The Baseball Buffet for 5/11/2025

Issue #271

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 45th day of the season had a full Saturday slate (15) of games:

• ATL 3, PIT 2 - Joey Bart went 4-4 and the Pirates outhit the Braves 9-5, but they struggled to score runs as they were only 2 for 18 with runners in scoring position and left 14 runners on base. AJ Smith-Shawver pitched well (5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K), Matt Olson hit his 7th HR of the year, and he also scored what would be the winning run in the 11th inning when Pirates reliever Chase Shugart threw a wild pitch with Olson on third base.

• STL 4, WAS 2 - The Cardinals scored their four runs in the second inning, while Andre Pallante pitched really well (7.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K), eventually yielding a HR to Dylan Crews in the 8th inning. Ryan Helsley picked up his seventh save on the year.

• NYY 7, ATH 11 - J.P. Sears pitched well (5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) with the only run he allowed coming from Aaron Judge’s first of two HR on the day (he now leads MLB with 14 HR). Carlos Rodón struck out 10 in 6 innings, but also gave up 8 hits and 4 runs. The Athletics first four hitters went a combined 10-19 and they got HR from Luis Urias, Brent Rooker, and Shea Langeliers. Mason Miller struck out four over the last 1.2 innings, securing his 11th save.

• MIL 2, TBR 3 - Jackson Chourio and Joey Ortiz each had solo HR, but Taj Bradley otherwise pitched well for the Rays (6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K).

• TEX 10, DET 3 - Kerry Carpenter and Riley Greene each hit their 9th HR of the season, but Jacob deGrom otherwise pitched well (5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 10 K). Jack Flaherty was rocked by four HR in three innings (Josh Smith, Corey Seager, Evan Carter, and Joc Pederson). Corey Seager was 3-4 on the day with 2 HR and a double.

• PHI 7, CLE 1 - Tanner Bibee pitched well (7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K), but so did Ranger Suarez (7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K). The Phillies were up 1-0 through seven but then scored six more runs in the 8th inning, hitting reliever Joey Cantillo in particular (1.1 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 3 K), including Bryce Harper connecting for his 7th HR of the year.

• BOS 10, KCR 1 - Cole Ragans struck out 8 in 5 innings, but also allowed 4 runs. Trevor Story and Carlos Narvaez added HR later in the game, while Garrett Crochet was solid once again (7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K). Also of note was Rafael Devers going 4-4 with a double and 3 RBI, and Bobby Witt Jr. going 2-4 with his MLB-leading 17th double.

• MIA 3, CHW 1 - Andrew Vaughn homered for the second day in a row, and Shane Smith pitched very well (6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K). But the White Sox only managed four hits as Edward Cabrera also pitched well (5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 K) and four Marlins relievers didn’t allow any runs, with Jesus Tinoco notching his third save.

• CHC 6, NYM 5 - Brett Baty went 2-4 with 2 HR and 5 RBI, but the Mets were 1-10 with runners in scoring position while the Cubs were 4-8 in that situation. Dansby Swanson hit his 8th HR, and Cade Horton, the Cubs’ top pitching prospect, struck out 5 in 4 innings after Brad Keller’s one inning as the opener.

• SFG 1, MIN 2 - Heliot Ramos was 3-3 with a HR and a double, but the rest of the Giants lineup only added one other hit. Logan Webb pitched well (7 IP, 5, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K), but the two-run HR he allowed to Trevor Larnach was all it took. Joe Ryan also pitched well (6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K) and three Twins relievers shut out the Giants the rest of the way, including Jhoan Duran securing his seventh save.

• LAD 0, AZ 3 - Corbin Burnes was outstanding against the tough Dodgers lineup (7 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K), Eugenio Suárez hit his 12th HR, and Corbin Carroll hit his MLB-leading 5th triple.

• CIN 13, HOU 9 - The Reds jumped on Lance McCullers Jr. in the first inning, as he could only get one batter out and let up 3 hits, 3 walks, and 7 runs. Cincinnati scored another three and led 10-0 after the top of the first inning. The Astros did some damage too, as Brady Singer didn’t have a good start either (2.1 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 1 K). Overall 13 pitchers allowed 26 hits, with HR hit by Victor Caratini, Elly De La Cruz, and Matt McLain.

• SDP 21, COL 0 - The Chargers beat the Broncos 21-0 with three touchdowns, two in the air and one on the ground. Oh wait, wrong sport. I meant to say that the Rockies are being demoted from the Premier League… oh wait, wrong sport again! The first issue here was Bradley Blalock giving up 12 hits and 12 runs in 3.2 innings. Then Juan Mejia came in and let up 6 hits and 7 runs in 1.1 innings. Yes, the game was played in Colorado… but the score was 19-0 after five innings! At least catcher Jacob Stallings held the Padres to only one run in the final two innings—maybe they should use him as an opener on days when he’s not behind the plate? Who did the damage for the Padres? Everyone. Literally everyone in the starting lineup had at least two hits except Jason Heyward who was 1-6 (but he still scored two runs with 3 RBI). Six Padres had 2+ runs and 2+ RBI. They had 24 hits, with 4 doubles, 1 triple, and 5 HR from Gavin Sheets, Jake Cronenworth, Jason Heyward, Xander Bogaerts, and Fernando Tatis Jr. Oh, and Stephen Kolek was great in his second MLB start of 2025, pitching a complete game shutout (9 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K).

• BAL 2, LAA 5 - Jack Kochanowicz pitched well (5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K) and the Angels did more with their seven hits than the Orioles did with their six. Jo Adell of the Angels and Ramon Laureano of the Orioles each hit their 5th homers of the year.

• TOR 6, SEA 3 - Alejandro Kirk went 4-5, Bo Bichette was 2-4 with a HR and a double, and Jeff Hoffman struck out three in the ninth to log his 9th save on the season.

Today’s Trivia Question

I noted in yesterday’s newsletter that Hoyt Wilhelm in 1970 was the first pitcher to pitch in 1,000 games in the majors. With the increased specialization of relievers, there are now 16 pitchers who have pitched in 1,000 or more games. Wilhelm retired with 1,070 games which ranks sixth all-time. Who is the all-time leader in games pitched?

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

• COL SS Ezequiel Tovar

• SDP RP Bryan Hoeing

• TEX C Kyle Higashioka

• NYY RP Scott Effross

• MIL SP/RP Aaron Ashby

• CHW RF Mike Tauchman

• COL 2B Tyler Freeman

• COL 2B Aaron Schunk

🤕 Placed on the IL

• DET SP Casey Mize - 15-day IL (left hamstring strain)

• CIN RF Jake Fraley - 10-day IL (left calf tenderness)

• BOS 1B Romy Gonzalez (left quad contusion)

📝 Signed as a Free Agent

• MIL 1B Bobby Dalbec

• LAA RP Andrew Vasquez

League Leaders

As noted above, Bobby Witt Jr. hit his 17th double of the year, giving him a further lead on the rest of the field so far:

• 17 - KCR Bobby Witt Jr.

• 15 - BOS Alex Bregman

• 14 - NYM Pete Alonso

• 14 - SDP Manny Machado

• 13 - MIL Jackson Chourio

• 13 - KCR Salvador Perez

• 12 - TOR Bo Bichette

• 12 - BOS Rafael Devers

• 12 - STL Brandon Donovan

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 May 11…

• 1904: Cy Young’s 23-inning no-hit streak ends. According to baseball-reference.com, “Cy Young's 23-inning no-hit string ends. The streak included two innings on April 25th, six on April 30th, a perfect game against the Philadelphia Athletics on May 5th, and six innings today.”

• 1963: Sandy Koufax throws his second no-hitter. Sandy Koufax pitches the second of four career no-hitters to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers in beating San Francisco, 8-0.

• 1984: Tigers set record with 26-4 start. According to baseball-reference.com, “The Tigers improve their record to 26-4 with an 8-2 win over the Angels and establish a new record for the best 30-game start in major league history, eclipsing the 25-5 mark set by the Dodgers in 1955.”

• 1996: Al Leiter throws a no-hitter. Al Leiter pitches the first no-hitter in Marlins history, beating the Colorado Rockies, 11-0.

• 1998: Kerry Wood strikes out 33 in consecutive games. According to baseball-reference.com, “Kerry Wood of the Chicago Cubs sets the major league record for strikeouts in consecutive games (33) by fanning 13 Arizona Diamondbacks in a 4-2 victory. The record for strikeouts in two starts had been 32, set by Luis Tiant in 1968 and matched by Nolan Ryan (1974), Dwight Gooden (1984) and Randy Johnson (1997).”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Charlie Gehringer (1903) is a Hall of Famer who had a 19-year career as a 2B for the Detroit Tigers. He scored 100+ runs an impressive 12 times, leading the AL with 131 runs in 1929 and 135 runs in 1934, but having his career high of 144 runs in both 1930 and 1936. He led the AL in hits twice, doubles twice (including an amazing total of 60 in 1936), triples once, SB once, and batting average once with a .371 average in 1937, the year he took home the AL MVP Award. He received some MVP consideration in twelve other seasons, and retired with 2,839 hits, 1,775 runs, 184 HR, 181 SB, a .320/.404/.480 slash line and 125 OPS+.

• Milt Pappas (1939) pitched in the majors from 1957 as an 18-year old until 1973 when he retired in his age-34 season. He played the first half of his career with the Orioles, the second half split between the Reds, Braves, and Cubs. A two-time All-Star, Pappas won 15+ games seven times, and retired with a 209-164 (.560) record, making him the first pitcher to win 200 games but never win 20 or more in a season (several others have since done the same.)

• Rip Sewell (1907) pitched mostly in the minors from 1931-1937, then finally signed on with the Pittsburgh where he pitched for 12 years. He won 21 games in both 1943 and 1944 and was an All-Star both seasons, and then again in 1946 as well. Truett Banks “Rip” Sewell is credited with inventing the blooper or "Eephus pitch” where the ball is thrown high in the air and very slowly, often confusing hitters if thrown rarely. He retired with a 143-97 (.596) record, 3.48 ERA, and 108 ERA+.

• Francisco Cordero (1975) had a 14-year major league career as a reliever, mostly as a closer. A 3-time All-Star, Cordero had seven seasons with 30+ saves, including highs of 49 in 2004 with the Rangers, 44 in 2007 with the Brewers, and 40 in 2010 with the Reds. He retired with 329 saves in all, a 3.38 ERA, and 135 ERA+.

Today’s Matchups

Happy Mother’s Day! A full slate of Sunday games (15), so lots of possibilities. Some games that jump out to me are:

• CHC vs. NYM involves two division leaders having split this series so far. The starting pitchers have very similar numbers on the season: Matthew Boyd (2.75 ERA, 37 K in 39.1 IP) vs. Griffin Canning (2.50 ERA, 37 K in 36 IP).

• SDP vs. COL is interesting to see what happens after last nights massacre. Did the Padres use up all their hits? That would be a blessing for Germán Márquez who has struggled this year (9.90 ERA, 1.97 WHIP, 18 K in 30 IP). Can the Rockies come to life against a tough opponent in Nick Pivetta (2.01 ERA, 44 K in 40.1 IP)?

Also taking the hill today are ATL Chris Sale, WAS MacKenzie Gore, TEX Nathan Eovaldi, KCR Seth Lugo, MIN Pablo López, AZ Zac Gallen, and PHI Zack Wheeler.

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:

• KCR Salvador Perez, 16-37 (.432) with 5 HR and 4 doubles vs. BOS Lucas Giolito

• LAA Travis d'Arnaud, 7-22 with 3 HR vs. BAL Zach Eflin

• BAL Tyler O'Neill, small sample but is 35 with 2 HR vs. LAA Tyler Anderson

• SDP Jake Cronenworth, 6-19 with 2 HR, a triple, and a double vs. COL Germán Márquez

• NYM Francisco Lindor, 12-33 (.364) with 2 HR and 3 doubles vs. CHC Matthew Boyd

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:

• SDP Manny Machado, 13-32 (.406) with a HR and 2 doubles vs. COL Germán Márquez

• SEA Jorge Polanco, 7-10 with a double vs. TOR José Ureña

• STL Willson Contreras, 6-10 with 2 doubles vs. WAS MacKenzie Gore

• SDP Jason Heyward, 6-15 with a HR and a double vs. COL Germán Márquez

• KCR Bobby Witt Jr., 6-18 with a HR, a triple, and a double vs. BOS Lucas Giolito

Who is streaking?

These are players on active hit streaks and who for this reason (if playing) might also be interesting picks to get a hit today:

• 10 - SDP Manny Machado

• 10 - HOU Jake Meyers

• 10 - STL Victor Scott II

• 10 - STL Brendan Donovan

• 9 - WAS James Wood

• 9 - PHI Trea Turner

• 9 - COL Jordan Beck

• 8 - LAD Shohei Ohtani

• 8 - TBR Yainer Diaz

• 8 - ATL Eli White

• 7 - ATH Jacob Wilson

• 7 - LAD Andy Pages

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:

• SFG Mike Yastrzemski, 1-15 with 9 K vs. MIN Pablo López

• SFG Willy Adames, 2-17 with 9 K vs. MIN Pablo López

• AZ Pavin Smith, 1-13 with 8 K vs. LAD Tony Gonsolin

• KCR Mark Canha, 1-10 with 7 K vs. BOS Lucas Giolito

• PIT Andrew McCutchen, 0-10 with 3 K vs. ATL Chris Sale

• WAS Keibert Ruiz, 1-10 though only 1 K vs. STL Miles Mikolas

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾

Today’s Trivia Answer

With the increased specialization of relievers, there are now 16 pitchers who have pitched in 1,000 or more games. Hoyt Wilhelm was the first and retired with 1,070 games which ranks sixth all-time. The all-time leader is Jesse Orosco with 1,252 games, well ahead of second place Mike Stanton at 1,178 games. Orosco had a 24-year career spanning 1979-2003, finally retiring at the age of 46.

Good Reads

Here I am providing one or more links to baseball articles I’ve enjoyed recently, whether by writers at MLB.com or elsewhere.

• Here are MLB's top Mother's Day moments, by Paul Casella at MLB, 5/11/2025

• Looking ahead to inaugural Rivalry Weekend, by Jared Greenspan at MLB, 5/6/2025

See recent issues of The Baseball Buffet for more recent good reads!

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