Issue #608
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 was pretty full for a Monday, with ten games around MLB. Here are the results (link to all game box scores):
ARI 7, BAL 9 - This game had seven homers in it! BAL SP Dean Kremer had 9 K in 5 IP, but he also allowed 3 HRs, including two by Ketel Marte and one by Nolan Arenado. The D-Backs were up 4-1 when Arenado struck again, hitting a 3-run HR in the sixth off Albert Suárez. That gave them a 7-1 lead, with ARI SP Ryne Nelson having pitched well through five innings. He came out in the sixth, but reliever Taylor Rashi gave up a grand slam to Jeremiah Jackson. With the score 7-6, the Orioles took the lead with a 2-run HR by Pete Alonso in the bottom of the seventh inning. Then they added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth, as Jackson hit a second HR. Ultimately, Baltimore closer Ryan Helsley struck out two in the ninth and earned his fifth save.
LAA 10, NYY 11 - This game also had seven HR in it! It was a wild one, with the lead going back and forth several times, and literally ended in a wild way. The Yankees got things going against LAA SP Yusei Kikuchi with a 2-run HR by Aaron Judge in the first inning, and then a 2-run HR by José Caballero in the second also. The Angels got to Will Warren (3.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) in the fourth inning and tied the game 4-4. Trent Grisham hit a 3-run HR for New York in the bottom of the fifth, but then Mike Trout came right back with a 3-run HR in the top of the sixth. Judge then hit his second HR of the day to put the Yankees back on top 8-7. The Angels tied it in the seventh, and the battle between 3-time MVPs wasn't over, as Trout hit a 2-run HR in the eighth. The Angels had a 10-8 lead, but Paul Blackburn came in for the ninth and kept the Angels from scoring further. Los Angeles brought in closer Jordan Romano, and he allowed another HR to Grisham which tied the game 10-10. Caballero hit a double, the Yankees got him to third, and Romano threw a wild pitch that ended the game and snapped New York's five-game losing streak.
WSH 5, PIT 16 - C.J. Abrams hit a HR in the top of the first, but that would be the only hit PIT SP Paul Skenes would give up over six innings (6 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K). José Urquidy continue to struggle in relief (1 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 0 K), including giving up a 2-run HR to Jacob Young. But it didn't matter, as the Bucs' bats showed up big-time with 16 hits and 16 runs. They did most of their damage with 4 runs in the second inning and a whopping 10 runs in the sixth. Brandon Lowe went 3-5 with a HR and 5 RBI; Spencer Horwitz went 2-4 with a walk and a HR; Oneil Cruz went 2-3 with 2 walks, 3 runs, and 3 RBI; and Bryan Reynolds was 3-4 with a triple and 4 RBI.
CHC 7, PHI 13 - PHI SP Cristopher Sánchez gave up a 2-run HR to Dansby Swanson in the fourth inning, but otherwise pitched well (6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 K). The Cubs added five more runs in the eighth, but that wasn't nearly enough as the Phillies were relentless on offense with 15 hits, with 13 runs scored in six different innings. They particularly roughed up CHC SP Javier Assad (4.1 IP, 11 H, 9 ER, 2 BB, 3 K), with Kyle Schwarber leading the way going 2-3 with a walk, 2 HR, 4 runs, and 3 RBI. Brandon Marsh went 3-4 with a walk, a double, 2 runs, and 2 RBI; Adolis García went 2-4 with a double and 2 runs; and J.T. Realmuto went 3-5 with 3 RBI.
HOU 2, SEA 6
MIA 10, ATL 4
BOS 6, MIN 13
CLE 9, STL 3
TEX 8, ATH 1
NYM 0, LAD 4
First Prize Winner for April!
One of the benefits for readers who are All Star subscribers of The Baseball Buffet is the chance to win a monthly drawing for baseball memorabilia from their favorite team. This is new for 2026, and so far I have had seven drawings of lucky winners from January to March.
For April, the first winner is Mark E. of Annapolis, Maryland. He is a Red Sox fan, so as shown in the photo below, here is what he will be getting soon in the mail:
Fenway Park, by James Buckley Jr. - book plus stadium model
1973 Luis Tiant 7-Eleven cup
2000 Pedro Martinez Starting Lineup figure
2013 For Boston commemorative book from The Boston Globe
Roger Clemens card plaque
(6) 1984 Fun Foods Buttons
(9) different oversized cards
(6) different 1980s team stickers
Donruss Carl Yastrzemski puzzle
(2) Carlton Fisk cards (1981 and 1980 Topps)
(46) all different Wade Boggs cards
(46) all different Roger Clemens cards
(34) all different Dwight Evans cards
(29) all different Jim Rice cards
(20) all different Nomar Garciaparra cards
... and a few other miscellaneous items!
Today’s Trivia Question
One of today's Birthday Boys (see below) is David Justice. He won the NL Rookie of the Year Award in 1990, almost unanimously. Which player who hit .289 and had 42 SB that year earned the only first-place vote that Justice didn't receive? And second question: Who was the unanimous 1990 AL Rookie of the Year award winner?
(Trivia answers are provided for paid All-Star subscribers of the Baseball Buffet.)
🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉
Greg Maddux, Pete Rose, David Justice
Currently active players who were born on April 14 include HOU Roddery Muñoz, ATL Rolddy Muñoz, and Jacob Barnes (free agent).
Today’s Matchups
Today we have a standard Tuesday full slate (15) of games. These matchups seem particularly interesting (see also full list):
KCR Cole Ragans vs. DET Framber Valdez - Ragans has been inconsistent so far, as has Valdez in that he had two good starts and then his last one was a struggle.
TOR Kevin Gausman vs. MIL Jacob Misiorowski - two good pitchers for two teams that figure to be in the hunt all year
TBR Shane McClanahan vs. CWS Noah Schultz - McClanahan is solid, and this is the debut for White Sox prospect Noah Schultz
SEA Bryan Woo vs. SDP Michael King - two good pitchers and a good series between the Padres who are doing well so far this year and the Mariners who are rebounding after a slow start
TEX MacKenzie Gore vs. ATH Jeffrey Springs - to starters who are doing well so far this year
NYM Nolan McLean vs. LAD Yoshinobu Yamamoto - perhaps the headline game of the day, with a great pitching matchup
These hurlers are also throwing today: BAL Trevor Rogers, PIT Mitch Keller, SFG Robbie Ray, PHI Aaron Nola, ATL Reynaldo Lopez, and Sonny Gray.
Baseball Quote of the Day
One of today's Birthday Boys (see above) is Hall of Famer Greg Maddux, so here are some good quotes from him:
"Consistency is something you can always improve on. You can be more consistent with your mental approach, the things you do physically on the mound. Instead of doing 5 good pitches an inning, try to make six. You can always do more of what you are doing well and try to be as consistent as you can be."
"I could probably throw harder if I wanted, but why? When they're in a jam, a lot of pitchers...try to throw harder. Me, I try to locate better."
"I try to do two things: locate my fastball and change speeds. That's it. I try to keep as simple as possible. I just throw my fastball (to) both sides of the plate and change speed every now and then. There is no special food or anything like that, I just try to make quality pitches and try to be prepared each time I go out there."
"When people say (nice) things you take them as compliments and it's nice, but it won't help you win your next game. The thing I am trying to keep in mind is that relying on my past performance will not make me win my next game, it'll only get in my way."
"You play the game to win the World Series. Cy Young's are nice, they really are. They're great and I'm proud of them...but easily the biggest thing I've accomplished is getting that World Series ring."
⚾ 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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