Issue #620
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! ⚾
Yesterday featured a full slate of games, though one ended up rained out. Here are the results (link to all game box scores):
BOS 17, BAL 1 - After the Orioles crushed the Red Sox on Friday, Boston returned the favor yesterday. BAL SP Trevor Rogers couldn't get out of the second inning (1.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K), and the Red Sox scored plenty more later in the game, including four runs late against non-pitcher Weston Wilson. Andruw Monasterio went 3-6 with a HR and 2 doubles; Willson Contreras was 2-4 with a walk, a HR, and 5 RBI; Caleb Durbin was 2-4 with a walk, a HR, a double, 3 runs, and 3 RBI; and Ceddanne Rafaela went 3-5 with a triple and 2 runs. Meanwhile, Garrett Crochet returned to form with six shutout innings (6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K), and three Red Sox relievers limited Baltimore to just one run. (More news on Boston below.)
CHC 4, LAD 12 - The Cubs chipped away at LAD SP Roki Sasaki (5 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K), with three solo HRs by Seiya Suzuki, Moisés Ballesteros, and Miguel Amaya. But the Dodgers collected 14 hits in this one, victimizing both CHC SP Colin Rea (3.1 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 4 K) and Javier Assad (2.1 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 2 K). Their only HR was a 2-run shot by Max Muncy in the third inning, but every starter had at least one hit and Teoscar Hernández, Andy Pages, Hyeseong Kim, and Alex Freeland had two hits apiece. With the loss the Cubs' impressive 10-game winning streak came to an end.
PHI 8, ATL 5 (10) - PHI SP Zack Wheeler did fairly well in his 2026 debut (5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K), while Bryce Elder gave the Braves seven innings of work (7 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K). The lead changed sides a few times in this one, and eventually the game was tied 4-4 through nine. The Phillies loaded the bases in the top of the tenth and Bryce Harper singled to drive in two. After a wild pitch advanced runners to second and third, Brandon Marsh also singled to drive them both in. The Braves' Drake Baldwin managed to drive in Eli White who was on second as the automatic runner, but ultimately Kyle Backhus was able to get a couple of groundouts to close out the game and end the Phillies 10-game losing streak.
PIT 6, MIL 3 (10)
SEA 11, STL 9
CLE 3, TOR 5
MIA 2, SFG 6
MIN 1, TBR 6
WSH 6, CWS 3 (10)
SDP 6, ARI 4
ATH 3, TEX 4
LAA 1, KCR 12
NYY 8, HOU 3
DET 2, CIN 9
COL vs. NYM - postponed
Red Sox make some changes
An article by Ian Browne at MLB describes some big changes the Red Sox have made:
Alex Cora is fired as manager
Chad Tracy, manager for Triple-A Worcester, will be the team’s interim manager starting today
Also let go were hitting coach Pete Fatse, third-base coach Kyle Hudson, bench coach Ramón Vázquez, assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson, and major league hitting strategy coach Joe Cronin
The Red Sox have gotten off to a disappointing start this year with a 10-17 record, which is tied for second-worst in the AL. Cora played for Boston from 2006-2008, and then took the helm as manager in 2018, leading them to a 108-54 record that year and ultimately the World Series Championship. The team has had mixed results since, including two losing seasons in 2022-2023, an even 81-81 in 2024, and then a solid 89-73 campaign last year.
Today’s Trivia Question
One of today's Birthday Boys is Aaron Judge. As a rookie in 2017 he belted 52 HR, which broke the rookie record previously held by Mark McGwire (49 in 1987). Two years later in 2019, Pete Alonso hit 53 HR as a rookie to set a new record. Who has the fourth most HR as a rookie?
(Trivia answers are provided for paid All-Star subscribers of the Baseball Buffet.)
🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉
Row 1: Aaron Judge, Hack Wilson, Amos Otis, Virgil Trucks
Row 2: Sal Maglie, Mike Scott, Granny Hamner
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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?
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Today’s Matchups
Today we have more than a full slate of games (16), since every team is playing and the Rockies/Mets have a doubleheader because of yesterday's rainout. Here are a few matchups that catch my attention (see also full list):
PHI Aaron Nola vs. ATL Chris Sale - the Phillies ended their losing streak yesterday, but have a challenge today going up against Sale
CHC Shota Imanaga vs. LAD Justin Wrobleski - series is tied 1-1 between these two top clubs, and both of today’s starters are doing well this year so far
SDP Michael King vs. ARI Ryne Nelson - the second game in the special series hosted in Mexico City
Additional starters taking the mound today include BOS Connelly Early, KCR Seth Lugo, and NYM Nolan McLean.
Baseball Quote of the Day
One of today's Birthday Boys (see above) is Hall of Famer Hack Wilson, so here are three quotes from him:
"When I see three balls, I just swing at the middle one."
"I never played drunk. Hung over, yes, but never drunk."
"In life, you need many more things besides talent. Things like good advice and common sense."
⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾
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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