The Baseball Buffet for 4/21/2025

Issue #252

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 25th day of the season included a full slate (16) of games, including one double-header:

• CLE 5, PIT 4 - Logan Allen pitched well (5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 5 K) and Steven Kwan and Kyle Manzardo both had homers. But Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase’s early season struggles continued as he let up 4 hits, 1 BB, and 3 runs in the bottom of the ninth, forcing extra innings. With a runner on third and only one out in the top of the tenth, Kyle Manzardo hit a sacrifice fly for the game-winning RBI.

• CIN 24, BAL 2 - Yes, this one was a blowout, but it looks worse than it really was as nine of the Reds’ runs were scored in the final two innings off position players Jorge Mateo and Gary Sanchez who took the mound. Still, 15-2 would have been embarrassing anyway, as Charlie Morton gave up 7 runs in 2.1 IP, Cody Poteet gave up 5 runs in 2.2 IP, and Cionel Perez gave up 3 runs in 2 IP. Out of 25 Cincinnati hits, only three were HR: Elly De La Cruz, Noelvi Marte, and Austin Wynns. Marte’s HR was a grand slam, and overall he was 5-7 with 7 RBI out of the 8th spot in the lineup. Batting after him in the 9th spot, Wynns went 6-7 with 6 RBI on the day.

• MIN 2, ATL 6 - Byron Buxton had a HR and a double, but the Twins couldn’t get much else going as Grant Holmes pitched well (5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 7 K). The Braves scored most of their runs from HR by Matt Olson, Drake Baldwin, and Marcell Ozuna.

• CHW 8, BOS 4 - Wilyer Abreu had a HR in the first inning and Tanner Houck pitched pretty well (6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K), but the White Sox outhit the Red Sox, getting homers from Matt Thaiss and Andrew Vaughn and four innings of shutout relief after starter Sean Burke’s settled down (5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K).

• MIA 7, PHI 5 - Jesús Luzardo pitched well once again (7 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K), but the Phillies bullpen let the Marlins get back into it, including a 3-run HR by Javier Sanoja in the eighth. The game went into extras, and the Marlins scored two runs on small-ball via singles, a bunt, and a sac fly.

• SEA 8, TOR 3 - Easton Lucas didn’t make it out of the second inning (1.2 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 5 K), with HR from Dylan Moore and Cal Raleigh (his 9th, which ties for the MLB lead). Rowdy Tellez added his third HR in as many days in 7th inning.

• KCR 4, DET 3 - Michael Wacha (5.1 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K) and Tarik Skubal (5.1 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) had almost identical pitching lines, and the game ended up tied through nine. The Royals scored what would be the winning run in the top of the 10th with Bobby Witt Jr. hitting a sac fly to drive in Drew Waters from third.

• STL 4, NYM 7 - Francisco Lindor hit his third HR of the year, and Clay Holmes pitched well (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K).

• NYY 4, TBR 0 - The Rays could only manage two hits off Max Fried (7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 K), and the Yankees bats provided three HR from Trent Grisham, Cody Bellinger, and Austin Wells.

• ATH 1, MIL 14 - Other than a HR by Seth Brown, 23-year old Milwaukee prospect Logan Henderson’s MLB debut was outstanding (6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K). The Brewers had 16 hits, though only one HR (Rhys Hoskins). They ran a lot on Shea Langeliers and various Athletics pitchers, with Brice Turang stealing three bases, Sal Frelick swiping two, and four others nabbing one each.

• LAD 1, TEX 0 - There were only 8 combined hits in this one, with both Tyler starting pitchers doing well: Tyler Glasnow (4 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) and Tyler Mahle (7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K). The lone run came in the top of the eighth, with one out and runners on first and third, and Freddie Freeman hitting a sac fly to score Will Smith.

• WAS 3, COL 2 (Gm 1) - Zac Veen and Braxton Fulford hit solo homers, but Jake Irvin otherwise pitched well (6.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 9 K) and Kyle Finnegan earned his 8th save of the year.

• AZ 3, CHC 2 - Jameson Taillon pitched well (5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 6 K) but so did Merrill Kelly (5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 5 K). The game was still 1-1 at the end of nine, and both teams scored a run in the tenth. Then in the top of the 11th, with the ghost-runner Manfred Man on second (Geraldo Perdomo), Josh Naylor singled to right to drive in what would be the winning run.

• SFG 4, LAA 5 - Zach Neto hit a HR, but otherwise Justin Verlander pitched well (6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 6 K). Yusei Kikuchi also pitched well (5.1 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 6 K), but the Giants scored three runs off the Angels bullpen to take a 4-1 lead through eight. Ryan Walker entered in a save opportunity, but the Angels had other ideas and scored four runs, including the final three from a bases-loaded walk-off double by Jo Adell that scored Jorge Soler, Kevin Newman, and Zach Neto.

• WAS 1, COL 3 (Gm 2) - Antonio Senzatela pitched well (6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 K) in game 2 of the double-header, and three Colorado relievers kept runs off the board too. Former #1 overall draft pick (2016) Mickey Moniak was the difference in this one, with a two-run triple in the fourth inning. He is now the early leader in triples this year with three.

• SDP 3, HOU 2 - Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a triple and his 8th HR of the season. Dylan Cease struck out six in five innings of work, and Robert Suarez notched his MLB-leading 9th save.

Today’s Trivia Question

Who led his league in ERA more times than any other pitcher? (Hint: it was nine times, all in the American League)

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).

🤕 Placed on the IL

• CIN SP Carson Spiers - 15-day IL (right shoulder impingement)

• MIA OF Griffin Conine - 60-day IL (left shoulder dislocation)

• COL RP Victor Vodnik - 15-day IL (right shoulder inflammation)

• TOR RP Nick Sandlin - 15-day IL (right lat strain)

League Leaders

Continuing my rotation through current league leaders in various categories, and as noted above Robert Suarez got his ninth yesterday:

• 9 - SDP Robert Suarez

• 8 - WAS Kyle Finnegan

• 8 - LAD Tanner Scott

• 7 - SEA Andrés Muñoz

• 6 - HOU Josh Hader

• 6 - TEX Luke Jackson

• 6 - ATH Mason Miller

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 21…

• 1961: The old Senators lose to the new Senators. According to baseball-reference.com, “The Minnesota Twins, formerly known as the Washington Senators, play their first home game in Minnesota at Metropolitan Stadium, losing to the expansion "new" Washington Senators, 5-3.”

• 1994: Eddie Murray breaks Mickey Mantles record. According to baseball-reference.com, “Indians first baseman Eddie Murray hits home runs from both sides of the plate in a game for the 11th time in his career to break Mickey Mantle's record. The two homers also move Murray past Dave Kingman into 20th place on the all-time list with 444.”

• 2012: Phillip Humber throws a perfect game. Chicago White Sox pitcher Philip Humber throws a perfect game for a 4-0 victory against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field.

• 2016: Jake Arrieta throws his second career no-hitter. Chicago Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta throws a no-hitter for a 16-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

• 2018: Sean Manaea throws a no-hitter. Sean Manaea of the Oakland Athletics pitches the first no-hitter of the season, winning 3-0 over the Red Sox. He strikes out ten while walking two in his first career complete game.

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Hardy Richardson (1855) was a 19th century star who played for six teams across 14 seasons from 1879-1892. He scored 120+ runs four times, had a career high .351 average in 1886, and led the Players League with 16 HR and 152 RBI in 1890. He stole 40+ bases at least three times (early statistics are incomplete). He retired with a .299/.344/.437 slash line which translates to a 131 OPS+.

• Ken Caminiti (1963) was a good fielding 3B with moderate power for the Astros from 1987-94, but was then part of a massive 12-player trade to the Padres after the 1994 season. He won his first of three consecutive Gold Glove Awards in 1995, and hit 26 HR with 94 RBI and a .302 average. He surpassed those numbers in 1996 with career highs of 109 runs, 37 doubles, 40 HR, 130 RBI, and a .326/.408/.621 slash line, earning him NL MVP honors. A three-time All-Star, he played 15 years in the majors, all with the Astros and Padres except his final season in 2001 that was split between the Rangers and Braves. Sadly, Caminiti died at the age 41 from a cocaine and heroin overdose.

• Al Bumbry (1947) took home AL Rookie of the Year honors in 1973 when he led the league in triples with 11, stole 23 bases, and batted .337 with a .398 OBP in 110 games. That was the first of five seasons in which he had 20+ SB, with a career high of 44 coming in 1980, his one year as an All-Star. Bumbry played all but his final season with the Orioles, and was an important contributor to the 1979 AL Pennant winners and 1983 World Series champs.

• Jesse Orosco (1957) had a very long 24-year career, playing for 9 teams, and setting the major league record for the most games pitched (1,252). A closer and co-closer early in his career with the Mets, he was an All-Star in 1983 (1.47 ERA and 17 saves) and 1984 (2.59 ERA and 31 saves). His career totals include 144 saves, a 3.16 ERA, and 126 ERA+.

• Gary Peters (1937) pitched sparingly in the majors from 1959-62, he still had rookie status in 1963 when he went 19-8 and led the AL with a 2.33 ERA to earn Rookie of the Year honors. He led the AL in wins with a 20-8 record in 1964, and then led the league in ERA again in 1966 with a 1.98 mark. He pitched all but his final three seasons with the White Sox, was an All-Star twice, and retired with a 3.25 ERA and 106 ERA+.

• Joc Pederson (1992) started with the Dodgers for 7 seasons but has since played for five other teams. A slugging outfielder, Pederson was an All-Star in his rookie season when he hit 26 HR, and then again with the Giants in 2022. He has posted 20+ HR six times, and has very strong splits such that he often sits against stronger LHP: he has a .487 SLG vs. RHP but only .329 SLG vs. LHP.

Today’s Matchups

A typical short slate (8) for a Monday, with many teams travelling or otherwise getting a day off. Some games that jump out to me are:

• PHI vs. NYM features Aaron Nola looking hoping to rebound from a horrible start against the Giants, up against Tylor Megill who is off to a great start this year (1.40 ERA in four starts, 19.1 IP, 19 H, 20 K).

• TOR vs. HOU features to starters having a good 2025 so far in Kevin Gausman (2.49 ERA, 25.1 IP, 15 H, 3 BB, 20 K) and Hunter Brown (1.50 ERA, 24 IP, 15 H, 22 K).

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:

• NYM Pete Alonso, 17-52 (.327) with 6 HR and 3 doubles vs. PHI Aaron Nola

• NYM Juan Soto, 10-38 with 3 HR and 3 doubles vs. PHI Aaron Nola

• ATL Marcell Ozuna, 7-12 with 2 HR and 2 doubles, and only 1 K vs. STL Erick Fedde

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:

• CLE Jose Ramirez, 5-11 with 2 doubles vs. NYY Clarke Schmidt

• STL Alec Burleson, small sample but is 4-5 with a HR and double vs. ATL Spencer Schwellenbach

• ATL Austin Riley, 7-20 with 2 doubles vs. STL Erick Fedde

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:

• 13 - KCR Bobby Witt Jr

• 11 - HOU Jeremy Pena

• 9 - SDP Fernando Tatis Jr.

• 8 - MIA Eric Wagaman

• 8 - NYM Luisangel Acuna

• 7 - PHI Bryson Stott

• 7 - PHI Alec Bohm

• 7 - ATL Drake Baldwin

• 7 - BOS Jarren Duran

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:

• HOU Yordan Alvarez, 0-10 with 7 K vs. TOR Kevin Gausman

• HOU Christian Walker, 1-10 with 7 K vs. TOR Kevin Gausman

• HOU Jeremy Peña, 0-8 with 6 K vs. TOR Kevin Gausman

• PHI Bryce Harper, 2-12 with 5 K vs. NYM Tylor Megill

• PHI Bryson Stott, 0-9 with 4 K vs. NYM Tylor Megill

• PHI Kyle Schwarber, 1-10 with 2 K vs. NYM Tylor Megill

• MIL Christian Yelich, 1-11 with 2 K vs. SFG Robbie Ray

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾

Today’s Trivia Answer

Who led his league in ERA more times than any other pitcher? Lefty Grove, with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1926 and 1929-32, then with the Boston Red Sox in 1935-36, and 1938-39.

This newsletter was produced with beehiiv, an outstanding platform for creating email newsletters and blogs. If this might be of interest for your own creative work, get a 30-day trial and 30% off your first three months!