Best MLB Total Bases Matchups — Monday, October 5, 2026
Top total bases spot: José Ramírez
José Ramírez (CLE) tops the board at 100, facing LHP Anthony Kay. The righty is racking up bases at .408 TB/PA against lefties this year — and .429 over the last two weeks, a solid bat that turns into a total base in about 39% of his trips. And Anthony Kay has been vulnerable to lefties lately — .417 total bases per batter faced. The bullpen behind him is roughly average to that side. He's hitting in a spot worth about 4.5 trips, so the volume's there. He's just .000 in 4 career PA against Anthony Kay, 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
- Ben Rice (NYY) (94) vs RHP Freddy Peralta: a strong bat at .442 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Jo Adell (CLE) (94) vs LHP Anthony Kay: a strong bat at .425 into an arm vulnerable to the same side (.417).
- Angel Martínez (CLE) (92) vs LHP Anthony Kay: a strong bat at .448 into an arm vulnerable to the same side (.417), due to bounce back.
- Munetaka Murakami (CWS) (90) vs RHP Gavin Williams: a strong bat at .452 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.500).
- Chase Meidroth (CWS) (83) vs RHP Gavin Williams: a league-average bat at .364 into an arm tough on the same side (.130), hot bat.
- Yandy Díaz (TB) (78) vs RHP Cam Schlittler: a solid bat at .390 into an arm giving up bases to the same side (.353).
- Randal Grichuk (CWS) (74) vs RHP Gavin Williams: a league-average bat at .359 into an arm tough on the same side (.130).
Arms giving up extra bases today
- LHP Anthony Kay has been vulnerable to lefties — .388 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: José Ramírez (CLE), Jo Adell (CLE), and Angel Martínez (CLE).
- RHP Gavin Williams has been giving up bases to righties — .366 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Munetaka Murakami (CWS), Chase Meidroth (CWS), and Randal Grichuk (CWS).
- RHP Freddy Peralta 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).
- RHP Cam Schlittler has been mostly containing righties — .338 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Yandy Díaz (TB), Junior Caminero (TB), and Jonathan Aranda (TB).
Platoon edges to target
- José Ramírez (CLE) — righty bat vs LHP, .408 against lefties this year.
- Ben Rice (NYY) — lefty bat vs RHP, .484 against righties this year.
- Jo Adell (CLE) — righty bat vs LHP, .539 against lefties this year.
- Angel Martínez (CLE) — righty bat vs LHP, .493 against lefties this year.
- Munetaka Murakami (CWS) — lefty bat vs RHP, .435 against righties this year.
Lineup watch
36 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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