The Baseball Buffet for 5/15/2025

Issue #275

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 49th day of the season had a full Wednesday slate (17) of games, including two double-headers:

• MIN 6, BAL 3 (Gm 1) - Gunnar Henderson hit his 6th HR of the year, but the Orioles only had four total hits in this one. Minnesota got homers from Brooks Lee and Trevor Larnach, and Jhoan Duran notched his 8th save.

• MIN 8, BAL 6 (Gm 2) - Cedric Mullins hit a grand slam in the third inning, and Heston Kjerstad followed that immediately with a solo HR of his own. But the Twins came back and won game two also, riding Trevor Larnach’s second HR of the day, plus homers from Willi Castro and Kody Clemens.

• STL 1, PHI 2 (Gm 1) - Erick Fedde was a little wild but pitched well otherwise (5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 3 K). But the Cardinals were 1-10 for with runners in scoring position, held in check by Jesús Luzardo (7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K) and three Phillies relievers, including Jordan Romano who struck out three in the ninth for his 4th save of the year.

• STL 14, PHI 7 (Gm 2) - There was a lot more offense in game two, with 29 total hits producing 21 runs. J.T. Realmuto, Alec Bohm, and Kyle Schwarber each had a HR for the Phillies, all off Sonny Gray (3.2 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) early in the game. But something continues to be off with Aaron Nola (3.2 IP, 12 H, 9 ER, 1 BB, 2 K), as he also surrendered three homers (Lars Noobaar, Alec Burleson, Masyn Winn). The Cardinals were already winning 9-7, but then scored another five runs in the final two frames, with Winn going 4-5 with a walk, and Burleson, Brendan Donovan, and Ivan Herrera all collecting three hits each.

• MIL 9, CLE 5 - Kyle Manzardo hit his 10th HR of the year, and Jose Ramirez hit his 8th. Milwaukee also had two homers, from Sal Frelick and Rhys Hoskins, who had a great all around day going 4-4 with five RBI. 23-year old Logan Henderson pitched well enough for the win (5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K).

• AZ 8, SFG 7 - Ketel Marte hit two HR, and Eugenio Suárez had a 3-run HR, all in the first four innings as the Diamondbacks took an early 8-4 lead. The Giants tried to come back, getting a 2-run HR from Jung Hoo Lee in the seventh inning, but it wasn’t enough.

• NYY 3, SEA 2 - Luis Castillo pitched well (6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K), but the Mariners’ bullpen let up homers to Paul Goldschmidt and Aaron Judge. Will Warren struck out nine in five innings, and Luke Weaver struck out three in the ninth to secure his fourth save on the year and lower his ERA to 0.45 (1 ER in 20 IP).

• BOS 5, DET 6 - Tarik Skubal had 11 K in 6.1 IP, but allowed an uncharacteristically high five runs, including Alex Bregman’s 11th HR of the year. For Detroit, Riley Greene was 3-4 with a HR and a double, and the game ended up tied 5-5 through eight innings. In the bottom of the ninth, with two outs and a runner on third, Justyn-Henry Malloy singled to CF off Aroldis Chapman, driving in Andy Ibáñez for the winning run.

• TBR 1, TOR 3 - Chris Bassitt pitched well (5.2 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K) and three Toronto relievers shut down the Rays the rest of the way, with Yimi Garcia recording his third save. The three Blue Jays runs came via a HR by Alejandro Kirk in the 6th inning.

• CHW 4, CIN 2 - Spencer Steer was 2-4 with a HR and a double, but the Reds were only 1-9 with runners in scoring position. For the Sox, Davis Martin had a good game (6.2 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K), and both Lenyn Sosa, and Michael Taylor hit homers.

• WAS 5, ATL 4 - Bryce Elder pitched well for Atlanta (6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K), but the Braves bullpen gave up two runs in each of the 7th and 8th innings, as the Nationals battled back from a 4-1 deficit. Kyle Finnegan finished off the game by securing his 13th save on the year.

• MIA 3, CHC 1 - Seiya Suzuki hit his 11th HR, but Ryan Weathers otherwise pitched well (5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) and four Marlins relievers tossed a shutout inning each. The Miami offense was led by Agustín Ramírez who was 2-4 with a HR and a double, and Kyle Stowers who was 3-4 with two HR and a triple.

• PIT 4, NYM 0 - Matt Gorski and Jared Triolo each had 2-run HR off Mets starter (and former Pirate) Clay Holmes. Bailey Falter (3.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 5 BB, 3 K) and and four Pirates relievers combined for the shutout.

• COL 3, TEX 8 - Patrick Corbin struck out 9 in 6 innings, and Wyatt Langford and Adolis Garcia each homered. I know the Rockies are a bad team, and maybe don’t have many other options, but how much longer can they have Antonio Senzatela keep going out there? He pitched 4.2 innings, let up 8 hits and 6 ER, walked 4 and struck out 3. On the season he is now 1-7 in 9 starts, with a 6.39 ERA and 1.99 WHIP, and 22 K in 43.2 IP.

• KCR 3, HOU 4 - Maikel Garcia went 2-4 with a HR and a double, and the Royals had a 3-2 lead through seven innings. But the Astros came back in the bottom of the eighth, with Jeremy Peña, who went 4-4 on the day, hitting a single to drive in Mauricio Dubón. That would end up being the wining run, as Josh Hader came in for the ninth inning and earned his 10th save.

• LAA 1, SDP 5 - Taylor Ward hit his 10th HR, but Randy Vasquez otherwise pitched well (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K). Xander Bogaerts hit a 3-run HR in the first inning, and the Padres tacked on another two runs in the eighth.

• ATH 3, LAD 9 - Tyler Soderstrom hit a 2-run HR, but Yoshinobu Yamamoto otherwise pitched pretty well (6 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K). The Dodgers hit four HR on the day, including Shohei Ohtani, Andy Pages, Max Muncy, and Hyeseong Kimg—the first of his MLB career.

Today’s Trivia Question

The ban has been lifted on Pete Rose. As the all-time career hit leader (with 4,256), that made me think of the 3,000-hit club, and who might be the next to join it. There are currently four active players with over 2,000 hits—can you name them?

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

• PIT 1B Endy Rodriguez

• TOR RP Erik Swanson

• ATH SP J.T. Ginn

• SDP SP Yu Darvish

🤕 Placed on the IL

• SEA SP Bryce Miller - 15-day IL (right elbow inflammation)

• BOS SP Tanner Houck - 15-day IL (right flexor pronator strain)

• MIL SP Jose Quintana - 15-day IL (left shoulder impingement)

⬆️ Notable Call-Up

• LAD C Dalton Rushing (a major prospect, with the Dodgers designating C Austin Barnes for assignment to make room for Rushing)

League Leaders

It has been over a week since we checked in on the HR leaderboard, and as noted both Judge and Schwarber hit long balls yesterday to remain tied at the top:

• 15 - NYY Aaron Judge

• 15 - PHI Kyle Schwarber

• 14 - AZ Corbin Carroll

• 13 - LAD Shohei Ohtani

• 13 - SEA Cal Raleigh

• 13 - AZ Eugenio Suárez

• 12 - NYY Trent Grisham

• 11 - BOS Wilyer Abreu

• 11 - BOS Alex Bregman

• 11 - CHC Pete Crow-Armstrong

• 11 - CHC Seiya Suzuki

• 11 - SDP Fernando Tatis Jr.

• 11 - DET Spencer Torkelson

• 11 - 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 May 15…

• 1941: Joe DiMaggio hits an inconsequential yet important single. Joe DiMaggio gets a single in four at bats against Eddie Smith of the Chicago White Sox to start his 56-game hitting streak. His hit goes largely unnoticed as the Yankees lose, 13-1.

• 1952: Virgil Trucks threw a no-hitter. According to baseball-reference.com, “After pitching four no-hitters in the minors, 33-year-old Virgil "Fire" Trucks of Detroit pitches his first in the major leagues, a 1-0 blanking of the Senators. Vic Wertz's dramatic two-out home run in the 9th off Bob Porterfield wins the game at Briggs Stadium. Trucks will throw a second no-hitter later this year.”

• 1960: Don Cardwell gets traded and then threw a no-hitter. According to baseball-reference.com, “After being traded from the Phillies, Don Cardwell no-hits the Cardinals in his Cub debut. The Winston-Salem, NC native becomes the first pitcher to keep the opponents hitless in a first start after being traded.”

• 1973: The first no-hitter by the Ryan Express. California's Nolan Ryan strikes out 12 and hurls his first career no-hitter (of eventually seven) in beating Kansas City 3-0.

• 1981: Len Barker pitches a perfect game. Cleveland’s Len Barker pitches the ninth perfect game in the 20th century, a 3-0 win of the Blue Jays.

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• George Brett (1953) is a Hall of Famer, 13-time All-Star, and one of the greatest 3B ever. He played all of his 21-year career with the Kansas City Royals, winning three batting titles including his .390 average in 1980 when he took home the AL MVP Award. He scored 100+ runs four times and also collected 100+ RBI four times, while hitting 20+ HR in eight seasons. He also generally performed well in the postseason with 10 HR in 43 games, and a .337/.397/.627 slash line in 184 plate appearances. For his career in the regular season he had 3,154 hits, 665 doubles, 137 triples, 317 HR, 1,582 runs, 1,596 RBI, 201 SB, a .305/.369/.487 slash line, and a 135 OPS+.

• John Smoltz (1967) is a Hall of Famer who had a 21-year career, almost all with the Atlanta Braves. In 1996 he won the NL Cy Young award after leading the league in wins with a 24-8 record as well as in strikeouts with 276. An eight-time All-Star, Smoltz switched to the closer role for four years after having Tommy John surgery and missing the 2000 season. He excelled in this role, leading the NL with 55 saves in 2002, and then posting 45 and 44 saves the next two years, with a microscopic 1.12 ERA in 2003. Overall for his career he had a 213-155 (.579) record, 154 saves, 3,084 strikeouts, a 3.33 ERA, and 125 ERA+.

• Justin Morneau (1981) was a power-hitting 1B who spent most his 14-year major league career with the Minnesota Twins. In 2006 he won the AL MVP Award after hitting 34 HR with 130 RBI and a .321 average. A four-time All-Star, Morneau hit 30+ HR three times, and posted 100+ RBI four times. He retired with 247 HR, a .281/.348/.481 slash line, and a 120 OPS+.

• Michael Brantley (1987) was a five-time All-Star over his 15-year major league career. A LF with a nice mix of power and speed, Brantley hit 15+ HR four times and had 15+ SB three times. His best statistical season came in 2014 when he hit 45 doubles and 20 HR, had 97 RBI, and hit for a .327 average. For his career he had a .298/.355/.439 slash line and a 117 OPS+.

• Tip O’Neill (1860) was a 19th century star LF who played parts of 10 seasons in the majors. He scored 100+ runs five times, had 100+ RBI three times, and was a high-average hitter with a career .326/.392/.458 slash line and 144 OPS+. In 1887 he famously led the American Association in just about everything including his .435 average, 167 runs, 225 hits, 52 doubles, 19 triples, 14 HR, and 123 RBI… all in just 124 games played.

• Bill North (1948) had an 11-year career as a CF speedster primarily for the A’s and Giants. He led the AL with 54 SB in 1974 and then 75 SB in 1976. He had five seasons with 45+ SB, and another three with 25+. Overall he accumulated 395 SB with a .261/.365/.323 slash line and an even 100 OPS+.

Today’s Matchups

This is a very light day (6 games) even for a Thursday, with many teams travelling or otherwise having the day off. Some games that jump out to me are:

• MIN vs. BAL - The Twins didn’t just win both games of yesterday’s double-header. They are also on a 10-game winning streak, while the Orioles have dropped 8 of their last 10. Will fortunes change today, with Chris Paddack (4.76 ERA, 30 K in 39.2 IP) facing off against Tomoyuki Sugano (2.72 ERA, 26 K in 46.1 IP, 1.01 WHIP)?

• HOU vs. TEX features an intriguing pitching matchup in Hunter Brown (1.48 ERA, 58 K in 48.2 IP) vs. Jacob deGrom (2.72 ERA, 46 K in 43 IP).

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:

• TEX Adolis García, 5-15 with 2 HR vs. HOU Hunter Brown

• HOU Victor Caratini, 4-14 with 2 HR vs. TEX Jacob deGrom

• TOR Daulton Varsho, small sample but is 4-9 with a HR and a double vs. TBR Zack Littell

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:

• TEX Marcus Semien, 12-19 with a double vs. HOU Hunter Brown

• ATL Marcell Ozuna, 11-33 with an amazingly low 2 K vs WAS Trevor Williams

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:

• 14 - SDP Manny Machado

• 10 - NYY Cody Bellinger

• 9 - BAL Ryan Mountcastle

• 9 - CLE Jose Ramirez

• 8 - MIA Xavier Edwards

• 8 - TOR Ernie Clement

• 7 - HOU Jeremy Pena

• 7 - BAL Gunnar Henderson

• 7 - STL Lars Nootbaar

• 7 - AZ Josh Naylor

• 7 - NYM Brandon Nimmo

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:

• ATL Austen Riley, 2-18 with 8 K vs. WAS Trevor Williams

• TOR Anthony Santander, 2-14 with 4 K (though one hit was a HR) vs. TBR Zack Littell

• CIN Spencer Steer, 2-15 with 2 K vs. CHW Bryse Wilson

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾

Today’s Trivia Answer

There are currently four active players with over 2,000 hits:

• 2,309 - Freddie Freeman

• 2,273 - Jose Altuve

• 2,183 - Andrew McCutchen

• 2,112 - Paul Goldschmidt

Since they are both still 35 years old, I think Freddie Freeman and Jose Altuve have a good shot at reaching 3,000. I don’t see Andrew McCutchen at 38 doing so, and I doubt Paul Goldschmidt at 37 will either—though he certainly is having a nice rebound season so far this year.

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.

• Execs weigh in on Giants, O's chances against division heavyweights, by Mark Feinsand at MLB, 5/14/2025

• Pete Rose and All Our Halls of Fame, by Joe Posnanski at Joe Blogs, 5/14/2025

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

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