Issue #641
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’s schedule included a full slate of games (15) as usual for a Friday. Here are the results (link to all game box scores):
TEX 0, HOU 1 - I mentioned in yesterday's Baseball Buffet how good of a start to season Houston's Spencer Arrighetti was having. Against Texas yesterday he had his best outing yet, taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning (HOU SP Spencer Arrighetti: 7.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 5 K). The Rangers ninth-place hitter Justin Foscue finally broke it up with a single, but then Astros reliever Bryan King entered and combined for the shutout. Meanwhile, TEX SP Jack Leiter did well (7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K), but the HR he allowed to Isaac Paredes in the third inning was all it took.
PHI 11, PIT 9 (10) - The Pirates tagged Aaron Nola for six runs in the third inning, including 2-run HRs by Brandon Lowe and Marcell Ozuna. Lowe hit a second HR in the fifth, but Kyle Schwarber also hit two HRs in this game, giving him an MLB-leading 20 on the season (and an amazing nine HRs in his last eight games). The Pirates were up 8-5 through eight, but then Gregory Soto gave up 2 walks, 2 hits, and 3 runs (2 earned) as the Phillies tied it up. Philadelphia reliever José Alvarado then struck out three in the bottom of the ninth to force extras. The Pirates brought in Dennis Santana, but he gave up 4 hits and 3 runs (2 earned) without recording any outs, before Brandan Bidois relieved him and closed out the rough inning. The Pirates advanced and then drive home the automatic runner, but that wasn't enough as Orion Kerkering closed it out for his first save of the year.
NYY 5, NYM 2 - NYM SP Clay Holmes had 8 K in 4.1 IP, but also allowed 7 H, 2 BB, and 4 ER. Even worse, a line drive by Spencer Jones struck Holmes in the leg. He stayed in the game until coming out the next inning, but the team later learned his fibula was fractured on that play, and so will be on the IL for a while. For the Yankees, NYY SP Cam Schlittler continued his strong run (6.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K), only giving up a solo HR to Juan Soto in the seventh. Ben Rice went 3-5 with a HR, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. was 3-4 with a walk, a double, and 2 RBI.
ARI 9, COL 1 - The Diamondbacks jumped on COL SP Kyle Freeland for six runs in the first inning (3.2 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 4 BB, 3 K). ARI SP Merrill Kelly on the other hand tossed a complete game gem (9 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K), only allowing a HR to Hunter Goodman in the bottom of the first. Ildemaro Vargas went 4-5 with a double, 2 runs, and 2 RBI; Gabriel Moreno was 2-5 with a double and 3 RBI; and Corbin Carroll was 2-5 with 2 runs.
BAL 2, WSH 3
TOR 2, DET 3
CIN 7, CLE 6
MIA 2, TBR 7
MIL 3, MIN 2
BOS 2, ATL 3 (10)
CHC 10, CWS 5
KCR 4, STL 5 (11)
SDP 2, SEA 0
LAD 6, LAA 0
SFG 2, ATH 5
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Today’s Trivia Question
One of today's Birthday Boys (see below) is Hall of Famer Jack Morris. He had 1,629 strikeouts during the 1980s, ranking third for that decade. Which two pitchers had more strikeouts during the 1980s?
(Trivia answers are provided for paid All-Star subscribers of the Baseball Buffet.)
🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉
Jack Morris, Rick Reuschel, Rick Rhoden, Billy Martin
Currently active players who were born on May 16 include TBR Richie Palacios, WSH Luis García Jr., SDP Freddy Fermin, MIA Michael Petersen, BAL Dietrich Enns, and COL Sean Bouchard.
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Current hitting streaks of seven or more games
On this day in baseball history…
Career summaries for each of The Birthday Boys
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Today’s Matchups
We have another full slate of games today (15), with the following looking like interesting matchups (see full list at MLB):
MIA Sandy Alcantara vs. TBR Nick Martinez - Alcantara has had mixed results this year, while Martinez has been outstanding with a 1.70 ERA in 8 starts
CHC Jameson Taillon vs. CWS Davis Martin - the strong Cubs lineup will be a big test for Martin, who has done great so far this year with a 1.62 ERA over 8 starts
BOS Payton Tolle vs. ATL Bryce Elder - Boston rookie Tolle has a 2.78 ERA in four starts, while Elder has been outstanding this year with a 1.81 ERA over 9 starts
LAD Justin Wrobleski vs. LAA José Soriano - Wrobleski gave up 7 ER in his last start, but still has a 2.42 ERA on the season, while Soriano owns a 1.66 ERA
Other starters climbing the hill today include DET Casey Mize, ARI Eduardo Rodríguez, PHI Cristopher Sánchez, CLE Gavin Williams, TEX Jacob deGrom, SEA Logan Gilbert, and NYY Carlos Rodón.
Baseball Quote of the Day
One of today's Birthday Boys (see above) is Billy Martin, so here are some interesting quotes from him (curated from the collection at The Baseball Almanac):
"The day I become a good loser, I'm quitting baseball. I always had a temper. I think it's nothing to be ashamed of. If you know how to use it, it can help. Temper is something the good Lord gave me and I can't just throw it out the window."
"Everything looks nicer when you win. The girls are prettier. The cigars taste better. The trees are greener."
"I'm getting smarter, I finally punched something that couldn't sue me."
"Most people miss the great part mental outlook plays in this game."
"Sometimes I would do just the opposite of what George wanted me to do, because I won't let anyone tell me how to manage. If I'm going down the tube, I'm going to do it my way."
"The only real way to know you've been fired is when you arrive at the ballpark and find your name has been scratched from the parking list."
"There's nothing greater in the world than when somebody on the team does something good, and everybody gathers around to pat him on the back."
"What I miss when I'm away is the pride in baseball. Especially the pride of being on a team that wins."
⚾ 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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