Issue #607
The goal with The Baseball Buffet series is to provide the best daily dose of relevant baseball info in a smart-brevity format (mostly short bullets, getting to the point, with quick analysis/insights.) Think of it like what baseball fans of a certain age would look forward to in their morning newspaper’s sports section each day!
⚾ Welcome! ⚾
[Note: The below are some appetizers from today’s full Baseball Buffet newsletter. Paid subscribers receive the full edition. Upgrade now at 30% off the annual rate!]
Yesterday again featured a full slate of 15 games. Here are the results (link to all game box scores):
MIA 2, DET 8 - What could have been a great pitcher's duel ended up one-sided, with only one starter doing well: DET SP Tarik Skubal (6.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K). MIA SP Sandy Alcantara allowed a 3-run HR to Dillon Dingler in the bottom of the first, and then additional homers later to Kerry Carpenter and rookie Kevin McGonigle, the first of his MLB career.
TEX 5, LAD 2 - Shohei Ohtani greeted TEX SP Jacob deGrom with a HR to lead off the bottom of the first. But Jacob deGrom settled in after that and did well (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 9 K), while LAD SP Roki Sasaki was inconsistent again (4 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 6 K). Evan Carter went 1-3 with 2 walks and a HR, Josh Jung was 2-3 with 2 walks, a double, and 2 runs, and Jakob Junis struck out two in the ninth to secure his third save.
CLE 1, ATL 13 - ATL SP Chris Sale scattered eight hits over six innings, allowing a solo HR to Rhys Hoskins (6 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K). Dylan Dodd gave the rest of the Braves bullpen a rest by keeping the Guardians off the board for a 3-inning save. Meanwhile, the Braves hitters roughed up both CLE SP Tanner Bibbee (4.2 IP, 11 H, 8 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) and Kolby Allard (3 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 1 K). They had 19 total hits, though only one HR from Dominic Smith in the fourth inning. Jorge Mateo went 4-4 with 2 runs; Mauricio Dubón went 3-4 with a double, 2 runs, and 2 RBI; Ozzie Albies went 3-4 with 2 runs; and Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson, and Austin Riley had two hits apiece.
NYY 4, TBR 5 - TBR SP Drew Rasmussen was outstanding (6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K), and the Rays scored three in the first two innings against NYY SP Cam Schlittler (5 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 8 K). Down 5-2 through eight, Aaron Judge hit a 2-run HR in the top of the ninth, but Rays reliever Mason Englert recovered and closed it out for his first save of the season.
PIT 6, CHC 7
SFG 2, BAL 6
ARI 4, PHI 3
MIN 8, TOR 2
LAA 9, CIN 6
ATH 1, NYM 0
CWS 6, KCR 5
WSH 8, MIL 6
BOS 9, STL 3
COL 2, SDP 7
HOU 1, SEA 6
RIP, Phil Garner
As noted in two articles at MLB by Jason Mackey and Brian McTaggart, Phil Garner passed away Saturday at 76 years old, following a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. Garner had a 16-year major league playing career, mostly as a 2B and 3B for the Astros, Pirates, and Athletics. A three-time All-Star, he hit .293 with 17 SB and 11 HR for the 1979 World Series Champion Pirates. He later was a long-time major league manager, from 1992-2007, for the Brewers, Tigers, and Astros.
Today’s Trivia Question
One of today's Birthday Boys (see below) is old-timer Herman Long. He played for Boston in the NL from 1890-1902—the franchise that later became the Milwaukee Braves and ultimately the Atlanta Braves. Long is the franchise's all-time leader in stolen bases with 434. The next four on the franchise's all-time SB leaderboard are all old-timers also: Hugh Duffy, Billy Hamilton, Bobby Lowe, and Fred Tenney. The sixth highest has 240 SB and played for the franchise more recently than those top five did... can you name him?
(Trivia answers are provided for paid All-Star subscribers of the Baseball Buffet.)
🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉
Row 1: Lorenzo Cain, Herman Long, Hunter Pence
Row 2: Claude Hendrix, Dewey Creacy
A currently active player who was born on April 13 is CHC Edward Cabrera.
Today’s Matchups
As is typical for a Monday, a bit lighter on games today (10). Here are some interesting matchups (see also full list):
HOU Mike Burrows vs. SEA George Kirby - game four of this long AL West series between two under-performing clubs
WSH Cade Cavalli vs. PIT Paul Skenes - The Pirates have been impressive so far this year, and Skenes is always worth watching
NYM David Peterson vs. LAD Justin Wrobleski - game one of a series between two big payroll clubs
Also toeing the rubber today are PHI Cristopher Sánchez, BOS Garrett Crochet, and TEX Nathan Eovaldi.
Baseball Quote of the Day
One of today's Birthday Boys (see above) is Lorenzo Cain, so here is a good line from him:
"I guess I'll stay with robbing home runs." (On whether he prefers robbing a home run or hitting one).
See also this article by Anne Rogers at MLB from 2023: Cain takes Royal walk down memory lane.
⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾
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The above was just some highlights from today’s full Baseball Buffet. Paid All Star subscribers receive all of the following, every day:
Game summaries for every game
Current MLB standings
Notable player transactions… injuries, call-ups, free agent signings, trades, etc.
Rotating statistical leader lists
Current hitting streaks of seven or more games
On this day in baseball history…
Career summaries for each of The Birthday Boys
Daily Hitter Watch and Pitcher Watch lists - who has historically done well or poorly against their matchup today?
Good Reads… my favorite recent baseball articles from other writers
… and the answers to the daily trivia questions!
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Did you know? I wrote a 600+ page book with the same title as this newsletter/blog? Now Taking the Field: Baseball’s All-Time Dream Teams for All 30 Franchises was published in early 2019, by ACTA Sports. It is available at Amazon and most other major booksellers.
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