Issue #613
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 Saturday games (15). Here are the results (link to all game box scores):
TBR 8, PIT 7 (13) - This was a wild one, for many reasons. The Pirates scored two runs from a Ryan O'Hearn HR in the bottom of the first. PIT SP Paul Skenes did well (4 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K), but a 2.5 hour rain delay ended his outing early. Marcell Ozuna hit a 2-run HR in the fourth inning, but then after play resumed the Rays took the lead with five runs in the top of the fifth. The Bucs tied the game in the eighth when Nick Yorke singled to drive in Brandon Lowe. Neither team scored in the 9th or 10th, and then both scored a run in the 11th. The Pirates stuck with reliever Yohan Ramírez from the 11th inning onward, and Cedric Mullins got to him with a 2-run HR in the top of the 13th. The Rays brought in their ninth pitcher of the game in Yoendrys Gómez, and while Konnor Griffin singled to drive in Jake Mangum to make it 8-7, that would be all the Pirates could muster.
TOR 2, ARI 6 - The Blue Jays out hit the Diamondbacks 12-8, but they were only 2-9 with runners in scoring position and left nine guys on base overall. TOR SP Max Scherzer did fairly well (6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K), but with game tied 2-2 in the eighth, Jeff Hoffman allowed a grand slam to Corbin Carroll, his third HR of the year. Arizona reliever Kevin Ginkel then struck out two in the ninth to close it out.
SFG 7, WSH 6 (12) - James Wood hit a HR in the bottom of the first, but the Nationals did a lot more damage against Adrian Houser (5.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 H, 2 BB, 1 K) with four runs in the second. The Giants battled back, including a 2-run HR by Heliot Ramos, and took the lead 6-5 after seven innings. They brought in Ryan Walker for the bottom of the ninth, but he allowed some runners and eventually Brady House singled to center to drive in James Wood to tie the game and force extras. Neither team scored in the 10th or 11th, but then Matt Chapman singled to drive in Luis Arraez who was on second as the freebie “Manfred Man.” Giants reliever Caleb Kilian, who pitched the 11th, closed it out with a scoreless 12th also.
CWS 6, ATH 7 (11) - The White Sox scored five in the second inning, including a solo HR by Colson Montgomery and a 3-run HR by Andrew Benintendi. The Athletics chipped away and narrowed the lead to 5-4 when Munetaka Murakami hit a solo HR in the top of the seventh, his seventh of the year. Nick Kurtz responded with a 2-run HR in the bottom of the inning, and the game stayed tied to eventually force extras. Neither team scored in the 10th, and Jack Perkins got three consecutive outs with the bases loaded to keep the White Sox from scoring in the 11th. In the bottom of the frame, with one out and a runner on third, Max Muncy hit a sacrifice fly for the win.
ATL 3, PHI 1 - This game featured a nice starting pitcher matchup, both did well after allowing some early runs. ATL SP Chris Sale (7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K) only allowed a solo HR to 25-year-old prospect Felix Reyes in his first MLB at-bat. Meanwhile, in the third inning, PHI SP Cristopher Sánchez (6 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K) suffered from a 2-out error by Edmundo Sosa, and then allowed a few hits that produced the Braves' three runs. Neither bullpen allowed any additional scoring, and Robert Suárez struck out two in ninth, notching his first save of the year.
CIN 5, MIN 4
KCR 4, NYY 13
NYM 2, CHC 4
DET 4, BOS 1
MIL 5, MIA 2
BAL 2, CLE 4
STL 7, HOU 5
TEX 3, SEA 7
LAD 3, COL 4
SDP 4, LAA 1
Today’s Trivia Question
One of today's Birthday Boys (see below) is Hall of Famer Joe Mauer. He won three batting titles in seasons when he was primarily a catcher. Who is the only other player during the expansion era (1961 to present) to win a batting title in a season when he was primarily a catcher (50% or more of his games played at catcher)? Also, Mauer's average of .365 in 2009 is the highest amongst such players since 1961. Which catcher had the second highest average in a season since 1961? (Hint: It is not the same player as the answer to the first question, as this player didn't win a batting title.)
(Trivia answers are provided for paid All-Star subscribers of the Baseball Buffet.)
🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉
Row 1: Joe Mauer, Bucky Walters, Frank Viola
Row 2: Whitey Kurowski, José Cruz
Currently active players who were born on April 19 include SDP Jackson Merrill, MIL Sal Frelick, COL Jordan Beck, CHC Chas McCormick, and Sean Reynolds (free agent).
Today’s Matchups
Today is a typical Sunday with a full slate of games (15). Here are a few interesting matchups (see also full list):
DET Framber Valdez vs. BOS Garrett Crochet - Valdez recovered nicely in his last start after a rough outing on April 8th vs. the Twins, while Crochet was victimized even more by the Twins on April 13th.
TEX MacKenzie Gore vs. SEA Bryan Woo - Gore has 30 K in 21 IP this year, while Woo has a 2.16 ERA over 25 IP and four starts
ATL Grant Holmes vs. PHI Andrew Painter - Holmes has been fairly good for the Braves and Painter is off to a good start as a rookie this year
Other pitchers toeing the rubber today include SFG Robbie Ray, KCR Cole Ragans, BAL Trevor Rogers, MIL Jacob Misiorowski, LAD Roki Sasaki, SDP Michael King, and TOR Kevin Gausman
Baseball Quote of the Day
One of today's Birthday Boys (see above) is Bucky Walters. As shared at The Baseball Almanac, on November 30, 1955, The Sporting News published the following list which they referred to as a "Mound Philosophy," which were written by Bucky Walters:
There is no mystery to pitching.
The object simply is to get the ball over.
Each pitcher has to learn to make the most of what he has.
Maybe it's time to revise pitching standards, and not expect a man to complete half or three-quarters of the games he starts.
I don't think it’s necessary to enlarge the strike zone or bring back a lot of mechanical pitches.
If they want to do something for the pitchers, then let them raise the seams on the ball.
Pitchers will learn or figure out some way to get even with the hitters and eventually stop them.
⚾ 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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