton Tolle: a solid bat at .392 into an arm mostly containing the same side (.313).
- Randal Grichuk (CWS) (71) vs RHP AJ Blubaugh: a solid bat at .385 into an arm giving up bases to the same side (.375).
- Yordan Alvarez (HOU) (68) vs LHP Hagen Smith: a solid bat at .388 into an arm tough on the same side (.235), hot bat.
Arms giving up extra bases today
- RHP AJ Blubaugh has been giving up bases to righties — .362 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Randal Grichuk (CWS), Tommy Pham (CWS), and Munetaka Murakami (CWS).
- LHP Jesús Luzardo has been giving up bases to lefties — .360 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Mauricio Dubón (ATL), Matt Olson (ATL), and Ozzie Albies (ATL).
- LHP Payton Tolle has been giving up bases to lefties — .358 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Ben Rice (NYY), Paul Goldschmidt (NYY), and Spencer Jones (NYY).
- RHP Michael King has been mostly containing righties — .346 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC), Alex Bregman (CHC), and Michael Busch (CHC).
Platoon edges to target
- Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC) — lefty bat vs RHP, .523 against righties this year.
- Mauricio Dubón (ATL) — righty bat vs LHP, .357 against lefties this year.
- Ozzie Albies (ATL) — righty bat vs LHP, .402 against lefties this year.
- Austin Riley (ATL) — righty bat vs LHP, .300 against lefties this year.
- Jeremy Peña (HOU) — righty bat vs LHP, .349 against lefties this year.
Lineup watch
72 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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