The Baseball Buffet for 4/19/2025

Issue #250

What follows is a new feature for 2025 at Now Taking the Field. 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! Let me know what you think of each issue… leave a comment on the post or send me an email at [email protected].

⚾ Welcome! ⚾

The 23rd day of the season included a full slate (15) of games scheduled:

• AZ 11, CHC 13 - This turned into a wild one, with 33 hits and 24 runs in all. It started out with Corbin Burnes only allowing 2 ER in 6 IP, and Colin Rea only allowing 1 ER in 4.2 IP. But then some members of each bullpen really struggled with just about every hitter getting in on the action. Arizona had HR from Eugenio Suarez (grand slam) and Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Chicago had two HR from Carson Kelly, and one each from Ian Happ (grand slam), Kyle Tucker, and Seiya Suzuki.

• MIA 2, PHI 7 - Marlins 1B Eric Wagaman hit his second HR of the year, but otherwise Zack Wheeler was outstanding (7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 13 K). Two Phillies sluggers hit HR as Bryce Harper had his fifth of the year, and Kyle Schwarber had his seventh.

• KCR 3, DET 7 - Detroit rookie Jackson Jobe (5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 5 K) won the pitching matchup against Cole Ragans (4 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 8 K). In addition, the Royals really struggled to do much with their many baserunners, as they had 10 hits and 6 walks but went 2-13 with runners in scoring position and left 14 runners on base.

• CLE 10, PIT 7 - The Pirates got HR from Oneil Cruz (his third in three consecutive games), Bryan Reynolds, and Enmanuel Valdez, but the Guardians outhit them overall 14-11, including six doubles and a HR from Bo Naylor. Other than the HR to Cruz, former Pirate Luis Ortiz pitched well (5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 8 K).

• CIN 8, BAL 3 - Cedric Mullins and Heston Kjerstad homered for the Orioles, but that was all they could muster as Reds starter Andrew Abbott pitched very well (6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 K) and Alexis Diaz closed things out in the ninth. Cincinnati scored most of their runs from HR by Elly De La Cruz, Jeimer Candelario, and Matt McLain.

• NYY 1, TBR 0 - Only 8 hits in this one as both Drew Rasmussen (5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 7 K) and Carlos Rodon (6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 9 K) pitched well. The lone run came in the second inning when Trent Grisham singled to center to drive in Paul Goldschmidt.

• SEA 1, TOR 3 - Rowdy Tellez homered for Seattle, but Bowden Francis otherwise pitched well (6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 5 K) and Toronto’s bullpen shut out the Mariners the rest of the way with Jeff Hoffman earning his fifth save.

• STL 4, NYM 5 - The lead went back and forth in this one, including the Cardinals tying it in the top of the ninth before Francisco Lindor hit a walk-off HR for the Mets win. Mark Vientos had homered earlier in the game, and for St. Louis Brendan Donovan went 2-4 with a HR, extending his MLB-leading 14-game hitting streak.

• CHW 3, BOS 10 - Andrew Benintendi hit a HR, but Hunter Dobbins was otherwise very good (6 IP, 3 H 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K) in the second major league start of his career. Boston had 8 extra-bases hits, including HR from Ceddanne Rafaela and Carlos Narvaez, plus two HR from Trevor Story who went 3-4 with 6 RBI.

• MIN 4, ATL 6 - Chris Paddack pitched well (5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) and the Twins jumped out to an early 4-1 lead through five innings. But the Braves showed some life and scored five runs in the bottom of the 8th, and their closer Raisel Iglesias notched his third save of the year.

• LAD 3, TEX 0 - Jacob deGrom pitched very well (7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K), and the Rangers outhit the Dodgers 7-5, they just couldn’t put any runs on the board. Yoshinobu Yamamoto was dominant (7 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K), and Kirby Yates and Tanner Scott completed the shutout, with Scott earning his seventh save. Tommy Edman continued his power surge in 2025, hitting his seventh HR while batting out of the leadoff spot in this one.

• SDP 4, HOU 6 - Each team had 12 hits, but the Astros got the win after Cam Smith hit two homers, and Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader shut the Padres down in the 8th and 9th.

• ATH 3, MIL 5 - The Athletics outhit the Brewers 10-8, but Freddy Peralta scattered the seven hits he allowed (5 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 5 K) and Brewers hitters were productive with Brice Turang scoring three times and Christian Yelich driving in three.

• SFG 0, LAA 2 - Logan Webb pitched well (6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 12 K) but was tagged with the loss as Tyler Anderson (6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 6 K) and three Angels relievers combined to shutout the Giants.

• WAS vs. COL - postponed

Today’s Trivia Question

Who currently leads the majors in RBI? Hint... Aaron Judge is second with 22, and Kyle Tucker, Elly De La Cruz, and Pete Alonso are tied for third with 21 each.

Who’s on the move?

In this section I won’t list 26th-man moves, or every time a team shuttles relievers back and forth to AAA to keep a stock of fresh arms in the bullpen. I’ll focus on the biggest, more impactful demotions, promotions, and injury list changes (for a full list, see all the latest MLB transactions).

➕ Starting Rehab Assignment

• MIN RP Michael Tonkin

• STL SS Masyn Winn

• MIL SP Brandon Woodruff

🤕 Placed on the IL

• MIA OF Derek Hill - 10-day IL (left wrist sprain)

• TBR OF Richie Palacios - 10-day IL (right knee sprain)

• DET RP Beau Brieske - 15-day IL (right ankle inflammation)

🚼 Placed on the Paternity List

• LAD TWP Shohei Ohtani

• CIN SP Nick Lodolo

League Leaders

New section! Now that we are about 20 games into the season, I’ll start to rotate through the current league leaders in various categories. Yesterday I covered HR, today it is pitching ERA:

• 0.77 - TOR Chris Bassitt

• 0.87 - TBR Drew Rasmussen

• 0.93 - LAD Yoshinobu Yamamoto

• 0.98 - CIN Hunter Greene

• 1.38 - BOS Garrett Crochet

• 1.50 - HOU Hunter Brown

• 1.57 - SDP Nick Pivetta

• 1.74 - SDP Randy Vásquez

• 1.85 - WAS Mitchell Parker

• 1.88 - KCR Kris Bubic

• 1.88 - NYY Max Fried

The leaderboards for ratios and averages can change quickly early in the season. Yesterday we had Rasmussen and Yamamoto pitching from the above list, and today we’ll be watching Greene and Crochet.

On this day in baseball history…

Here is what stands out to me for this day in baseball history (for a longer list, see the feature at the Baseball Almanac or the Bullpen feature at Baseball-Reference.com):

📅 On April 19…

• 1890: Brooklyn plays their first National League game. According to baseball-reference.com, “The Brooklyn Bridegrooms, who will later be known as the Dodgers, play their first National League game. At South End Grounds, the former American Association club loses to the host Boston Beaneaters, 15-9. Brooklyn will go on to win the pennant in their first season in a new league, following their title in a different major league the previous season.”

• 1960: Roger makes his Yankees debut. After being traded from the Kansas City Athletics to the New York Yankees as part of a seven-player deal, Roger Maris makes his Yankees debut, getting four hits, including two home runs, against the Boston Red Sox.

• 1997: First Major League game played in Hawaii. According to baseball-reference.com, “A major league game is played in Hawaii for the first time. The San Diego Padres, who gave up three home games to further baseball relations and to allow renovations at Jack Murphy Stadium, play host for a doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals at spacious Aloha Stadium. The Cardinals win both games, 1-0 and 2-1.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Joe Mauer (1983) is a recently named Hall of Famer who was born in St. Paul, Minnesota and went on to play his entire 15-year career with the Twins. A six-time All-Star, he was a high-average hitter, winning three batting titles and retiring with a .306/.388/.439 slash line and 124 OPS. He was a good defensive catcher, winning three consecutive Gold Glove Awards before moving to 1B later in his career. His best season came in 2009 when he won the AL MVP Award after hitting 28 HR with 96 RBI and leading the AL with a .365 average, .444 OBP, and .587 SLG.

• Bucky Walters (1909) played 19 seasons from 1931-48, plus one more game in 1950. He started out as a position player, mostly 3B, for the Boston Braves and Boston Red Sox, before becoming a pitcher with the Phillies and Reds. Initially he was fairly average for a pitcher, but then in 1939 for Cincinnati he won the NL Pitching Triple Crown with a 27-11 record, 2.29 ERA, and 137 strikeouts. That earned him the NL MVP Award and he led the Reds to the World Series, though they were swept by the Yankees in four games. The following year he again led the NL with a 22-10 record and 2.48 ERA, and the Reds again went to the World Series, this time beating the Tigers in seven games, with Walters pitching two complete games with 18 IP, 8 H, and only 3 ER. A six-time All-Star, he would lead the NL in wins one more time with a 23-8 mark in 1944, and eventually retire with a 3.30 ERA and 116 ERA+.

• Frank Viola (1960) was a star pitcher for the Twins in the 1980s and also for the Mets in the early 1990s. He won 16-18 games each year from 1984-87, and then had his career year in 1988 going 24-7 with a 2.64 ERA to earn the AL Cy Young Award. A 3-time All-Star, Viola’s best season with the Mets came in 1990 when he went 20-12 with a 2.67 ERA. After 15 seasons he retired with a 3.73 ERA and 112 ERA+.

• Whitey Kurowski (1918) was a 3B who played from 1941-49 and was an All-Star four times. His two best seasons came in 1945 when he hit 21 HR with 102 RBI and a .323 average, and in 1947 when he hit 27 HR with 104 RBI and a .310 average. Arm and elbow injuries forced an early retirement at only age 31. Born George John Kurowski, he got the nickname “Whitey” as a kid because of his already white hair.

• José Cruz Jr. (1974) was the son of longtime Astros star José Cruz and was the 1st-round draft pick (3rd overall) of the Seattle Mariners in 1995. He was traded to the Blue Jays for two pitchers just before the deadline in 1997, and went on to hit 31 HR in 2000 and 34 HR in 2001, also stealing 32 bases that year. A good fielder, he earned an NL Gold Glove Award in his one season with the Giants in 2003. During his 12-year career he played for nine different teams, and retired with 204 HR.

• Jackson Merrill (2003) turns only 22 today but has already become one of the game’s star players. The Padres drafted him in the first round in 2021 (27th overall), and he quickly worked his way through the minors. In 2024 he was an All-Star and hit 24 HR with 16 SB and a .292/.326/.500 slash line, earning him second place in the NL Rookie of the Year vote.

Today’s Matchups

A typical Saturday with a full slate of games (15), so lots of possibilities. Some games that jump out to me are:

• AZ vs. CHC will be interesting after the 13-11 game yesterday. Each team is no doubt hoping for a quality start (Zac Gallen vs. Ben Brown) to help their bullpens out a bit.

• LAD vs. TEX is an interesting matchup, with Roki Sasaki vs. Nathan Eovaldi. Sasaki has had control issues and has only pitched five innings in one of his four starts so far (his most recent one). Eovaldi on the other hand has been very solid, with a 2.55 ERA over 24.2 IP, with only 16 hits allowed, and a 24-2 K-to-BB ratio.

• CLE vs. PIT is automatically interesting with Paul Skenes pitching (2.96 ERA, 24.1 IP, 15 H, 3 BB, 26 K).

Other big pitching names throwing today include SEA Logan Gilbert, NYM Kodai Senga, CIN Hunter Greene, TBR Shane Baz, BOS Garrett Crochet, SDP Michael King, and ATL Chris Sale.

HR Watch

Predicting who might hit a HR on any given day is a challenge. But here are a few to consider based on opposing SP past performance:

• PHI Kyle Schwarber, only 3-16 with 7 K, but all three hits were HR vs. MIA Cal Quantrill

• SFG LaMonte Wade, 4-11 with 2 HR vs. LAA Kyle Hendricks

• TBR Brandon Lowe, 4-10 with 2 HR, a triple, and a double vs. NYY Carlos Carrasco

• TOR Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 5-13 with 2 HR and a double vs. SEA Logan Gilbert

• SEA Rowdy Tellez, small sample but is 3-8 with 2 HR vs. TOR José Berríos

Hits Watch

If you play MLB’s Beat the Streak mobile game, or otherwise bet on/parlay players to collect hits, I’ll try to provide some good options in this section. In addition to the HR Watch guys listed above, here are some others to consider based on opposing SP past performance:

• KCR Salvador Perez, 12-25 with a HR and 2 doubles vs. DET Casey Mize

• LAD Teoscar Hernández, 6-16 with a HR, a triple, and 2 doubles vs. TEX Nathan Eovaldi

• PIT Tommy Pham, 5-12 with a HR and a double vs. CLE Ben Lively

• DET Javier Báez, 5-14 with a HR and a triple vs. KCR Seth Lugo

• MIL Brice Turang, small sample but is 5-9 with two doubles vs. ATH Luis Severino

• KCR Bobby Witt Jr., small sample but is 4-8 with a HR and a triple vs. DET Casey Mize

Who is streaking?

These are players on active hit streaks and who for this reason might also be interesting picks to get a hit today:

• 14 - STL Brendan Donovan

• 11 - MIL William Contreras

• 11 - AZ Corbin Carroll

• 11 - MIA Xavier Edwards

• 11 - KCR Bobby Witt Jr

• 9 - HOU Jeremy Pena

• 8 - TOR Anthony Santander

• 7 - NYM Francisco Lindor

• 7 - SDP Fernando Tatis Jr.

Who might struggle today?

Betting against any given player to not get a hit is tough, as guys in the starting lineup get at least one hit in a game more often than not. That said, here are some guys who clearly have struggled against their opposing SP today:

• SFG Mike Yastrzemski, 1-13 with 4 K (though the hit was a HR) vs. LAA Kyle Hendricks

• SFG Wilmer Flores, 3-21 with 3 K vs. LAA Kyle Hendricks

• LAD Shohei Ohtani, 2-17 with 5 K vs. TEX Nathan Eovaldi

• LAD Michael Conforto, 1-11 with 2 K vs. TEX Nathan Eovaldi

• MIA Jesús Sánchez, 2-18 with 5 K vs. PHI Taijuan Walker

• CHC Justin Turner, 3-18 with 9 K vs. AZ Zac Gallen

• CHC Dansby Swanson, 1-11 with 3 K vs. AZ Zac Gallen

• MIN Byron Buxton, 3-18 with 9 K (though a HR and a double) vs. ATL Chris Sale

• SEA J.P. Crawford, 2-14 with 6 K vs. TOR José Berríos

• SEA Jorge Polanco, 2-16 with 6 K (though one HR) vs. TOR José Berríos

• PHI Max Kepler, 3-20 with 4 K (though one hit was a HR) vs. MIA Cal Quantrill

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾

Today’s Trivia Answer

Who currently leads the majors in RBI? As noted, sluggers Aaron Judge is second with 22, and Kyle Tucker, Elly De La Cruz, and Pete Alonso are tied for third with 21 each. The leader is currently Wilmer Flores of the Giants, who has been mostly a DH this year and although only hitting .223 has 6 HR and 23 RBI.

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