The Baseball Buffet for 4/27/2025

Issue #258

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 31st day of the season was loaded with 17 games due to the two rainouts on Friday:

• BOS 4, CLE 5 (Gm 1) - Wilyer Abreu and Rafael Devers each hit a HR, but the Red Sox overall were only 1-11 with runners in scoring position. The Guardians, on the other hand, got timely hits and were 5-10 with runners in scoring position. Their four relievers also held Boston scoreless over four innings, with Cade Smith securing his third save.

• BOS 7, CLE 3 (Gm 2) - Boston jumped out to a 6-0 lead through three innings in game two, with Jarren Duran leading the way going 3-4 with a triple, a stolen base, and three runs scored.

• BAL 3, DET 4 (Gm 1) - The Orioles outhit the Tigers 11-8, including HR by Ryan O’Hearn and Ramón Urías. But Casey Mize spread around the hits he allowed (5.1 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K), Spencer Torkelson hit his 8th HR of the year, and Will Vest pitched 1.1 IP to get his third save.

• BAL 2, DET 6 (Gm 2) - Baltimore lost game two as well, as Torkelson had a double and two RBI and Riley Greene hit a 3-run HR to power Detroit.

• LAA 1, MIN 5 - Zach Neto hit his third HR of the year, but Simeon Woods Richardson otherwise pitched well (5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K), four Minnesota relievers shutout the Angels the rest of the way, and the Twins lineup had 13 hits in all.

• MIL 5, STL 6 - Jackson Chourio went 4-5 with a double and a two-run HR that tied the game 5-5 in the top of the ninth. But Nolan Arenado hit a walk-off HR in the bottom of the ninth for the win, his third HR of the season.

• CIN 6, COL 4 - Adael Amador went 3-4 and hit his first major league HR, and Michael Toglia also had a HR for Colorado. But Hunter Greene otherwise pitched well (6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 8 K), and the Reds had three HR, two solo shots from Austin Hays, and a 2-run HR by Noelvi Marte.

• NYM 2, WAS 0 - Francisco Alvarez, who recently returned from the IL, hit a 2-run HR that provided the only scoring in this game. Clay Holmes pitched well (5 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 K) and Edwin Diaz struck out three in the ninth to earn his seventh save.

• TEX 2, SFG 3 - Robbie Ray pitched well for the Giants (7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K) but the game was tied 2-2 through eight innings. Heliot Ramos singled to lead off the bottom of the ninth, and then later scored when Patrick Bailey singled him in.

• PHI 10, CHC 4 - Ben Brown couldn’t get out of the fourth inning (3.2 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 5 K), while Jesús Luzardo had another solid start (6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K). Max Kepler had his second HR of the year for the Phillies.

• CHW 10, ATH 3 - After opener Tyler Gilbert pitched the first inning, Jonathan Cannon pitched well (7.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) for most of the rest of the game. Luis Robert Jr. had a HR, a stolen base, and scored three runs, while Michael Taylor went 3-5 with three doubles, a stolen base, and three RBI.

• HOU 0, KCR 2 - Vinnie Pasquantino hit his third HR of the year, but otherwise Framber Valdez pitched well (8 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K). The Astros outhit the Royals 6-3, but were 1-9 with runners in scoring position. Michael Wacha did well (6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K), and three KC relievers combined with him for the shutout.

• ATL 8, AZ 7 - Marcell Ozuna and Sean Murphy each had a HR, but Merrill Kelley otherwise pitched well (6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K). D-Backs 3B Eugenio Suárez did all he could by going 4-5 with four HR (!). Alas, the game was tied 7-7 after nine innings, and a wild-pitch by Justin Martinez allowed Matt Olson to score what would end up being the decisive run.

• PIT 4, LAD 8 - Mitch Keller pitched fairly well (6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) and Oneil Cruz hit his 8th HR. But Pittsburgh relievers gave up HR to Teoscar Hernández and Kiké Hernández while three Dodgers relievers shut down the Pirates towards the end. Shohei Ohtani also had a good game, going 3-5 with two doubles, a triple, and a stolen base.

• TBR 4, SDP 1 - Brandon Lowe hit his fourth HR of the year, Ryan Pepiot pitched well (6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 K), and Pete Fairbanks notched his fifth save.

• MIA 0, SEA 14 - Jorge Polanco hit two HR, and Julio Rodriguez and Mitch Garver added one each. Meanwhile Luis Castillo did well (6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) and three Seattle relievers combined on the four-hit shutout.

• TOR vs. NYY - postponed

Today’s Trivia Question

As noted, Eugenio Suárez hit four HR yesterday, becoming only the 17th player to hit four HR in a game (no one has yet done it twice, and no one has hit more than four).

• Who was the most recent player do so before Suárez?

• Who was the first player to do so?

• Lastly, Suárez’ Diamondbacks team lost yesterday (albeit in extra innings). All other instances of a player hitting four HR in a game involved his team winning, except one—who was that?

Hints: The most recent player, like Suárez, was with the Diamondbacks; the first player was with the Yankees; the player whose team lost was with the Braves.

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

• MIA SP Eury Perez

• NYY RP Jonathan Loisaga

• HOU SP Lance McCullers Jr.

🤕 Placed on the IL

• ATH SP J.T. Ginn - 15-day IL (right elbow inflammation)

• SEA SP Logan Gilbert - 15-day IL (right elbow flexor strain)

• MIL OF Garrett Mitchell - 10-day IL (left oblique strain)

• MIN 2B Luke Keaschall - 10-day IL (right forearm strain)

• BAL OF Tyler O’Neill - 10-day IL (neck inflammation)

• CIN RP Ian Gibaut - 15-day IL (right shoulder impingement)

League Leaders

Today I’ll circle back to look at HR again, as we finally have a leader in double-digits… because Suárez went nuts and hit four HR yesterday!

• 10 - AZ Eugenio Suárez

• 9 - AZ Corbin Carroll

• 9 - SEA Cal Raleigh

• 9 - ATH Tyler Soderstrom

• 9 - LAA Mike Trout

• 8 - PIT Oneil Cruz

• 8 - LAD Tommy Edman

• 8 - SDP Fernando Tatis Jr.

• 8 - DET Spencer Torkelson

• 8 - WAS James Wood

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 27…

• 1983: Nolan Ryan eclipses Walter Johnson. After 56 years, Walter Johnson’s career strikeouts record is finally surpassed as Nolan Ryan strikes out Brad Mills in a 4-2 win over the Expos.

• 1996: Barry Bonds joins the 300/300 club. Barry Bonds homers twice to reach the 300-HR mark, which coupled with the 300+ steals he already had, he joined his father Bobby Bonds, godfather Willie Mays, and Andre Dawson in the career 300 HR / 300 SB club.

April 27th has also been a day of many no-hitters, including:

• 1944: Jim Tobin of the Boston Braves pitched a no-hitter against the Brooklyn Dodgers at Boston, winning 2-0.

• 1968: Tom Phoebus throws a 6-0 no hitter against the Red Sox.

• 1973: Steve Busby, a rookie for the Royals, no-hits the Tigers 3-0.

• 1994: Scott Erickson of the Twins no-hits the Brewers for a 6-0 victory.

• 2002: Derek Lowe of the Boston Red Sox pitches a 10-0 no-hitter against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

• 2003: Kevin Millwood pitches a no-hitter to lead the Philadelphia Phillies over the San Francisco Giants, 1-0.

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Rogers Hornsby (1896) is a Hall of Famer and one of the all-time elite players of the game, widely considered one of, and perhaps the greatest 2B of all time. Hornsby was one of the top hitters of his generation, as he won two NL Triple Crowns, in 1922 when he led the league with 42 HR, 152 RBI, and a .401 average (as well as 141 runs, 250 hits, and 46 doubles), and then again in 1925 when he led the league with 39 HR, 143 RBI, and a .403 average. Those were only two of his seven NL batting titles, with his highest average being .424 in 1924. Hornsby was also a player-manager for much of his career, including in 1926 when the Cardinals won the World Series. He retired with 2,930 hits, 301 HR, a .358/.434/.577 slash line, and 175 OPS+.

• Enos Slaughter (1916) is a Hall of Famer who played from 1938-1959, missing 1943-45 to the War. His longest tenure and best seasons came with the Cardinals, including 10 All-Star seasons as a RF and LF. He led the NL in triples twice, and hits, doubles, and RBI once each. He retired with a .300/.382/.453 slash line and 124 OPS+.

• Corey Seager (1994) has been one of the top shortstops of the past ten years, playing first with the Dodgers, and now in his fourth season with the Rangers. He was NL Rookie of the Year in 2016 after hitting 26 HR and 40 doubles with a .308 average and 105 runs scored. A five-time All-Star, he has led his league in doubles twice, and hit 30+ HR each year from 2022-2024. Seager has had a lot of post-season experience in his career thus far, with highlights including being the NLCS and World Series MVP with the Dodgers in 2020, and the World Series MVP again with the Rangers in 2023.

• Chris Carpenter (1975) was a pitcher with the Blue Jays from 1997-2002 and the Cardinals from 2004-2012. A three-time All-Star, he won the NL Cy Young Award in 2005 after posting a 21-5 record, 2.83 ERA, and career-best 213 strikeouts. He came in second in the NL CYA vote in 2009 when he went 17-4 and led the league with a 2.24 ERA.

Today’s Matchups

A typical full slate on a Sunday, plusan extra games to make up for the TOR/NYY rainout yesterday, so lots of possibilities. Some games that jump out to me are:

• TOR vs. NYY again features Kevin Gausman (3.16 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 26 K in 31.1 IP) vs. Max Fried (1.42 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 30 K in 31.2 IP).

• NYM vs. WAS involves two starters off to very good seasons thus far in Tylor Megill (1.09 ERA, 30 K in 24.2 IP) vs. Mitchell Parker (1.39 ERA, 20 K in 32.1 IP).

• HOU vs. KCR is much the same with Hunter Brown (1.16 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, 31 K in 31 IP) facing Kris Bubic (1.45 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 33 K in 31 IP).

• MIA vs. SEA looks interesting, as Miami has Max Meyer going again after striking out 14 in just 6 IP his last time out. And with Logan Gilbert landing on the IL, the Mariners are promoting top prospecting Logan Evans to make his big-league debut.

Also on the bump today are LAD Tyler Glasnow, DET Tark Skubal, and ATL Spencer Schwellenbach.

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:

• NYY Aaron Judge, 13-39 with 6 HR and 2 doubles vs. TOR Kevin Gausman

• MIL Rhys Hoskins, 9-31 with 3 HR and a double vs. STL Erick Fedde

• MIL William Contreras, 7-11 with 2 HR vs. STL Erick Fedde

• CHC Kyler Tucker, 3-9 with 2 HR and a double vs. PHI Aaron Nola

• LAD Teoscar Hernández, 4-9 with 2 HR and two doubles vs. PIT Bailey Falter

• PHI Kyle Schwarber, 5-19 with 2 HR and a double vs. Jameson Taillon

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:

• NYY Paul Goldschmidt, 7-12 with a HR vs. TOR Kevin Gausman

• MIL Christian Yelich, 6-13 with 2 doubles vs. STL Erick Fedde

• TOR Andrés Giménez, 5-12 with a double vs. NYY Clarke Schmidt

• CIN Jeimer Candelario, small sample but is 5-9 with a HR and a double vs. COL Ryan Feltner

• SDP Manny Machado, small sample but is 4-8 with a triple and two doubles vs. Zack Littell

• CHC Carson Kelly, small sample but is 4-4 vs. PHI Aaron Nola

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:

• 18 - KCR Bobby Witt Jr

• 10 - CIN Gavin Lux

• 10 - CIN Elly De La Cruz

• 10 - PIT Adam Frazier

• 9 - CLE Steven Kwan

• 8 - STL Willson Contreras

• 7 - TEX Wyatt Langford

• 7 - DET Zach McKinstry

• 7 - BOS Alex Bregman

• 7 - CLE Angel Martinez

• 7 - PIT Ke’Bryan Hayes

• 7 - TBR Chandler Simpson

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:

• CHC Ian Happ, 0-15 with 7 K vs. PHI Aaron Nola

• STL Willson Contreras, 1-15 with 5 K vs. MIL Jose Quintana

• STL Nolan Arenado, 2-21 with 5 K, though but hits were HR vs. MIL Jose Quintana

• NYY Cody Bellinger, 2-18 with 9 K vs. TOR Kevin Gausman

• NYY Anthony Volpe, 2-17 with 10 K (though the two hits were a HR and double) vs. TOR Kevin Gausman

• NYY Anthony Volpe, small sample but is 1-9 with 5 K vs. TOR Chris Bassitt

• WAS Luis García Jr., 1-12 with 4 K vs. NYM Tylor Megill

• PIT Isiah Kiner-Falefa, 1-10 with 3 K vs. LAD Tyler Glasnow

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾

Today’s Trivia Answer

As noted, Eugenio Suárez hit four HR in one game yesterday, becoming only the 17th player to do so. The most recent player do so before Suárez was another Arizona Diamondbacks slugger, J.D. Martinez, on September 4, 2017. The first ever player to do so was Lou Gehrig of the Yankees, on June 3, 1932. And the only other player to hit four HR in a game, but whose team still lost the game, was Bob Horner of the Braves on July 6, 1986, as the Expos won 11-8.

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