The Baseball Buffet for 4/20/2025

Issue #251

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 24th day of the season included a full slate (15) of games scheduled:

• MIA 10, PHI 11 - A lot of offense in this one, with 33 hits and the Phillies leading 11-4 until the Marlins almost tied it by scoring six in the top of the ninth, including HR from Dane Myers and Liam Hicks. The Phillies did their damage without the longball, collecting 18 hits, with 7 doubles and 5 stolen bases. Jordan Romano was the Phillies reliever who had trouble, but Jose Alvarado came in for the final out and his fifth save on the year.

• KCR 1, DET 3 - Casey Mize pitched well (7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 K) and Spencer Torkelson’s 3-run HR in the fifth inning was the difference in this one.

• AZ 2, CHC 6 - Corbin Carroll hit his 7th HR to leadoff the game, but the Cubs answered with six runs of their own in the first two innings, including HR by Seiya Suzuki and Michael Busch.

• CLE 3, PIT 0 - Paul Skenes pitched pretty well (7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 4 K) but allowed two runs, including a HR to Kyle Manzardo, his fifth of the year. Ben Lively did well (5.1 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 3 K) and four Guardians relievers combined on the shutout.

• SEA 8, TOR 4 - Toronto outhit Seattle 12-10, but they were only 3-19 with runners in scoring position and left 14 runners on base. 24-year old Mariners 3B Ben Williamson hit his first career HR to tie the game 3-3, and eventually it went into extras. In the top of 12th Blue Jays reliever Jacob Barnes let up five runs, including a grand slam HR to Rowdy Tellez. And there is more to the story, as Rowdy’s good-luck charm Xander was in attendance—you gotta read this story!

• CIN 5, BAL 9 - The Reds outhit the Orioles 13-11, and got HR from Jake Fraley and Austin Hays, but they also were only 4-17 with runners in scoring position and left 13 runners on base. Baltimore on the other hand had five homers, including two from Ramón Laureano, and one each by Cedric Mullins, Gunnar Henderson, and Jordan Westburg.

• STL 0, NYM 3 - Pete Alonso went 2-4 with a HR and a double, and the Mets didn’t need many runs since Kodai Senga pitched well (5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 4 K) and three relievers combined with him for a shutout.

• LAD 3, TEX 4 - Freddie Freeman hit his fourth HR of the year, but the Rangers got homers from Kyle Higashioka in the third and then a walk-off 2-run blast by Adolis Garcia in the bottom of the ninth.

• WAS 12, COL 11 - The Nationals hit four HR off Rockies rookie pitcher Chase Dollander (4 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 6 ER, 5 K) including two by Dylan Crews, and one each from Josh Bell and James Wood. Other than a HR by Mickey Moniak in the second inning, MacKenzie Gore was dominant on the mound (6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 13 K). The Nationals had a 12-2 lead at the 7th inning stretch, but the Rockies made it interesting by scoring 8 runs off three Nationals relievers in the bottom of the 7th. They scored one more run in the bottom of the ninth, but it just wasn’t enough.

• CHW 3, BOS 4 - The Red Sox scored first via a 3-run HR from Rafael Devers in the fifth inning. Garrett Crochet was excellent (6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 7 K), but the White Sox scored three in the top of the seventh including a 2-run HR by Luis Robert Jr. The game went into extras, and in the bottom of the 10th with the bases loaded Triston Casas singled to drive in Alex Bregman.

• NYY 8, TBR 10 - The Yankees scored two runs in the first, and then Trent Grisham hit a solo HR in the second. Both bullpens ran into trouble late, as the Yankees were up 6-4 after eight innings, but made it 8-4 in the top of the ninth. New York closer Devin Williams, instead of locking down the win, gave up four runs in the bottom of the ninth and then in the bottom of the 10th Yoendrys Gómez gave up a 2-run walk-off HR to Jonathan Aranda.

• SDP 2, HOU 3 - Other than a HR by Fernando Tatis Jr., Hayden Wesneski pitched well (5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 4 K). Christian Walker hit his second HR of the year, and Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader once again came in and preserved the Astros lead in the 8th and 9th innings.

• ATH 3, MIL 1 - Brent Rooker and Shea Langeliers each had homers, Luis Severino pitched great (8 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 K), and Mason Miller recorded his sixth save of the year.

• MIN 3, ATL 4 - Carlos Correa finally hit his first HR of the year and Chris Sale allowed a number of base runners in a short outing (4.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 K). But the Braves had 12 hits including a HR from Michael Harris II, and after four other relievers were involved, Atlanta closer Raisel Iglesias came in for his fourth save of the year.

• SFG, 3, LAA 2 - Mike Trout hit two solo HR in a losing effort, as Landen Roupp otherwise pitched quite well (7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K). Matt Chapman went 2-4 with a HR and stolen base, and Ryan Walker picked up his fifth save.

Today’s Trivia Question

Of the nine sluggers with more than 600 career home runs, who is the only one to never win an MVP award?

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

• NYM 2B Jeff McNeil

• PIT RP Colin Holderman

• MIN SP Pablo Lopez

• NYM SP Paul Blackburn

• TOR OF Daulton Varsho

🤕 Placed on the IL

• SFG 1B Casey Schmitt - 10-day IL (left oblique strain)

• CHW SP Martin Pérez - 15-day IL (left elbow inflammation)

• PIT RP Tim Mayza - 15-day IL (left shoulder lat muscle strain)

• LAD RP Blake Treinen - 15-day IL (right forearm tightness)

• COL SS Ezequiel Tovar - 10-day IL (left hip contusion)

• DET RP John Brebbia - 15-day IL (right triceps strain)

• AZ RP A.J. Puk - 15-day IL (left elbow inflammation)

• SDP OF Jason Heyward - 10-day IL (left knee inflammation)

League Leaders

Here I’ll rotate through the current league leaders in various categories. Yesterday’s trivia question was about this year’s RBI leaders so far, but Aaron Judge has now surpassed Wilmer Flores for the lead… so the world makes sense again:

• 25 - NYY Aaron Judge

• 23 - CHC Kyle Tucker

• 23 - NYM Pete Alonso

• 23 - SFG Wilmer Flores

• 21 - CIN Elly De La Cruz

• 21 - DET Spencer Torkelson

• 19 - AZ Corbin Carroll

• 19 - AZ Geraldo Perdomo

• 19 - ATH Tyler Soderstrom

• 19 - BAL Cedric Mullins

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 20…

• 1910: Addie Joss throws a no-hitter. Addie Joss of Cleveland pitched the second no-hitter of his career, a 1-0 win over the Chicago White Sox.

• 1912: The first games at Fenway Park and Tiger Stadium. According to baseball-reference.com, “The Boston Red Sox play the first game in the history of Fenway Park, after three previous attempts to play the opener have been rained out. The Red Sox open up with an 11-inning, 7-6 victory over the New York Highlanders, the predecessors to Boston's arch-rivals, the New York Yankees. Tris Speaker delivers the game-winning RBI before a crowd of 27,000 fans. Minutes later, the Detroit Tigers christen their Navin Field with a 6-5 win over the Cleveland Naps.”

• 1916: The first NL game at what would become Wrigley Field. According to baseball-reference.com, “The Chicago Cubs play their first game in the newly-built Federal League Weeghman Park, which will be renamed "Wrigley Field" in 1926. The stadium, minus the upper deck added later, seats 14,000, but 20,000 fans are on hand. Greeting fans on the Addison Street side is JOA, a bear cub owned by Cubs (partial) owner J. Ogden Armour. Everyone goes home happy as Vic Saier's 11th-inning sacrifice fly gives the Cubs a 7-6 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.”

• 1939: Ted Williams makes his debut. According to baseball-reference.com, “The Boston Red Sox show off their prize rookie Ted Williams before 30,278 in their opener at Yankee Stadium, delayed two days because of rain. After striking out twice, Williams collects a double off New York Yankees pitcher Red Ruffing, who wins 2-0. Lou Gehrig makes an error, goes hitless, and lines into two double plays in the only game featuring the two great sluggers. Other notables in what will become a historic box score include Joe DiMaggio, Bill Dickey, Jimmie Foxx, Joe Cronin, Bobby Doerr, Red Rolfe, and losing pitcher Lefty Grove.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Don Mattingly (1961) was one of the best hitters and most popular players of his generation. A six-time All-Star, he won nine AL Gold Glove Awards at 1B. He had five 100+ RBI seasons, and led the league in doubles three times, including his AL MVP season in 1985 when he also led the league with 145 RBI while hitting 35 HR with a .325 average. The year before he won the AL Batting crown with a .343 mark, and overall he had a .307/.358/.471 slash line and 127 OPS+.

• Heavy Johnson (1895) was one of the Negro Leagues foremost power hitters in the 1920s. According to the numbers available at baseball-reference.com, he led his league in batting with a .406 mark in 1922, then did the same the next year, again with a .406 average, while winning the triple crown with 20 HR and 120 RBI in 98 games played. With statistics from parts of 11 major league seasons spanning 487 games and 1,944 plate appearances, his career slash line was .370/.428/.592 with a 170 OPS+. As for his nickname “Heavy”, Oscar Johnson at times was said to weight 250 pounds, though at baseball-reference.com he is listed as 200 pounds and 5’7” tall.

• Dave Bancroft (1891) had a 16-year career from 1915-1930 with the Phillies, Braves, Giants, and Dodgers. He scored 100+ runs three times, including 121 in 1921 and 117 in 1922. He was an excellent fielding shortstop, but retired with a .279/.355/.358 slash line which equates to 98 OPS+. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1971 by the Veterans Committee, but this was not without controversy as the Committee included former teammates of Bancroft, resulting in charges of cronyism.

• Brandon Belt (1988) played for 12 years with the Giants, before playing in 2023 with the Blue Jays (as of this writing he has not announced his retirement). An All-Star in 2016, Belt has generally been capable of hitting 15-20 HR a year, and in 2021 had a career high of 29. His career slash line is .261/.357/.460 which is a solid 124 OPS+.

Today’s Matchups

A more than full Sunday slate (16) with a double-header in Colorado making up for the game postponed on Friday. Some games that jump out to me are:

• STL vs. NYM features two pitchers having good starts in 2025, with Sonny Gray (3.13 ERA, 23 IP, 15 H, 3 BB, 23 K) up against Clay Holmes (3.66 ERA, 19.2 IP, 18 H, 28 K).

• LAD vs. TEX is a “Tyler” battle, with Tyler Glasnow (4.85 ERA, 13 IP, 7 H, 17 K) vs. Tyler Mahle who is off to a great start to 2025 (0.92 ERA, 19.2 IP, 8 H, 21 K).

• ATH vs. MIL features the debut of 23-year old SP Logan Henderson, Milwaukee’s number 12 prospect according to MLB pipeline. Their fourth round draft pick in 2021, Henderson has 24 K in 14 IP in 3 starts at AAA this year.

Other big pitching names throwing today include SEA Luis Castillo, NYY Max Fried, MIN Joe Ryan, DET Tarik Skubal, and SDP Dylan Cease.

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:

• AZ Eugenio Suárez, 9-34 with 5 HR and 2 doubles vs. CHC Jameson Taillon

• KCR Salvador Perez, 11-30 with 4 HR and 2 doubles vs. KCR Tarik Skubal

• TEX Marcus Semien, 4-12 with 2 HR, a triple, and a double vs. LAD Tyler Glasnow

• HOU Jose Altuve, 5-15 with 2 HR and only 1 K vs. SDP Dylan Cease

Also, COL Michael Toglia is 2-4 with 2 HR vs. WAS Jake Irvin, and CLE Kyle Manzardo is 2-3 with 2 HR vs. PIT Mitch Keller.

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:

• LAD Freddie Freeman, 6-14, with a HR and double vs. TEX Tyler Mahle

• LAA J.D. Davis, small sample but is 5-6 vs. SFG Justin Verlander

• WAS Amed Rosario, small sample but is 5-9 with 3 doubles and 0 K vs. COL Antonio Senzatela

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:

• 12 - AZ Corbin Carroll

• 12 - MIA Xavier Edwards

• 12 - KCR Bobby Witt Jr

• 10 - HOU Jeremy Pena

• 9 - TOR Anthony Santander

• 8 - SDP Fernando Tatis Jr.

• 7 - CHC Pete Crow-Armstrong

• 7 - MIA Eric Wagaman

• 7 - NYM Luisangel Acuna

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:

• LAA Mike Trout, 5-43 though with 2 HR vs. SFG Justin Verlander — two future Hall of Famers, where it seems Trout won the battle twice, but JV has otherwise done well!

• LAA Tim Anderson, 2-24 with 8 K vs. SFG Justin Verlander

• LAA Taylor Ward, 1-15 with 7 K vs. SFG Justin Verlander

• AZ Lourdes Gurriel Jr., 2-21 with 3 K vs. CHC Jameson Taillon

• LAD Tommy Edman, 3-23 with 3 K vs. TEX Tyler Mahle

• HOU Yordan Alvarez, 2-16 with 8 K vs. SDP Dylan Cease

• KCR Maikel Garcia, 3-16 with 8 K vs. DET Tarik Skubal

• KCR Bobby Witt Jr., 3-24 with 6 K vs. DET Tarik Skubal

• CHC Nico Hoerner, 1-11 with 3 K vs. AZ Merrill Kelly

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾

Today’s Trivia Answer

Of the nine sluggers with more than 600 career home runs, who is the only one to never win an MVP award? Jim Thome is eighth on the all-time HR list with 612, three more than Sammy Sosa’s 609. His highest MVP finish was 4th place for the 2003 Phillies.

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