Issue #612
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 for just 14 cents a day!]
Yesterday featured a full slate of Friday games (15). Here are the results (link to all game box scores):
SDP 0, LAA 8 - The Padres were on an eight-game winning streak, but then they ran into arguably this year’s best pitcher so far. LAA SP José Soriano continued his outstanding start to the year (5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 8 K), as he tossed 5.2 shutout innings and lowered his ERA to 0.28 over 32.2 IP. Three Angels relievers combined for the shutout, while SDP SP Matt Waldron struggled in his 2026 debut (3.2 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 4 K). Yoán Moncada and Josh Lowe each had a HR, and Nolan Schanuel went 3-5.
DET 0, BOS 1 (10) - This one was a pitcher's duel between DET SP Casey Mize (6.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K) and BOS SP Ranger Suárez (8 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K). It remained scoreless through nine, and Garrett Whitlock held back the Tigers in the top of the tenth. Detroit's Will Vest wasn't able to do the same, as Masataka Yoshida hit a walk-off, one-out single to drive in Jarren Duran.
MIL 7, MIA 5 (10) - The Brewers scored first with three runs in the top of the third, and MIL SP Coleman Crow did pretty well in his MLB debut (5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K). Down 4-1, Otto Lopez hit a 2-run HR for the Marlins in the bottom of the sixth. Augustín Ramírez hit a one-out double in the eighth that drove in Xavier Edwards to tie the game 4-4, and eventually force extras. Having already used Pete Fairbanks, the Marlins brought in Calvin Faucher, but he loaded the bases and one run scored on a fielder's choice, and then two came across on a double by Garrett Mitchell. Milwaukee's closer Trevor Megill allowed the freebie Manfred Man to score, but struck out two and closed out the game for his fourth save.
NYM 4, CHC 12 - CHC SP Edward Cabrera didn't dominate (6 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K), but he didn't have to, as the Cubs scored six in the first two innings off NYM SP Kodai Senga (3.1 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 3 K). Sean Manaea came in later and provided innings, but also gave up a bunch of runs (4 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K). Nico Hoerner went 3-5 with a HR, Moisés Ballesteros was 2-2 with a 3-run HR, and Ian Happ hit his fifth HR of the year. The Mets have now lost nine in a row, and are tied for the worst record in baseball.
BAL 6, CLE 4
ATL 9, PHI 0
SFG 10, WSH 5
TBR 1, PIT 5
KCR 2, NYY 4
CIN 2, MIN 1
STL 9, HOU 4
LAD 7, COL 1
TOR 3, ARI 6
CWS 9, ATH 2
TEX 5, SEA 0
RIP, Garret Anderson
The baseball world received the sad news of the untimely passing of Garret Anderson at age 53 from a heart attack. See the article by Anthony Castrovince at MLB, which includes a video segment from MLB Now about Anderson. He had a 17-year major league career, mostly as a LF with the Angels. He led the AL with 56 doubles in 2002 and then 49 doubles the next season. He hit 25+ HR with 115+ RBI in four consecutive years, with a high of 35 HR in 2000. A three-time All-Star, Anderson overall had 287 HR, 1,365 RBI, and a .293/.324/.461 slash line.
Today’s Trivia Question
One of today's Birthday Boys (see below) is Sam Crawford, the all-time leader in triples with 309. Players don't hit triples nearly as frequently as they did 100+ years ago. Can you name the two players who are tied for the lead in triples amongst active players? And how close can you get to guessing how many career triples they each have?
(Trivia answers are provided for paid All-Star subscribers of the Baseball Buffet.)
🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉
Miguel Cabrera, Sam Crawford, Duffy Lewis, Steve Blass
Currently active players who were born on April 18 include DET Jake Rogers, KCR Stephen Kolek, SEA Jhonny Pereda, and Anthony DeSclafani (free agent).
Today’s Matchups
A typical Saturday with a full slate of games (15). Here are some interesting matchups (see also full list):
TBR Drew Rasmussen vs. PIT Paul Skenes - Rasmussen has a 1.13 ERA and 0.56 WHIP in his first three starts... and Skenes is always worth watching.
MIL Brandon Woodruff vs. MIA Sandy Alcantara - two solid pitchers here
TEX Nathan Eovaldi vs. SEA George Kirby - Eovaldi has recovered and done well in his last two starts, and Kirby is back to not walking guys with only 1 walk in his last two games (15.2 IP)
ATL Chris Sale vs. PHI Cristopher Sánchez - probably today's biggest matchup of aces
TOR Max Scherzer vs. ARI Zac Gallen - could be a good matchup if both pitchers on their game
Other hurlers on the hill today include MIN Taj Bradley, NYM Freddy Peralta, DET Tarik Skubal, and CLE Gavin Williams.
Baseball Quote of the Day
One of today's Birthday Boys (see above) is the great Miguel Cabrera, so here are a few quotes from him:
"I'm the kind of guy who, if I look inside and they throw me a fastball outside, and it's a strike, I'm going to swing. Everything in the strike zone, I'm going to swing. Doesn't matter if it's a fastball, changeup, breaking ball. If it's in the strike zone and it's something you like, you've got to swing."
"Doesn't matter what people say, doesn't matter what they are going to say about you. You gotta go out there and play your game."
"High expectations don't bother me at all."
"If you go to a game nervous, you make a mistake."
⚾ 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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