The Baseball Buffet for 4/23/2025

Issue #254

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 27th day of the season included a full slate of 15 games:

• NYY 2, CLE 3 - Ben Rice hit his sixth HR of the year, but Tanner Bibee otherwise pitched well (6 IP, 5 H 2 ER, 5 K), and Cleveland’s bullpen shutout the Yankees the rest of the way, including Cade Smith getting his second save in as many days. Aaron Judge went 4-4, raising his MLB-leading batting average to .411.

• SDP 2, DET 0 - Jack Flaherty had 9 K in 6 IP, but gave up a 2-run HR to Elias Díaz, his first of the year. That was all the Padres needed, as Nick Pivetta was outstanding (7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 6 K) and Robert Suarez earned his MLB-leading 10th save of the season.

• SEA 3, BOS 8 - Jorge Polanco hit his fourth HR of the year, but Brayan Bello otherwise pitched well in his 2025 debut (5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 K). The Red Sox had 11 hits, with Alex Bregman driving in three runs and Triston Casas hitting a 3-run HR.

• PHI 1, NYM 5 - Griffin Canning pitched well (5 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K), Francisco Lindor went 3-5, and Pete Alonso was 2-4 with a double, raising his average on the year to .349.

• STL 10, ATL 4 - Sean Murphy hit his sixth HR of the year, and Matt Olson hit his fourth. But the Cardinals outhit the Braves 12-8, including Lars Nootbaar hitting his fourth HR, and Victor Scott II going 3-4 with two doubles.

• CHW 2, MIN 4 - The White Sox outhit the Twins 10-5, but they were 0-9 with runners in scoring position. Trevor Larnach hit a 2-run HR for Minnesota, Baily Ober pitched well (6 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K), and Jhoan Duran notched his second save of the year.

• CIN 3, MIA 4 - Noelvi Marte hit his second HR of the season, but Edward Cabrera had 7 K in 5 IP and four Marlins relievers pitched one inning each to shutout the Reds the rest of the way.

• BAL 0, WAS 7 - This one was all Nationals, with Mitchell Parker throwing 8 innings of 1-hit ball, striking out four. On the offensive side, Washington had 14 hits, including 9 extra-base hits, with HR by Nathaniel Lowe and Dylan Crews.

• COL 3, KCR 4 - Ryan Feltner pitched well (7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 K), but so did Kris Bubic (7 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K). The game was tied 3-3 after the ninth and tenth innings, but in the bottom of the 11th, with the bases loaded, Freddy Fermin singled to center to score Mark Canha.

• TOR 1, HOU 5 - Nathan Lukes hit his second career HR, but Ronel Blanco otherwise pitched well (6.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 K). Isaac Paredes hit his fourth HR of the year, and Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader once again shut down the 8th and 9th innings with 2 K each.

• LAD 10, CHC 11 - Both of these strong offenses showed up early, with the Cubs leading 5-3 after the first inning. The Dodgers had three HR (Tommy Edman, Andy Pages, Will Smith) off Chicago starter Shota Imanaga, but the Cubs had three HR of their own (Pete Crow-Armstrong, Kyle Tucker, Miguel Amaya). This wild one was 10-10 after nine innings, and then in the bottom of the 10th, with Vidal Brujan on second base as the ghost runner Manfred Man, Ian Happ singled to right field to drive him in.

• PIT 9, LAA 3 - Taylor Ward hit his 6th HR of the year, but the Angels couldn’t do much else against Bailey Falter and five Pirates relievers. Instead it was the Pirates offense that came alive, with 18 hits and 7 walks, and going 7-17 with runners in scoring position. Andrew McCutchen hit their lone HR, his second of the year. But the Pirates had two doubles and 15 singles to spread out their scoring in four different innings.

• TBR 1, AZ 5 - Pavin Smith went 2-3 with a double and a HR, and Tim Tawa added a solo HR, his third of the year. Brandon Pfaadt pitched well (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K) and three D-Backs relievers shutout the Rays in the final three innings.

• MIL 11, SFG 3 - Jose Quintana pitched well (6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 K) and the Brewers had 13 hits and went 4-10 with runners in scoring position, including a 2-run HR from Jake Bauers and a grand slam by Christian Yelich—both in their 8-run sixth inning.

• TEX 8, ATH 5 - The West Sacramento ballpark effect seemed relevant in this one, though the Athletics going 1-11 with runners in scoring position really hurt them. They had four HR (Miguel Andujar, Lawrence Butler, Luis Urias, Brent Rooker), but they were all solo shots. The Rangers also had four HR, but one was a three-run homer from Marcus Semien (the others came from Wyatt Langford, Josh Smith, and Jake Burger). Texas closer Luke Jackson notched his 7th save of the year.

Today’s Trivia Question

Which batter hit into the most triple plays in a career? (Hint: He also participated in three on defense!)

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

• PHI SP Ranger Suarez

• MIN RP Michael Tonkin

• WAS SS CJ Abrams

• TEX SP Jack Leiter

• CIN RP Sam Moll

• CIN C Tyler Stephenson

• TOR OF Daulton Varsho

• WAS SP Michael Soroka

• NYY INF DJ LeMahieu

• LAD SP Clayton Kershaw

• NYM C Francisco Alvarez

• NYM 2B Jeff McNeil

🤕 Placed on the IL

• CLE OF Lane Thomas - 10-day IL (right wrist bone bruise)

League Leaders

Continuing my rotation through current league leaders in various categories, today I’ll look at pitcher strikeouts:

• 45 - WAS MacKenzie Gore

• 42 - KCR Cole Ragans

• 41 - SEA Logan Gilbert

• 41 - MIA Max Meyer

• 41 - PHI Zack Wheeler

• 38 - SFG Logan Webb

• 38 - LAD Yoshinobu Yamamoto

• 37 - NYY Carlos Rodón

• 36 - PHI Jesús Luzardo

• 35 - BOS Garrett Crochet

• 35 - CIN Hunter Greene

It is still early in the season, so this leaderboard changes quickly from day to day. For instance, today we have several of the above taking the hill, including Zack Wheeler, Logan Webb, and Carlos Rodón (plus MIL Freddy Peralta who has 33 K).

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 23…

• 1946: Ed Head throws a no-hitter. Ed Head of the Brooklyn Dodgers pitches a 5-0 no-hitter against the Boston Braves at Ebbetts Field. It is Head's first appearance since his return from the military, and one of only 53 major league starts in his career.

• 1954: Hank Aaron hits his first HR. According to baseball-reference.com, “In his seventh major league game, Hank Aaron of the Milwaukee Braves hits the first of his 755 career home runs off St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Vic Raschi at Sportsman's Park. The Braves win in 14 innings, 7-5.”

• 1964: Ken Johnson throws a no-hitter… but loses. According to baseball-reference.com, “Ken Johnson of the Houston Colt .45s becomes the first pitcher in major league history to hurl a nine-inning no-hitter and lose the game. Second baseman Nellie Fox, usually a reliable defensive player, commits a critical run-scoring error on Vada Pinson's ground ball and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Astros, 1-0.”

• 1999: Fernando Tatis hits two grand slams… in the same inning. According to baseball-reference.com, “Fernando Tatis of the St. Louis Cardinals becomes the first player in major league history to hit two grand slams in one inning. Tatis connects both times in the 11-run 3rd inning against pitcher Chan Ho Park to lead the Cardinals to a 12-5 rout of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He simultaneously sets a record with eight RBI in one inning. Park becomes the first pitcher in the 20th century, and only the second ever, to surrender two slams in a single frame, joining Bill Phillips of the 1890 Pittsburgh Alleghenys.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Warren Spahn (1921) is a Hall of Famer and one of the greatest left-handed pitchers of all time. He had a 21-year career that stretched from the late 1940s through the early 1960s, with almost all of it spent with the Boston/Milwaukee Braves organization. He was extremely consistent over the years, with an amazing 13 seasons of 20-23 wins each – and eight where he had exactly 21 wins. He led the NL in wins eight times, ERA three times, strikeouts four times, and complete games nine times – including seven years in a row from 1957-1963, his age 36-42 seasons. An All-Star in 14 seasons, he retired with a 363-245 (.597) record, 3.09 ERA, and 119 ERA+.

• Andruw Jones (1977) like Spahn played the majority and best years of his career with the Braves. First called up as a 19-year old in 1996, he went 8-20 with 2 HR in the World Series against the Yankees. Most known for his defense in CF and his power at the plate, Jones won 10 NL Gold Glove Awards and hit 25+ HR ten times. He posted 100+ RBI five times, including 2005 when he paced the NL with 51 HR and 128 RBI, coming in second to Albert Pujols in the NL MVP vote.

• Jim Bottomley (1900) is a Hall of Famer who played 16 years in the majors, from 1922-1937, mostly as a 1B for the Cardinals. He received down-ballot MVP consideration five times, and won the NL MVP Award in 1928 when he led the league with 20 triples, 31 HR, and 136 RBI to go along with a .325/.402/.628 slash line. He retired with 219 HR, 1,422 RBI, a .310/.369/.500 slash line, and 125 OPS+.

• Dolph Camilli (1907) had a 12-year major league career, with his best years coming with the Phillies and Dodgers. He hit 25+ six times, had 100+ RBI five times, and scored 100+ runs four times. A two-time All-Star, he frequently received down-ballot MVP consideration, and won the NL MVP Award in 1941 after leading the league with 34 HR and 120 RBI while slashing .285/.407/.556. While he led his league in strikeouts four times, he also knew how to take a walk, leading his league in BB twice, and retiring with an impressive .388 OBP and 136 OPS+.

Today’s Matchups

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

• MIL vs. SFG features Freddy Peralta (1.91 ERA, 28.1 IP, 20 H, 33 K) vs. Logan Webb (2.40 ERA, 30 IP, 24 H, 38 K)

• LAD vs. CHC is interesting once again as the Dodgers and Cubs are both good teams. Chicago will have Matthew Boyd (2.01 ERA, 22.1 IP, 19 H, 20 K) going today, while as of the time of this writing it is unclear who will start for the Dodgers—it could be Yoshinobu Yamamoto (0.93 ERA, 29 IP, 18 H, 38 K) who has been outstanding this year, or it might be someone else to stretch out their rotation a bit.

Also on the mound today are PHL Zack Wheeler, NYY Carlos Rodón, and MIA Sandy Alcantara.

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:

• TBR Brandon Lowe, only 4-17 with 10 K, but has 3 HR vs. AZ Eduardo Rodriguez

• ATL Matt Olson, 4-12 with 2 HR and 2 doubles vs. STL Miles Mikolas

• ATL Marcell Ozuna, 5-13 with 2 HR vs. STL Miles Mikolas

• PHI Alec Bohm, 7-23 with 2 HR and 2 doubles vs. NYM David Peterson

Also of note is AZ Eugenio Suárez who is 2-5 with 2 HR vs. TBR Taj Bradley; Jarred Kelenic who is 3-5 with 2 HR and a double vs. STL Miles Mikolas; and Travis d'Arnaud who is 4-6 with 2 HR vs. PIT Andrew Heaney.

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 Carlos Santana, 15-39 with 2 HR and 2 doubles vs. NYY Carlos Rodón

• TBR Yandy Díaz, 9-23 with a double vs. AZ Eduardo Rodriguez

• PHI Bryce Harper, 8-21 with a HR and a double vs. NYM David Peterson

• PHI Nick Castellanos, 6-12 with a double vs. NYM David Peterson

• NYY Paul Goldschmidt, small sample but is 5-7 with a double vs. CLE Luis L. Ortiz

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 - KCR Bobby Witt Jr

• 13 - HOU Jeremy Pena

• 11 - SDP Fernando Tatis Jr.

• 10 - MIA Eric Wagaman

• 9 - PHI Bryson Stott

• 9 - PHI Alec Bohm

• 9 - BOS Jarren Duran

• 8 - CIN Gavin Lux

• 8 - CHW Lenyn Sosa

• 7 - NYY Paul Goldschmidt

• 7 - TEX Josh Smith

• 7 - WAS Dylan Crews

• 7 - ATL Matt Olson

• 7 - CIN Elly De La Crus

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:

• COL Jacob Stallings, 0-13 though only 1 K vs. KCR Michael Lorenzen

• NYM Jesse Winker, 0-11 though with 0 K vs. PHI Zack Wheeler

• LAA Taylor Ward, 0-10 with 3 K vs. PIT Andrew Heaney

• LAA Jorge Soler, 1-15 with 4 K vs. PIT Andrew Heaney

• PHI Kyle Schwarber, 2-19 with 10 K vs. NYM David Peterson

• KCR Hunter Renfroe, 1-13 with 8 K vs. COL Germán Márquez

• KCR Mark Canha, 1-13 with 2 K vs. COL Germán Márquez

• TEX Leody Taveras, 2-15 with 6 K vs. ATH JP Sears

• LAD Freddie Freeman, small sample but is 1-8 with 6 K vs. CHC Matthew Boyd

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾

Today’s Trivia Answer

Which batter hit into the most triple plays in his career? Brooks Robinson, the great Orioles third baseman, hit into four triple plays—in 1958, 1964, 1965, and 1967. He also participated in three others as a fielder.

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!