Best MLB Total Bases Matchups — Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Top total bases spot: Alex Bregman
Alex Bregman (CHC) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Nick Pivetta. The righty is racking up bases at .407 TB/PA against righties this year — and 1.200 over the last two weeks, a strong bat that turns into a total base in about 48% of his trips. And Nick Pivetta has been getting squared up by righties lately — .625 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 4.5 trips, so the volume's there. He's a fine .250 in 8 career PA against Nick Pivetta. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Jeremy Peña (HOU) (100) vs RHP Sean Burke: an excellent bat at .490 into an arm mostly containing the same side (.333).
- Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD) (87) vs RHP Kevin Gausman: a solid bat at .399 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.474).
- Yordan Alvarez (HOU) (87) vs RHP Sean Burke: an excellent bat at .506 into an arm tough on the same side (.276), hot bat.
- Ronald Acuña Jr. (ATL) (83) vs LHP Cristopher Sánchez: a league-average bat at .364 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.422), due to bounce back.
- Bryce Harper (PHI) (81) vs RHP Tyler Mahle: a solid bat at .400 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.632).
- Dustin Harris (SD) (77) vs RHP Kevin Gausman: a solid bat at .385 into an arm giving up bases to the same side (.360).
- Kyle Schwarber (PHI) (74) vs RHP Tyler Mahle: a league-average bat at .337 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.632).
Arms giving up extra bases today
- RHP Tyler Mahle has been vulnerable to righties — .394 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Bryce Harper (PHI), Kyle Schwarber (PHI), and Bryson Stott (PHI).
- RHP Nick Pivetta has been vulnerable to righties — .391 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Alex Bregman (CHC), Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC), and Seiya Suzuki (CHC).
- RHP Kevin Gausman has been vulnerable to righties — .390 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD), Dustin Harris (SD), and Ty France (SD).
- LHP Cristopher Sánchez has been vulnerable to lefties — .385 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Ronald Acuña Jr. (ATL), Ozzie Albies (ATL), and Mauricio Dubón (ATL).
Platoon edges to target
- Yordan Alvarez (HOU) — lefty bat vs RHP, .516 against righties this year.
- Ronald Acuña Jr. (ATL) — righty bat vs LHP, .352 against lefties this year.
- Bryce Harper (PHI) — lefty bat vs RHP, .485 against righties this year.
- Dustin Harris (SD) — lefty bat vs RHP, .364 against righties this year.
- Kyle Schwarber (PHI) — lefty bat vs RHP, .409 against righties this year.
How it played out
3 of the top 10 total bases matchups landed at least one 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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