Best MLB Total Bases Matchups — Saturday, October 3, 2026
Top total bases spot: Fernando Tatis Jr.
Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Jacob Misiorowski. The righty is racking up bases at .392 TB/PA against righties this year — and .476 over the last two weeks, a solid bat that turns into a total base in about 40% of his trips. And Jacob Misiorowski has been thin against righties lately. 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 owned Jacob Misiorowski too — .667 across 3 career trips. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Ben Rice (NYY) (99) vs RHP Drew Rasmussen: a strong bat at .442 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD) (97) vs RHP the starter: a solid bat at .370 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Matt Olson (ATL) (91) vs LHP Tarik Skubal: a strong bat at .424 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Drake Baldwin (ATL) (88) vs LHP Tarik Skubal: a league-average bat at .360 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Dustin Harris (SD) (87) vs RHP Jacob Misiorowski: a solid bat at .382 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Victor Mesa Jr. (TB) (86) vs RHP Gerrit Cole: a solid bat at .370 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.429).
- Angel Martínez (CLE) (84) vs LHP Hagen Smith: a solid bat at .370 into an arm tough on the same side (.250), due to bounce back.
Arms giving up extra bases today
- RHP Gerrit Cole has been vulnerable to righties — .382 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Victor Mesa Jr. (TB), Jonathan Aranda (TB), and Liam Hicks (TB).
- LHP Robbie Ray has been giving up bases to lefties — .365 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Jackson Chourio (MIL), Garrett Mitchell (MIL), and Jake Bauers (MIL).
- RHP Jacob Misiorowski has been giving up bases to righties — .360 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD), Dustin Harris (SD), and Ty France (SD).
- RHP Drew Rasmussen has been giving up bases to righties — .360 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Ben Rice (NYY), Cody Bellinger (NYY), and Luis García Jr. (NYY).
Platoon edges to target
- Ben Rice (NYY) — lefty bat vs RHP, .484 against righties this year.
- Dustin Harris (SD) — lefty bat vs RHP, .364 against righties this year.
- Ronald Acuña Jr. (ATL) — righty bat vs LHP, .352 against lefties this year.
- Miguel Vargas (CWS) — righty bat vs LHP, .438 against lefties this year.
- Cody Bellinger (NYY) — lefty bat vs RHP, .379 against righties 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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